Usually a small range is exactly what is to be avoided with a radio standard. Everyone has ever been annoyed over a too weak WLAN reception or disturbances with Bluetooth. With NFC the “Near Field” is not only in the name, but is a program. By having two devices less than four centimeters close together so that data is exchanged, a connection is assumed to be wanted, and a listening is considered highly unlikely. The low range provides security.
A standard for three types of communication
And there are countless applications that can simplify our lives by exchanging two NFC devices in the 13.56 MHz frequency band for up to 424 kbit per second of information. These include contactless payment systems, intelligent doors, any kind of identification and authorization, but also the simple exchange of key information between two devices. The best example for this is the pairing of Bluetooth devices.
If both devices have NFC chips, you simply have to keep them together so that they can "pair" (pairing). Without this learning, you can only activate Bluetooth with both partners, switch one as visible and then search for it with the other device. The code key can be found in the manual. All these steps are performed automatically when NFC is in play, for example, when a smartphone connects to a matching soundbar.
Founded in 2004 by Philips, Sony and Nokia, the NFC Forum published the first version of the standard, which now combines three basic types of communication based on RFID technology (radio frequency identification). With RFID only an active reader can supply a passive "tag" via an antenna, whereupon it transmits its data. Active transmitters can reach range up to 100 meters. NFC uses only one of the many possible variants of RFID, with a limited range, which makes the standard clearer and slimmer.
Apple is now synonymous to NFC, but initially with a clear focus on payment systems. Android smartphones, on the other hand, also work very well with the passive tags. This allows you to program NFC labels, which can trigger numerous actions in the mobile phone if you keep it.
In the car, it might be useful to switch off the WLAN data transmission, to switch on the LT data transmission, to retrieve the dusty light on Google Maps, and then to activate Bluetooth and to connect to the hands-free device. If you hold the mobile phone at the sticker next to the wardrobe at home, everything can be switched back, and the intelligent house may welcome its owner.
In entertainment electronics, we find the NFC logo on more and more devices - mostly when they are somehow to be coupled with smartphones. With Bluetooth speakers and headphones it is hard to imagine, and Sony uses it to start the screen mirroring (Miracast) on top TVs when the mobile phone is connected to the remote control.
On LG televisions, tag stickers were included, which call the appropriate control app in the smartphone and connect the devices. Even some printers or cameras have NFC and "pair" with matching partner devices. However, the options are so diverse, and the actions that are triggered are so complex that they do not always work with each other right away.
The possibilities of NFC are enormous, and more and more smartphones offer themselves as data coordinators. In the United States, however, we are more conservative in terms of payment by radio. In Asia, shopping, bus travel or the billing of the gym via NFC is already the order of the day.
The first NFC communication variant is as a read / write device. NFC tags, which can be purchased from 50 cents, can be written and read. NFC posters or info terminals, for example, can be used to convey weblinks, explain landmarks or release discounts. In the second mode, the NFC chip behaves like a smartcard, so it can encrypt encrypted messages or open doors to security areas in smart readers Peer to peer. Here, two equal active devices exchange data. And this can take extremely manifold forms. The possible standardized content of the NDE Data Exchange Format (NDEF) is becoming more and more frequent. For example, two NFC-enabled Android smartphones can share photos, web links, contacts, YouTube videos, apps, and more, just by holding them together.
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