NFC stands for Near Field Communication, a protocol that aids two devices in communicating when placed side-by-side wirelessly.
For example, smartphones or smartwatches can be used for payment or boarding.
NFC hardware is included in more and more devices, especially smartphones and laptops.
NFC may be the future of payments, security keys, and cards. NFC also updates awkward QR codes.
Many new phones now have the hardware to do everything, but many people with smartphones equipped with NFC have not taken advantage of its NFC capabilities.
What is NFC?
NFC stands for near-field communication. It sets standards that enable smartphones and other devices to communicate via radio signals when kept nearby.
NFC acts similarly to RFID, although NFC has a much shorter range than RFID. The range of the NFC is around 4 inches, which makes spying difficult.
Devices with NFC hardware can communicate with other devices with NFC and with NFC tags.
NFC tags are powered NFC chips that draw energy from a nearby smartphone or other powered NFC device. They don’t need their battery or power source.
NFC tags can be used as a more suitable substitute for QR codes in their most basic form.
To establish an NFC connection, touch two NFC devices.
For example, if you have two smartphones equipped with NFC, you will feel them successively.
He would touch the back of your NFC tag with an NFC tag if he had an NFC tag. NFC is included in various Android devices like the Nexus 4, Galaxy S III, Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S, and HTC One X.
Android isn’t the only device that supports NFC: Windows Phone devices like Nokia’s Lumia series and HTC Windows Phone 8X include NFC and many BlackBerry devices.
However, no Apple iPhone includes NFC hardware.
Mobile Payments
NFC payments work similarly to contactless payment options for payments like MasterCard PayPass, which is included in MasterCard credit cards.
An NFC-enabled smartphone could be touched (or shaken) on an NFC payment terminal to pay for a commodity, replacing the need for a credit card.
San Francisco has NFC parking numbers that allow people to pay for parking by tapping an NFC-equipped phone toward the parking meter.
Wireless Data Transfer
Data can be transferred wirelessly with two smartphones equipped with NFC.
Android devices have Android Beam, a feature that enables two smartphones to quickly share a website, contact, photo, video, or other information.
Press two phones next to each other, and the content displayed on one device will be sent to the other.
When launched, file transfers are done via Bluetooth, but there is no complicated Bluetooth pairing process – tap and the rest will be done automatically.
NFC Tags
NFC tags are inexpensive and can be bought by anyone. You can configure the action when your smartphone comes into contact with the NFC tag.
For example, suppose you always put your smartphone on silent mode when you fall asleep. Instead of doing it manually every night, you can place an NFC tag on your nightstand.
When you go to bed, you can position your smartphone on the NFC tag, and your smartphone will perform an action that you can configure, such as automatically activating the silent mode.
You can also create an NFC tag containing the SSID and password of your Wi-Fi network.
When people visit your home, they can touch their phone with an NFC tag and connect instead of manually entering the network details wirelessly.
Here are some examples: you can perform any action an application can play on your smartphone.
More Possible Uses
NFC has a wide range of other possible uses, including:
- A Quick Download of Information: Many companies, advertisements, and products have QR codes that a smartphone camera must scan. The NFC could work as a significantly improved QR code: press or flip the smartphone on the NFC chip where the QR code would be to access the information.
- Public Transport and Boarding Tickets: Smartphones equipped with NFC could also replace public transport cards in public transport systems or airport boarding passes.
- Security Passes: A smartphone equipped with NFC could be used against the reader to access the security zones. Car manufacturers are even working on car keys equipped with NFC.
Advantages of NFC
- It’s safe: NFC creates a secure communication channel and uses data encryption because it sends information from your device to another, i.e., a card reader. It also means you are less likely to lose your debit or credit card by juggling more attempts to choose the right one for your point-of-sale payment.
- It is versatile: NFC technology has multiple uses, such as shopping, purchasing tickets, reading data from smart posters, sharing contact information, and more.
- It is solid: As we mentioned, no mobile network signal is required to operate. Card use and associated risks (loss, theft, or compromise) can be excluded when used via a mobile device.
- It’s fast: Since NFC uses offline authorization (mainly for low-value transactions), transaction requests do not go through the network (for example) to the bank for authentication and approval, which speeds things up considerably.
Disadvantages of NFC Technology
Everything has its drawbacks.
- The first is Limited Adoption: If businesses and retailers do not integrate NFC into their operations, customers may not be able to use the technology for their transactions.
- Hackers also pose a significant risk to this technology (and other technologies) by using applications that can steal personal information.
- Some companies may find it difficult to implement because they must install new software/hardware developments to apply this technology in their business.
