NFC
is a set of short-range wireless technologies, typically requiring a distance
of 10 cm or less. NFC operates at 13.56 MHz on ISO/IEC
18000-3 air interface and at
rates ranging from 106 kbit/s to 424 kbit/s. NFC always involves an initiator
and a target; the initiator actively generates an RF field
that can power a passive target. This enables NFC targets to take very simple
form factors such as tags, stickers, key fobs, or cards that do not require
batteries. NFC peer-to-peer communication is possible, provided both devices
are powered.
NFC
tags contain data and are typically read-only, but may be rewriteable. They can
be custom-encoded by their manufacturers or use the specifications provided by
the NFC Forum, an industry association charged with promoting the technology
and setting key standards. The tags can securely store personal data such as
debit and credit card information, loyalty program data, PINs and networking
contacts, among other information.
NFC standards cover communications protocols and data
exchange formats, and are based on existing radio-frequency
identification (RFID) standards
NFC
devices can be used in contactless payment systems, similar to those currently used in credit cards and electronic
ticket smartcards, and allow mobile
payment to replace or supplement these systems.
NFC can be
used in social
networking situations, such as sharing contacts, photos, videos or
files, and entering
multiplayer mobile games. The NFC Forum promotes the potential for NFC-enabled
devices to act as electronic identity
documents and keycards. As
NFC has a short range and supports encryption, it may be more suitable than
earlier, less private RFID systems. No
pairing code is necessary to link up and because it uses chips that run on very
low amounts of power (or passively, using even less), it's much more
power-efficient than other wireless communication types
NFC and Bluetooth
NFC
and Bluetooth are both short-range communication technologies that are
integrated into mobile phones. NFC operates at slower speeds than Bluetooth,
but consumes far less power and doesn't require pairing.
NFC
sets up more quickly than standard Bluetooth, but has a lower transfer rate
than Bluetooth low energy. With
NFC, instead of performing manual configurations to identify devices, the
connection between two NFC devices is automatically established in less than a
tenth of a second. The maximum data transfer rate of NFC (424 kbit/s) is slower
than that of Bluetooth V2.1 (2.1 Mbit/s).
With
a maximum working distance of less than 20 cm, NFC has a shorter range,
which reduces the likelihood of unwanted interception. That makes NFC
particularly suitable for crowded areas where correlating a signal with its
transmitting physical device (and by extension, its user) becomes difficult.
In
contrast to Bluetooth, NFC is compatible with existing passive RFID
(13.56 MHz ISO/IEC 18000-3) infrastructures. NFC requires comparatively
low power, similar to the Bluetooth V4.0 low energy protocol. When NFC works
with an unpowered device (e.g., on a phone that may be turned off, a
contactless smart credit card, a smart poster), however, the NFC power
consumption is greater than that of Bluetooth V4.0 Low Energy, since
illuminating the passive tag needs extra power.
