NFC: What is it and how it Works

Within RFID technology, which we have previously been able to explain, we find the well-known NFC (Near Field Communication) concept, another type of radio frequency communication that is increasingly frequent in our day to day.

Surely you know one of its most famous applications which is the mobile payment system, but the NFC offers other applications that help achieve the digitization of objects or communication with machines.

 

What is NFC?

NFC technology (Near Field Communication), is a type of near-field communication that allows one device to be connected to another in order to authenticate or transmit information.

It can be said that this technology helps turning into realiy the phenomenon known as the Internet of things (IOT), since it allows an easy and secure interconnection between objects.

 

How does NFC work?

Now that we know what NFC is, we will see in a general way how this technology works.

The NFC uses radio frequency for its operation, specifically, the 13.56 MHz radio frequency spectrum (like HF RFID). Anyway, it uses a power of less than 15 mA, which allows an immediate data transmission in a range of up to approximately 20 cm of distance between devices. NFC tags generally have a storage capacity of between 96 and 512 bytes.

Regarding operating modes, we can find two main categories:

• NFC Active Mode: In this case, both devices have their own power source. In this way, they can generate an electromagnetic field on their own, which they will use to connect and exchange information between them.

• Passive NFC: Here, only one of the devices has its own power source, and will be in charge of generating the electromagnetic field to initiate the connection.

One of the strengths of this technology is the speed with which it transmits the data (it can reach about 424 Kbps), and the fact that it does not need a prior pairing between devices (unlike other technologies such as Bluetooth, which requires a prior identification of the device before data can be transmitted to it).

 

NFC applications

NFC helps us to interconnect products with the network, and there are many applications that can be developed with it. Below we list some of the most common today:

• Payment by mobile phone: It is one of the most widespread applications of the NFC. With an NFC-equipped mobile phone and dataphone, payments can be made safely, which is very useful due to how indispensable these devices have become in our daily life.
• Identification: Another of the most common uses of the NFC is to use it as an access control mode in places / events where identification is required.

• Product authentication: The NFC facilitates the identification of authenticity of the products, avoiding fraud or counterfeiting and being able to connect them to specific machines so that they recognize the authenticity of the product.

• Campaigns / Promotions: This technology allows the creation of "smart" campaigns, where users can access all the information simply by placing their mobile device near the NFC tag.

• Consumer loyalty: The NFC helps in communication between companies and customers, facilitating the creation of personalized offers and promotions.

• Automation of actions and instant synchronization between devices.

 

At Dipole we offer a wide variety of NFC tags and labels to carry out all the applications offered by this technology.

If you still have doubts about what NFC is, or need more information about the products we have, do not hesitate to contact us. Dipole RFID is a company in constant evolution, where we work daily to implement the best solutions that the market can offer.