Reader wiring, pinout and cable runs.
The colour code, the RJ-45 pinout for direct and cross cable, and the reader port terminals — the three things an installer checks first when a door will not read.
Six wires at the reader
A Falco reader connects on six wires. Two carry power, two carry the card data as pulse trains on D0 and D1, and two let the controller signal a decision at the door — the green LED and the buzzer.
Terminate to the reader's own label first. The colour code below is the one printed on Falco's controller wiring diagrams, and it is what you will be checking against when a door reads intermittently.
Reader colour code
| Wire | Function | Colour |
|---|---|---|
1 | +12V | Red |
2 | 0V | Black |
3 | D1 | White |
4 | D0 | Green |
5 | Green LED | Grey |
6 | Buzzer | Purple |
Reader colour code as shown on the Falco controller wiring diagrams. D0 and D1 swapped is the single most common wiring fault — it reads nothing, or reads the wrong number.
RJ-45 pinout, direct and cross cable
For readers and interfaces that land on an RJ-45 rather than a terminal block.
| Pin | Direct cable | Cross cable |
|---|---|---|
1 | White-orange | White-green |
2 | Orange | Green |
3 | White-green | White-orange |
4 | Blue | Blue |
5 | White-blue | White-blue |
6 | Not used | Not used |
7 | White-brown | White-brown |
8 | Brown | Brown |
Compare the two columns before you crimp. Pins 1 and 3 carry the data pair and are what differ between a direct and a cross cable.
The controller reader port
| Terminal | Function |
|---|---|
12V | Reader supply from the controller |
0V | Reader ground |
D0 | Wiegand data 0 |
D1 | Wiegand data 1 |
LED | Green LED control |
BZ | Buzzer control |
Every Falco controller wiring diagram labels both reader ports — IN READER and OUT READER — with this same set, so an entry reader and an exit reader wire identically.
Cable runs and the reader feed
The controller supplies 12V at 0.5A per reader port. That output feeds the reader — it is not a lock supply, so a lock does not come off it.
Use screened cable for the data pair. Reader cable sharing a route with mains cable is the usual cause of a read that works on the bench and fails on site.
Keep the run as short as the door allows and terminate both ends properly. A loose terminal reads intermittently rather than not at all.
Check the ground at the reader end as part of the supply check, not as an afterthought.
Before you power the door up
D0 is on D0 and D1 is on D1 — checked at both ends.
The reader's 12V comes from the reader port, not from the lock supply.
The reader LED lights when the controller is powered.
One known credential reads, and the number in the event log matches the card.
The reader wiring reference
Colour code, RJ-45 pinout and controller reader port on one printable sheet, with the checks to make before the door is powered up.
No form. Download it, use it on site, and send the project our way when you want the model list priced.
Where this comes from.
Every technical statement on this page is drawn from Falco documentation. Nothing here is written to fill a page.
Falco controller wiring diagrams — reader colour code, RJ-45 direct and cross pinout, reader port terminals and the 12V reader output.
VAULT Site support documentation — reader in/out fault-finding: D0/D1 reversal, screened cable and separation from mains cable.
Falco S32, CF PoE and ZG IP controller datasheets — reader format and controller reader counts.