ID TECH Shines as Gold Sponsor at T2 Connect Conference 2024

This past November, ID TECH participated in the T2 Connect Conference, the parking industry’s largest and longest-running customer user conference. Every year, T2 Connect brings together hundreds of parking professionals from T2’s customer base for training and educational sessions. As proud Gold Sponsors at this year’s T2 Connect, ID TECH showcased its latest parking payment technology while celebrating its rapidly growing partnership with T2. The event, both highly attended and exceptionally organized, offered a variety of sessions addressing a variety of topics from “How University Parking Impacts Students’ Learning Environment” to “PARCS Hardware Management”.

Stars of the Show: VP3350 and VP6825

At the ID TECH booth, products from the NEO 3 Platform, particularly the VP3350 and VP6825, captured attendees’ attention.

The VP3350, a PCI PTS 6.x SRED 3-in-1 mobile card reader available in MFi Lightning, MFi USB-C (male/female), and Bluetooth, stood out for its potential in event parking. As many T2 Flex users currently process payments manually, the VP3350 offers a much-needed mobile payment solution. With support for all major contactless payment brands, this device aligns with the rising demand for mobile wallet solutions across universities.

However, the star of the event was the VP6825, a PCI PTS 6.x-certified unattended device designed for versatile payments, including magstripe, chip, PIN-on-glass, and barcode/QR codes. Featuring a 4.3” digital touchscreen and Remote Device Management (RDM) capabilities, the VP6825 was prominently showcased at T2’s parking payment demo stations. These stations, already in use at major universities across the US, drew significant attention and sparked conversations about the transformative impact of the VP6825 on campus parking experiences.

As one university representative remarked, the VP6825 has “changed our students’ parking experience from night to day!” It’s no surprise the device created a buzz, as it meets all the needs identified by T2 customers, demonstrating why it’s the ultimate parking payment solution.

A Dynamic Partnership: ID TECH & T2

The partnership between ID TECH and T2 continues to thrive, with exciting developments on the horizon that promise to redefine parking payment solutions. At the conference, Mike Hughes, VP of Integrated Payments at ID TECH, and James Fedor, Senior Product Manager at T2, delivered an engaging presentation on the collaboration’s impact and future potential.

They emphasized the critical role of infrastructure, software, and security/compliance in P2PE payment solutions, highlighting the VP6825 and VP7200, a compact NFC contactless solution with a QR scanner. Both products are PCI PTS 6.x certified, carry IP65 and IK08 ratings, and support open/closed loop payments. Both devices also support Remote Device Management (RDM) and Payment Application Engine (PAE) architecture.

RDM allows seamless control of thousands of devices from a single platform, reducing operational costs and on-site visits. Meanwhile, the PAE architecture accelerates integrations with certified processor hosts (e.g., Chase, Elavon, Worldpay), offering features like offline processing, tap in/out, and tokenization.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Parking Payments

The overwhelmingly positive feedback and enthusiastic dialogue at the T2 Connect Conference reaffirmed the strength of the ID TECH-T2 partnership. With cutting-edge solutions like the VP6825 and VP7200, intriguing opportunities for the VP3350, and T2’s continued trust in ID TECH’s expertise, the future of parking payments is exceptionally bright.

As this collaboration grows, expect more innovative solutions that enhance parking experiences across the industry. Stay tuned for what’s next!

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This surge is fueled by the integration of technology into parking operations, enabling cities, universities, airports, and commercial spaces to improve efficiency, reduce congestion, and enhance user experience.

Growing Demand for Parking Solutions

Parking has grown into more than just “finding a space”. There are many different aspects about parking, and the industry now covers a wide range of parking “spaces” including:

• Parking Meters and Pay Stations – traditional parking meters are evolving into digital and touchless systems. Pay stations located in parking garages or street-side provide convenience by offering multiple payment options like credit cards, mobile payments, and contactless payments while rapidly phasing out the pay-by-coin method.
• Parking Garages and University Campuses – universities face unique challenges in managing parking for students, faculty, and campus visitors. With busy campuses and thousands of vehicles, efficient parking management is essential. Universities will often use a combination of parking meters, pay stations, and access control systems that integrate with their wider campus management software.
• Parking Access and Revenue Control Systems (PARCS) – PARCS are essential for automating entry and exit gates in parking lots and garages. These systems often include sensors, license plate recognition, and mobile payment integrations, allowing seamless access for customers while ensuring operators can manage revenue accurately.

Common across all aspects of parking is the need for the ability to accept payments. Therefore, as the parking industry continues its steady growth, the demand for innovative hardware solutions that support fast, secure, and reliable payment methods is also increasing.

VP6825: A Complete Payment Solution for the Parking Industry

Efficient and secure payment methods are central to modern parking systems, and there are many unique challenges within the parking industry. One solution that stands out in addressing these challenges is the ID TECH VP6825, a highly secure, highly versatile, and robust payment terminal that is specifically designed to meet the needs of the parking industry:

• Ensure Data Security – As payment fraud becomes more sophisticated, parking operators must ensure that their systems comply with the latest PCI requirements to protect customer data. The VP6825 is PCI PTS 6.x certified, which meets the latest standards of security controls to defend against physical tampering and the insertion of malware that can compromise card data during payment transactions. More stringent security features have been implemented to address emerging threats, such as advanced encryption and tamper detection technologies so operators and customers have peace of mind knowing their sensitive card data is protected.
• Seamlessly Integrate with Parking Management Systems – Payment solutions must integrate with larger parking management systems like PARCS to provide a seamless experience from entry to exit. This includes real-time authorization, dynamic pricing models, parking permits and passes, and reporting tools. With flexible SDKs and APIs, the VP6825 can easily integrate with existing parking management systems, providing a seamless and efficient experience for both operators and customers. It is also powerful enough to host payment applications, allowing businesses to customize and meet specific needs whether in a parking garage, university campus, PARCS, or busy urban areas. This helps to enhance the overall experience and speeds up the payment process.
• Handle Multiple Payment Methods – With cash and coin widely becoming a payment method of the past, consumers expect to pay with debit/credits cards, mobile wallets (Apple/Google/Samsung Pay), and other digital payment options. The rise of contactless payments, especially post-pandemic, has made it essential for parking facilities to upgrade their hardware to meet this demand. The VP6825 supports compatibility with traditional payment methods like chip and magstripe, but also accepts contactless and mobile wallet payments like Apple/Google/Samsung Pay and accepts payments via QR/barcodes. With its support for both open loop and closed-loop payments, the VP6825 is desirable for campuses, universities, and other businesses that have parking structures that utilize both traditional bank-issued cards as well as their own proprietary payment systems.
• Durable Hardware – In addition to supporting advanced payment features, parking hardware must be built to withstand varying environmental conditions like rain, snow, or extreme heat, while maintaining high functionality over time. Parking facilities, especially unattended outdoor parking meters and pay stations, are exposed to harsh weather conditions. Backed by its IK08 and IP65 ratings, the VP6825 is built to withstand the elements, ensuring it remains functional and reliable over the long term. With years of experience in outdoor, unattended payments, ID TECH ensures long-lasting performance by undergoing extensive testing beyond the industry standard IK and IP requirements. This enhanced IK and IP testing exposes the products to prolonged UV rays, water, and impact, simulating real-world conditions to ensure the greatest outdoor performance.
• LTE Support – Offline or downed terminals can cause major headaches and prevent the steady flow of traffic. The VP6825 provides optimal cellular coverage across North America, EMEA, and Japan. AT&T TRENDI and PTCRB certifications, in addition to dual SIM slots, help to ensure continuous network connectivity.
• Low Power Consumption – For parking systems or meters with strict power requirements, having a device with low power consumption and power-saving modes is an important aspect that can be overlooked. The VP6825 has various power management modes to help with overall power usage to ensure the device is running optimally.
• Payment Application Engine (PAE) Platform – The VP6825 supports ID TECH’s PAE, a certified middleware platform that enables expedited certification to payment processors such as Worldpay, significantly cutting costs and accelerating time to market.
• 4.3 Inch Touchscreen – Nothing is more frustrating than a confusing pay station or an unresponsive interface. With the VP6825’s 4.3” color touchscreen, you can enhance the customer experience by displaying payment instructions, customized branding, or various advertisements. The LCD screen is designed to withstand prolonged exposure to sunlight and supports PIN-on-Glass for PIN transactions.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Parking

As the parking industry continues its growth and evolution, the need for smarter, faster, and more secure solutions will only grow. Parking garages, university campuses, and PARCS will continue to rely on advanced systems and technologies that streamline the parking process, improve user experience, and enhance operational efficiency. Payment hardware like the VP6825 will play a crucial role in this transformation, providing parking operators with the technology they need to keep up with the growing demand and complexity of parking management.

With innovations like the VP6825, the parking industry is poised to move into a future where payments are faster, more secure, and seamlessly integrated into the smart cities of tomorrow.

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After having missed TRUSTECH in 2021, ID TECH couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to exhibit at and attend one of the biggest shows in Europe. So we gathered our Team, packed our bags and headed to Paris, France, for TRUSTECH 2022, excited to share all of the new things going on at ID TECH in front of a global audience.

TRUSTECH is known as THE global event showcasing the latest hardware and technologies dedicated to innovative payments and identification solutions. This was the 38^th edition of the show and this year the event took place at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles where, for 3 days, people from all over the world in various business sectors such as tech, smart card, innovative payments, in addition to financial and governmental institutions, crowded the aisles and exhibition floors. According to the official 2022 TRUSTECH Facts & Figures article, this year’s show boasted 150 exhibitors (85% from outside of France) and over 6,500 attendees (an increase of 30% compared to 2021). TRUSTECH Director, Anne Frayssinet, said this of the show: “TRUSTECH 2022 was a great success from every point of view. Many business meetings, scheduled upstream, took place during the fair, which highlighted how dynamic this industry is in terms of projects and commercial potential. A high-level program was brought to our attendees…many innovations showcased in the booths!”

ID TECH was proud to be a part of those “many innovations” that were showcased at the show. Notably, this was ID TECH EMEA’s (Europe, Middle East & Africa) biggest exhibitor booth to date, featuring our latest innovative technology, the NEO 3 Platform of Products. We also displayed several integrated solution demos ranging from an EV charging station equipped with our VP6825, to a parking meter utilizing the VP7200’s ability to drive an external display.  These demos, coupled with working units of our new NEO 3 Platform of Products as well as our products currently in the market, like the VP3300, showcased all that ID TECH has to offer. We gave each booth visitor a unique, hands-on experience with our newest products and left them with ideas on how our hardware can meet a variety of business needs and provide complete market solutions.

Our entire NEO 3 Platform of Products was very popular amongst all booth visitors. The AP6800, our Android-compatible device, received a lot of attention as visitors were impressed with its look, size, and display resolution. Hearing feedback from booth visitors such as, “Nothing else on the market that competes with the size”, referring to the compact Kiosk V and VP7200 contactless readers, and, “The universal connection (USB-C) makes our work (integration) so much easier and is more appealing to us and our clients” tells us that not only are our NEO 3 products desired, but are needed in the payments industry today!

Adding to the excitement and buzz surrounding the NEO 3 Platform of Products, our very own Fernando Herkenhoff, Director of Sales (EMEA), took center stage as an expert presenter on the TRUSTECH Innovation Stage. Fernando talked about how ID TECH is accelerating payments in the unattended markets and how we are tackling challenges in the unattended space. “ID TECH is built for unattended…it’s one of our expertise,” said Fernando during his presentation. To watch Fernando’s entire presentation CLICK HERE.

In our mission to expand and discover new ways to become a full-service, payment solutions provider, ID TECH has developed and launced a software service that will enable users to manage their entire estate of ID TECH devices anytime, anywhere. Software Services was also featured in our booth with a working demo showcasing different features such as remote firmware updates and numerous remote content management tools. Interest was high as the demo was used regularly throughout the course of the show and feedback was very positive when visitors experienced our demonstration of Software Services. We are very excited to offer this software component to our products and services in 2023.

Interacting with our peers and customers, it was obvious that there is a growing excitement in the payments industry and it is very encouraging! In speaking of this year’s show, Lance Ning, VP of Marketing, said this: “It was great to be back in Paris for TRUSTECH this year to showcase our latest products in front of a truly global audience.  It’s always a pleasure to connect with our customers from around the world.  TRUSTECH does a wonderful job of connecting the payments and identification industries, and ID TECH is looking forward to being back to exhibit again next year!” What a difference a year makes!

About ID TECH

ID TECH is a global leader in payment peripherals, with sales, manufacturing, and R&D facilities worldwide. The company has become a well-established payment solutions provider with extensive experience in data capturing and encryption products and services. Designing dependable, feature-rich products has made ID TECH a leading supplier of MagStripe readers/writers, mobile payment readers, contactless readers, smart card readers, barcode readers, POS keyboards, signature capture devices, PCI-compliant PIN pads, and other specialty products for OEMs, VARs, resellers, distributors, and key end-users. ID TECH provides both standard and custom solutions to support customer requirements.

For more information, visit www.idtechproducts.com.

 

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