Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP)
improve interoperability among access control and security products
What Is OSDP?
The Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP) is an open communications standard used between access-control panels and peripheral devices such as card readers. It was designed to improve interoperability, cybersecurity and device management while providing a more capable alternative to the legacy Wiegand interface.
The first version of OSDP was jointly created in 2008 by HID Global, Mercury Security (now HID) and Lenel Systems International (now LenelS2, part of Honeywell). These companies and technology leaders recognized the need for a modern protocol that could support bidirectional communication between readers and controllers, continuously supervise device status and enable more advanced reader functionality.
In 2012, ownership of the OSDP specification was transferred to the Security Industry Association (SIA) so it could be opened to broader industry participation, further developed, and formally standardized. SIA established an industry working group that developed OSDP Version 2 and expanded the protocol to include capabilities such as Secure Channel encryption, smart-card communications, and biometric-reader support. Contemporary SIA records also recognize contributions from Codebench (now HID) during the protocol’s early development and transfer to SIA.
OSDP was approved as an international standard by the International Electrotechnical Commission in May 2020 and published as IEC 60839-11-5:2020. The IEC standard defines communications between an access-control unit and its connected peripheral devices.
SIA released OSDP Version 2.2.2 in October 2024, adding further enhancements to the standard. OSDP continues to be refined through collaboration among manufacturers, integrators, technology providers and end users to address evolving interoperability, functionality and cybersecurity requirements.
Introducing SIA OSDP Verified
SIA OSDP Verified is a new comprehensive testing program that validates a device's conformance to the SIA OSDP standard and related performance protocols. SIA's testing means you can trust OSDP Verified solutions.
Training You Need: OSDP Boot Camp
Get instructor-led, hands-on OSDP design, configuration and implementation training.
Benefits of OSDP
Compared to common low-security legacy protocols, the OSDP standard offers:
Higher Security
- OSDP is more secure than the most common access control communications protocol.
- OSDP Secure Channel supports high-end AES-128 encryption (required in federal government applications).
- OSDP constantly monitors wiring to protect against attack threats.
Advanced Functionality
- OSDP supports advance smartcard technology applications, including PKI/FICAM and biometrics.
- OSDP supports bi-directional communications among devices.
- OSDP supports advanced user interface, including welcome messages and text prompts.
- OSDP’s use of 2 wires instead of 12+ allows for multi-drop installation, supervised connections to indicate reader malfunctions, and scalability to connect more field devices.
Ease of Use
- Audio-visual user feedback mechanisms provide a rich, user-centric access control environment.
- Guesswork is eliminated since encryption and authentication are predefined.
- Low cost of implementation on an embedded device.
More Interoperability
- Using OSDP enables communication among different manufacturers' devices and solutions.
- The standard applies to peripheral devices such as card readers and other devices at secured access doors/gates and their control panels.
- SIA promotes the standard at regular “plugfests” among manufacturers and at SIA InteropFest– an annual interoperability event held at the ISC West trade show.
- The OSDP specification is currently recommended when TCP/IP, USB or other common protocols do not lend themselves to the application.
- The OSDP specification is extensible to IP environments and the OSDP Working Group is working on deploying OSDP over IP soon.
Purchase the OSDP Standard
Interested in implementing OSDP in your solutions? The SIA Open Supervised Device Protocol standard (v2.2.2) is available for purchase from the SIA store.
Test Your OSDP Conformance
SIA freely offers the Open OSDP Test Tool, an open-source software tool which simplifies testing the product against the OSDP specification.
Runs on Linux Machines
*Before launching, please view the "Read Me" and "Getting Started document.
Get Involved With SIA Standards
The SIA OSDP Working Group, part of the larger SIA Standards Access Control & Identity Subcommittee, stays in touch and exchanges information via our community hub for SIA members. Join the community today and network with like-minded engineers, product developers and specifiers who are advancing OSDP.
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