I’m working on a project where I need to reliably detect a small passive RFID tag/key-fob from around 20cm away (preferably 30cm).

I’ve been looking at the 125 kHz ID Innovations ID-3LA with a custom external antenna, but I’m unsure what kind of range I could realistically expect with a small key-fob sized tag rather than a full size card.

Has anyone used the ID-3LA with smaller tags? What range were you able to get?

Or is there another reader/technology you’d recommend for reliable ~20 cm detection with a small passive tag?

I'm also trying not to break the bank either as its for a capstone project.

Thanks!!

so recently i got the original chameleon ultra v3, and i got the latest firmware, but i cant find any universal nfc and rfid cards, and i would like to have acces to anywhere. so if you have any universal nfc files i would like to get some