With the ever-changing remote work environment and advances in CAC technology, it’s hard to keep up. However, one CAC card reader is attempting to change the way you view this struggle.
The Identos Tactivo Mini for iOS.
This CAC card reader is one of the most adaptable readers for Apple products you’ll find on the market today. Here at HomeCACUse, we’re primarily Mac and iOS users. And sometimes finding a good CAC reader for Mac or iOS can be difficult. But the Tactivo Mini really shines for us here.
Using a Lightning connector, your Tactivo Mini plugs directly into your iPhone–backwards compatible to iPhone 6–iPad, or Mac. It also comes with a micro-USB connector so you can even hook it up to other tablets and Android phones. Plus, it’s pocket sized so you don’t have to worry too much about lugging it around.
And you don’t have to worry about compatibility either. It’s designed to work for iOS, Mac OS, Windows, and Android. You’re pretty much covered all around.
The Tactivo Mini also has a very unique feature–a fingerprint swipe sensor. This is great for compatible apps and adds that extra level of security. And unlike other fingerprint sensors we’ve tried in the past, this one actually works. There’s nothing worse than getting a unit with a fingerprint sensor that’s effectively useless because it can’t read your print.
The biggest complaint we have about this reader is that it doesn’t come with middleware. It’s not necessarily a deal breaker, but included middleware would have been much more convenient. We ended up downloading the SubRosa Pro middleware program which is the exact same program Identos recommends as well.
Another thing to note is that the Identos Tactivo Mini is much more expensive than some of the other CAC readers we’ve reviewed.
Pros and Cons of the Identos Tactivo Mini for iOS
Let’s go ahead and break down some of the best (and worst) features of the unit.
Pros:
- Fingerprint sensor
- Pocket sized
- Works on all different types of platforms
- Compatible with most OS’s
- Lightning connector for Mac and iOS
- Comes with Micro-USB adapter
- Supports PIV, PIV-I, CAC, TWIC, and Precise Match-On-Card credentials on most National ID’s
Cons:
- Expensive
- Does not come with middleware
Final Thoughts on the Identos Tactivo Mini for iOS
Honestly, we like this little unit. It’s probably one of the most convenient CAC readers available today. You can plug into just about any device, and that’s something that is super important to us. Also, the Tactivo Mini supports just about every smart card available including National ID credentials.
We just wish it would come with middleware. If it did, we wouldn’t be so uptight about the price being high.
But all-in-all, two thumbs up for this CAC reader. But if you’d like to explore the competition a bit more–especially those for Mac and iOS–check out our best CAC Readers for Mac review.