NFC (Near Field Communication) is a short-range wireless radio technology based on RFID that allows for NFC devices and tags to transfer a small amount of data when they are in close proximity to one another (touched). NFC is being deployed in all upcoming mobile phones, computers and other devices. NFC is the technology that will link the physical world to the online world.
Step 1: Get an NFC Reader
You will need an NFC reader to read and write NFC tags. An NFC reader starts the conversation with NFC tags or other NFC readers; without it the tags are pretty boring. NFC readers are put in two major device types; mobile phones and computers. Each has its own purpose. You may want to pick up one of each so that you have the full NFC experience.
Mobile (Phones, Tablets)
All upcoming mobile devices will have NFC readers. This is the primary consumer experience of NFC. People will walk around with their mobile devices touching NFC tags in the physical world to interact with their online actions. There are many NFC mobile devices available in the market now. Google’s Android phones support NFC; we like the Google Nexus series. Blackberry and Nokia also have NFC phones available now and Apple and Microsoft will have devices this year.
Computers (Desktops, Laptops)
NFC is also used for desktop computers and laptops. A typical deployment of this type is where a person has an NFC tag (card, key chain, wristband …) and interacts with a computer-based NFC reader to identify themselves. This is often used with membership and loyalty programs as well as conferences and events. Developers will also need an NFC reader. There are a couple reader form factors available: flat, stick and terminal. Readers are connected via either a serial or USB connection. The most common and cheapest is the ACS ACR122U or you can view all of our NFC readers.
For more information, look through our NFC readers support pages.
Step 2: Choose an NFC Product
NFC can and will be in almost all objects in the near future; the possibilities for what an NFC tag can be in are almost endless. You need to think about where your tag will be used, who will be using it, the environmental conditions it will need to withstand and the interaction model you want your users to experience. We offer a wide variety of NFC tags. The simplest possible products are inlays; these are raw NFC products good for development or to put on the back of a poster. If in your project an NFC tag is associated with a person, a key chain or wristband would work well. Are you looking to promote your brand and engage with your customers in a more interactive way? Then check out our NFC marketing products; we’ve taken traditional product marketing items and have supercharged them with NFC to become more engaging. Will your tag be on a metal service or electronics (like the back of a phone)? If so then you will need an anti-metal tag to shield the NFC chip from the outside EMF.
Step 3: Customize the NFC Product
A blank NFC tag is good for development, but as you move into product trials and real deployment you will want to customize the NFC tags to match your brand and project goals. Most of our NFC tags can be printed and the marketing products can be fully customized to match your brand. Each NFC product has it’s own printing specs; for more information look through our printing support pages. For the marketing products, contact our sales team and we will help you find and customize the perfect product.
