Reader Integration Kit (RIK)

The Reader Integration Kit (RIK) is a cross-platform SDK for programmatically interfacing with rf IDEAS credential readers. Used alongside rf IDEAS readers, RIK can be integrated into your platform to enable credential-based authentication, identity verification, and access control solutions using cards and mobile devices.

RIK provides a unified API across C++, C#, and Python, giving you direct control over reader connections, card data capture, device configuration, and firmware management -- without relying on keystroke emulation or third-party middleware.

Install

C++ (CMake)

find_package(ReaderIntegrationKit REQUIRED)
target_link_libraries(my_app PRIVATE ReaderIntegrationKit::ReaderIntegrationKit)

C# (NuGet)

dotnet add package rfIDEAS.ReaderIntegrationKit

Python (pip)

pip install reader-integration-kit-linux-x86-64    # Linux
pip install reader-integration-kit-windows-x86-64  # Windows

Connect to a Reader

C++

#include "Reader/AbstractReader.h"
#include "Reader/Reader.h"

using namespace Rik;
using namespace RikCommon;

int main() {
    ReaderDefinition readerDef{};
    readerDef.DeviceId.VendorId = 0x0C27;
    readerDef.DeviceId.ProductId = 0x3BFA;
    readerDef.ProtocolType = PROTOCOL_TYPE_FEATURE_REPORT;

    auto handle = AbstractReader::CreateReaderInstance(readerDef, 3);
    auto* app = AbstractReader::GetInstance(handle);
    app->Init();

    auto metadata = app->GetMetadataStruct();
    std::cout << metadata.PartNumber << std::endl;

    app->Close();
    AbstractReader::DestroyInstance(handle);
}

C#

using rfIDEAS.ReaderIntegrationKit;
using rfIDEAS.ReaderIntegrationKit.Objects;
using rfIDEAS.ReaderIntegrationKit.Enum;

var readerDef = new ReaderDefinition {
    DeviceId = new DeviceId { VendorId = 0x0C27, ProductId = 0x3BFA },
    ProtocolType = ProtocolType.FeatureReport,
    SerialPortSettings = new SerialPortSettings()
};

using var app = new Reader(readerDef, retryCount: 3);
app.Init();

var metadata = app.GetMetadata();
Console.WriteLine(metadata.PartNumber);

Python

from reader_integration_kit.facade import Reader
from reader_integration_kit.structures import ReaderDefinition, DeviceId, SerialPortSettings
from reader_integration_kit.enum import ProtocolType

reader_def = ReaderDefinition(
    DeviceId=DeviceId(VendorId=0x0C27, ProductId=0x3BFA),
    ProtocolType=ProtocolType.FEATURE_REPORT,
    SerialPortSettings=SerialPortSettings()
)

with Reader(reader_def, retry_count=3) as app:
    app.init()
    metadata = app.get_metadata()
    print(metadata.get("PartNumber"))

See Supported Readers for the full list of supported readers.

Platforms

Platform	USB	Serial
Windows x64	Yes	Yes
Linux x64	Yes	Yes

Next Steps

• Installation -- Detailed install guides for NuGet, pip, CMake, zip, and Makefile
• Quick Start -- Full walkthrough for all languages
• API Reference -- Complete API surface for C++, C API, C#, and Python
• Examples -- Working code for every operation