NFC or Near Field Communication is technology for communication between two electronic devices over short range. NFC is often used for digital transactions and transfer of content.
It operates within a range of 4cm or less. It can be used in simple electronic tags, key-cards, smart-cards as well as in complex cryptographic hardware used in smartphones for digital payments.
Many “tap to pay” or “contact less” payment solutions use NFC due to its ease of access, faster transactions and availability of smartphone on user. Standardized secure cryptographic protocol is used for communication between two electronic devices.
NFC uses the principle of inductive coupling with radio frequency band of 13.56 MHz and data transfer speeds of 106 to 424 kbit/s.
Near Field Communication in devices usually operates in three modes.
These three modes are :
1) Card emulation
In card emulation, a NFC compatible device behaves or emulates like a card such as smart card or key-card for the purpose of payment, identification or ticketing.
2) P2P (peer-to-peer)
In a P2P mode, two devices are able to connect and transfer data in close proximity.
3) Reader/writer
NFC devices can be used to read information from tags. For example reading from poster, and can also be used to write as well.
How NFC is designed ?
NFC is fundamentally based on RFID (Radio-frequency identification) technology. It allows a passive device with no power to communicate with device and serve its purpose. NFC works on concept of initiator and target basis. A initiator can generate radio waves for the initiation to communicate and target can then further process the communication.
A target device may be Active or Passive, depending upon the hardware used and function required. Active target can be used in a P2P mode and requires a power supply. Whereas Passive target can be used in card emulation, where no active communication is required.
Where is NFC used ?
NFC can be used for payment mechanism, commercial transaction, identification, data transfer, tokens and gaming.
