Crypto is a family of contactless payment modules that shares the same EMV-certified firmware. There is no file system or operating system, which means that the reader can be shut down instantly without corruption of keys or losing configurations; power up is also fast.
The reader communicates via serial interface – RS232 or UART logic levels, or USB CDC. The host (POS computer or telemetry terminal) should implement the Gemini 2000 API library, which takes care of the low-level communications layer. An additional library – Crypto Interface library – is provided to facilitate EMV contactless payment transactions. For more details, please refer to Crypto Interface Library User Manual. For detailed software development documentation refer to Gemini 2000 API4.0 Reference Guide and Crypto Developer Guide.
No two integration projects are alike, but some tasks are common to all. A typical starting point is choosing a reader hardware configuration and establishing communications. But to really get going, detailed understanding of EMV payment specification is key. We’ll point you to reference documentation to study. We also provide a basic payment terminal application project that you’re welcome to study as a basis for your own system development.
Once transactions are successfully processed locally, a next step is to exchange transaction data from the reader with your financial partner for processing and approval.
Finally, your entire payment system needs to be certified to EMV Level 3 before going live. This is tested by your financial partner, who shares test results with the acquirer and card schemes.
An advantage of Crypto is the clear split between open loop and closed loop applications. All EMV payment (open loop) modules within the firmware are certified by EMVCo, Visa and Mastercard. Closed loop schemes, for example reading of Mifare cards or the transport schemes ITSO and Calypso, are executed by the host via the reader’s Pass-through mode. As such, system developers can integrate numerous closed loop schemes independently.
With ever-changing functional, regulatory and security requirements, over-the-air update is a must for any new payment reader deployment. All updates are possible through a Terminal Management System, either built by the customer or provided by Gemini 2000.