We are already used to using our access cards to open the office door every morning, to pay at the café with the same card, to pick up the tools we need for our work with a swipe of the card, or to pick up a book from the library. The possibilities are even wider, so it’s time to look in more detail at what technology is used, what makes it special, how and why it differs from other contactless communication methods and, most importantly, how it can be used in your business to create more efficient and faster processes.
NFC stands for Near Field Communication. It is a variant of Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) for contactless data transmission over short distances and has been standardised for widespread use. The foundations for NFC were laid at the end of the last century by innovative companies such as Sony, Nokia and Philips. Unified standards have been developed that have enabled the technology to be widely adopted in a wide range of applications. Short-range wireless technology is making life easier and more convenient for millions of consumers around the world by making it easier to transact, exchange digital content and connect electronic devices at the touch of a button. NFC is compatible with hundreds of millions of contactless cards and readers in operation around the world.
Many organisations have been set up to support the development of the technology and to ensure that a single standard is applied. One such organisation is the NFC Forum(https://nfc-forum.org/), whose website provides detailed information on NFC technology, specifications, products and applications. It also provides technical information and the standards used for this purpose, ISO/IEC 18092, partly ISO/IEC 14443. For a more detailed introduction to NFC technology, please see: https://youtu.be/8q9iISSRx7k
Let’s compare NFC technology with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
The benefits of NFC include the fact that you don’t need to “pair” or otherwise align the devices to transmit information, just hold them together. Bluetooth requires “pairing” of devices to exchange some data, but can transmit larger amounts of data over longer distances (tens of metres).
The Wi-Fi connection also requires authentication and a password. With your own devices, this is not a big problem, but it can be a problem if you want to use other people’s devices. With NFC, it’s much simpler, e.g. during a party, all NFC-enabled phones can stream photos and videos on the TV.
Another important point is the power consumption of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. It’s no secret that smartphones run out of power faster when these two connectivity options are enabled. Not to mention the battery life wasted when transmitting large amounts of information.
A third advantage is the ultra-fast connection of NFC devices: within 0.1 seconds.
In summary, NFC is best suited for short and quick transactions where little data is required (access control, payments, transport tickets, device pairing). If more information needs to be transmitted, other technologies like Bluetooth or WiFi pick up the baton.
How does NFC technology work?
The figure below shows the 3 methods of NFC operation: card reading, device “communication”, NFC device-to-card.
In the first case, the NFC device reads or writes information from or to an NFC card or tag, e.g. for access control, transport ticket.
In the second case, devices communicate with each other by transmitting information, e.g. pairing devices, transmitting business card information, transferring photos or music.
In the third case, the mobile NFC device “becomes” a card that is seen by other NFC devices as described in the first option, e.g. an NFC phone is used for accessing the premises, making a payment, reading a ticket.
In our next blog we will discuss more interesting uses and applications of NFC technology, stay tuned to www.acoris.lt