[IoT Communication Technology] - NFC

Overview

NFC (Near Field Communication), as the name suggests, is a wireless communication technology concerning short distances. The so-called "near field" refers to the radio waves of the electromagnetic field, which follow Maxwell's equations (the electric and magnetic fields continuously alternate and convert energy while propagating from the transmitting antenna to the receiving antenna, mutually reinforcing each other during this conversion). For example, the radio signals used by our mobile phones propagate based on this principle, a method known as far-field communication. Within ten wavelengths of the electromagnetic wave, the electric and magnetic fields are independent of each other. At this point, the electric field is not very significant, but the magnetic field can be used for short-distance communication, which we call near-field communication.

One of the biggest advantages of NFC is that it does not require pairing or manual input to establish a connection – a tap takes less than a second. In contrast, Bluetooth devices must be paired with each other, which is a cumbersome process. NFC is also more energy-efficient than Bluetooth and UWB because the transmission range is very short (within 10 centimeters).

History

• 2003: NXP (Philips) and Sony developed a wireless communication technology compatible with the existing ISO14443 contactless card protocol, naming it NFC (Near Field Communication).
• 2004: NXP (Philips), Sony, and Nokia jointly established a non-profit industry association – the NFC Forum – aiming to promote the implementation and standardization of NFC technology and ensure interoperability between devices and services. The NFC Forum has hundreds of members worldwide, including: NOKIA, SONY, Philips, LG, Motorola, NXP, NEC, Samsung, atoam, Intel. Chinese members include Meizu, BBK, vivo, OPPO, Xiaomi, China Mobile, Huawei, ZTE, Shanghai Tongyao, and Taiwan's Cheng Loong Corp., among others.
• 2007: Innovision's NFC tags were first used in consumer trials in the UK's Nokia 6131 phone.
• 2010: Nokia C7: The first NFC-enabled smartphone was released.
• 2010: Samsung Nexus S: The first Android NFC phone.
• 2011: Research In Motion devices became the first to be certified for MasterCard's global PayPass service.
• November 2015: Google's Android Pay feature launched, a direct competitor to Apple Pay.

Technical Characteristics

The technology involved in NFC is relatively simple. It evolved from Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, with the NFC chip operating as part of a wireless link. Once activated by another chip, small amounts of data can be transferred between two devices when they are held within a few centimeters of each other. NFC has three operating modes:

• Active Mode: The NFC terminal can act as a reader/writer, emitting a radio frequency field to identify and read/write information from other NFC devices.
• Passive Mode: In this mode, the NFC terminal is emulated as a card. It only responds passively within the radio frequency field emitted by another device to be read/written.
• Peer-to-Peer Mode: Both NFC terminals actively emit radio frequency fields to establish point-to-point communication. This is equivalent to both NFC devices being in active mode.

Application Areas

• Data Transfer: For example, Android Beam, implemented in Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 in 2011, allowed transferring photos, contacts, and other related data by placing two phones together. As long as NFC is enabled on both devices, information and data can be transferred.
• Mobile Payments: Most debit and credit cards already have built-in NFC tags. Software like Samsung Pay, Google Pay, and Apple Pay use the smartphone's NFC chip for contactless payments. These applications essentially emulate these tags after obtaining permission from the issuing bank or financial institution. Once configured, all you need to do is bring your smartphone or wearable device close to the reader.
• Quick Pairing: Many wireless speakers and headphones use it to exchange pairing information with smartphones. Some cameras also use it to quickly initiate a Wi-Fi Direct connection for easy transfer of photos and videos.
• Public Transportation: Public transit in many cities, including Hong Kong, Singapore, and London, uses NFC-based cards as an access control mechanism, eliminating the need to carry a physical transit card.
• Gaming: Amiibo are official Nintendo figurines or cards with virtual content. Players simply use the Switch's controller to read the data within the model to obtain special rewards in games, with specific content varying by game. The essence of Amiibo is an NFC chip containing data.
• Home Automation Devices: Some smart home platforms, including Home Assistant and Apple's HomeKit, also support NFC. Using apps on Android and iOS, you can configure off-the-shelf NFC tags to control devices or automations.
• Device Configuration: In May 2022, Nidec developed a device. The Commander S and Marshal are the world's first drives with app control as a standard feature for each drive, using NFC communication. It enables users to quickly communicate with their drives.

NFC Chip Suppliers

• NXP Semiconductors
• INSIDESecure: Acquired by Rambus in December 2022.
• STMicroelectronics
• Infineon Technologies
• Broadcom
• SONY
• Shanghai Feiju Microelectronics
• Shenzhen Xinyicheng
• Shanghai Fudan Microelectronics
• Tongfang Ray安 Technology

Related Resources

Panthronics: NFC wireless charging systems and chips for IoT and payment systems.

ReadID: Reads passport and identity information.

Identiv: Due to size constraints, adding Braille or increasing font size on medicine bottles is challenging. Identiv's RFID tags and proprietary Sporeader and encoding technology drive this solution, called Speak RX.

HID Global: Provides employee badges and student IDs in Apple Wallet. Users can access office doors, elevators, turnstiles, multi-function printers, dormitories, libraries, and more using just their iPhone or Apple Watch. It's simple, convenient, and secure. It integrates with existing access control systems, is easy to distribute and manage, and leverages the built-in security features of the iPhone and Apple Watch.