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NFC: What is it, how does it work and what is it for?

After Bluetooth, the arrival of NFC or Near Field Communication in the market is synonymous with revolution in the field of peer-to-peer transfer. However, the benefits of this technology don’t stop there. In fact, this is the origin of popularizing contactless payments. How does NFC work? Find all the details in this article.

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Definition of “NFC”.

“NFC” is an acronym that corresponds to “Near Field Communication” or “Communication en Champ Proche” (CCP) in French.

The term refers to a wireless communication technology that allows data to be transferred from one device to another. Note that for information to be transferred, the two terminals must be close to each other. The distance between devices should not exceed 10 cm.

Areas of application of NFC

In general, NFC is a technology associated with mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets. However, research in recent years has given rise to new areas of application.

Contactless payment

Long before its integration into mobile operating systems, NFC was already a technology popular among contactless bank card manufacturers. In fact, so that shoppers can pay for their purchases without providing sensitive information, manufacturers have inserted an NFC chip into bank cards. The customer only needs to bring his card close to the payment terminal to validate the transaction.

noted

In France, the amount adjustable for contactless payment for bank cards issued from 2020 is limited to 50 euros.

Mobile payment

NFC has made it possible to establish a mobile payment system. This is actually the most common use of this technology. In this context, payments can be made through smartphones. No need to present bank card.

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In practice, you only need to bring the mobile phone close to the payment terminal to pay for the purchase. Moreover, unlike contactless payment with a bank card, mobile payment has no limits.

Transportation Cards

NFC is also present in many transport cards, especially those used in large cities and towns. The integration of this technology in these passes has the advantage of improving the experience of public transport users. In fact, apart from facilitating travel payments, NFC also contributes to reducing waiting times at authentication terminals.

To pay for his journey, the passenger has to swipe his transport card at the bus payment terminal. After that the validation is done immediately.

Connect with an accessory

If Bluetooth has improved the smartphone/device pairing system, NFC has further improved this type of connection. Indeed, if the first technology requires a relatively long configuration, the second requires only a simple connection between the back of the smartphone and the NFC zone of the device.

Additionally, NFC also allows the synchronization of many objects and devices connected to the smartphone. A situation that is not possible with Bluetooth.

Data transfer

Another use of NFC is peer-to-peer transfer. Thanks to this technology, simply place two smartphones back to back to start transferring documents, photos, videos or contacts between the two mobile devices.

However, note that the speed of NFC is slightly slower than Bluetooth. Therefore, the first technology is not suitable for sharing large files.

Tags

Among the most common applications of this technology, we can refer to NFC tags. These are small tags with an NFC chip. The information in these tags can be read by a terminal, typically an Android or iPhone smartphone, that is compatible with the technology.

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The advantage of NFC tags is that they offer a wide range of applications. In the manufacturing industry, for example, these labels make it easy to track product deliveries. They also improve stock management and general inventory.

Affixed to a particular product, an NFC tag helps store all information related to the item. It could be the ingredients that make it up or even its technical features.

NFC tags also make it possible to improve the management of access to a location. They are particularly useful for managing access and controlling the security of a building, festival or restricted access area.

Finally, NFC tags are useful in automating many tasks. These labels can, among other things, be used to monitor your network connection when you’re at home or in your car.

noted

An NFC tag has more or less the same functions as a barcode or QR code. The first, however, turns out to be more practical, as the information can be read after a simple contact between your smartphone and the label. In other words, a code scan is not required to access the stored information.

NFC and smartphone

Since smartphones are the most used communication devices today, it is important to know how to enable NFC technology on these phones.

compatibility

The majority of smartphones, especially recent models, are now compatible with NFC. To ensure your mobile phone’s compatibility, find information in the user manual supplied with the device. Also check if the back of the phone or its box has an NFC logo or an image that resembles a Wi-Fi signal.

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to activate

Once the presence of an NFC chip on your phone is guaranteed, it must be activated before you can take advantage of its communication benefits. To do this:

  1. Go to your smartphone’s settings;
  2. Select “Wireless and Networks”, “Connections” or another similar text from the menu.
  3. Click on NFC to enable it.

These steps may vary from one smartphone model to another. The same is the case with the designation of the NFC option. For Android mobile phones, for example, this technology is called Android Beam.

NFC working mode

There are 3 operating modes for NFC.

Card emulation mode

Also called passive mode, card emulation mode refers to the use of contactless smart card-like technology. In practice, this mode of operation results in various applications such as mobile or contactless payments, transport cards, online tickets, etc.

Reader mode

Reader mode designates an active mode where NFC is used to read information stored in electronic tags or labels.

Mode peer-to-peer

Peer-to-peer or peer-to-peer mode refers to the use of NFC to exchange information. Two devices equipped with NFC technology can, thanks to peer-to-peer, exchange contacts and text or audio-visual files with each other.

NFC and security

The most common security risks when using NFC are fraud and hacking. In fact, thanks to the contactless operating mode, malicious people can gain access to sensitive information stored on your phone. Note, however, that such attacks require very close proximity to the target, which makes hacking difficult in real-world situations.

NFC or no NFC?

Below is a summary of the advantages and limitations of NFC.

Points forts

  • Ease of use

  • Practicality compared to QR code and Bluetooth: no scanning and long configuration required

  • Many potential areas of application

Weak points

  • Not suitable for sharing large files.

  • Compatibility is still limited.

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