At the moment, there are various concepts in the mobile industry that many have never even heard of. Therefore, it is quite natural that there is a need to understand some of the nuances. So, if you came to the question of what NFC is, then you had to deal with the mention of this concept somewhere in some form. It is worth understanding it in as much detail as possible.
NFC (Near Field Communication) is a high-quality wireless communication technology with a short range (no more than 10 centimeters), which allows contactless data exchange between a pair of devices located nearby: for example, between a plastic smart card or cell phone and reading terminal. NFC technology is based on RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification). This is radio frequency identification, which is a method of identifying objects in automatic mode. This uses a radio signal to read and write data stored in transponders, often referred to as NFC tags. In the general case, we can say that we are talking about a technology for transmitting information via a radio channel that supports active and passivedevices. For example, Sony NFC key fobs do not need any additional power to operate, they do it completely passively.
Technology Features
So, if we talk about what NFC is, then it is worth considering the three most popular options for using this technology in mobile phones:
- reading mode in which the phone reads a passive tag, for example, for interactive advertising;
- emulation of cards, in which the gadget is able to "pretend" to be a card, for example, a payment card or a pass;
- P2P mode, which pairs two phones for data exchange.
Most often, NFC technology assumes that the carrier of the chip is a mobile phone, which is as much a mass device as it is an individual one, and at the same time it is completely inseparable from its owner. In this case, it can be used as a means of payment, which is acceptable if you have a virtual wallet, a key, a means to identify the owner, a travel ticket, a bonus card, and much more.
Scope of application
So, NFC in the phone - what is it? Answering this question, it is worth noting that at the moment such solutions have become more and more widely used in many areas. For example, this technology is used to book electronic tickets and sell them, pay for car parking and travel in public transport. NFC tags are very actively used in the fields of entertainment and services, in the field of security and control.access.
Different from Bluetooth
These two technologies are similar in principle, but there is a very big difference between them. If we consider what NFC is, it is worth noting that the main advantage of this technology is the short connection time, which is one tenth of a second. The short range makes this method of data transmission much more secure. However, NFC supports 424Kbps, which is much slower than Bluetooth.
The current stage of development
Contactless payment technology has now become very advanced, leading to cards like MasterCard PayPass and Visa PayWave that have built-in antennas and NFC functionality. This market has become so developed that now companies such as MasterCard, Google, Sprint, Citibank and First Data have formed a service called Google Wallet installed on a number of Android smartphones. With this application, you can easily turn your gadget into a credit card that allows you to pay at any terminal that supports PayPass.
What is NFC and how does it use tags?
Tags in this case are small programmable information zones built into billboards, posters or on shelves with products in retail stores. If you touch any of them, you can get some additional information in the form of a webaddresses, maps or movie commercials.
The process of working with tags involves a certain sequence of actions to obtain the information embedded in them.
What needs to be done to scan tags
First of all, make sure that the NFC function in your phone is enabled and its screen is active. Place your phone above the tag so that the NFC detection area touches it. Next, your device will scan the tag, and then display the content received from it. You should touch the content, and then you will open the label.
How to transfer a music file using NFC
First of all, you should make sure that the necessary function is enabled on your phone and the recipient's device, and that the screens of both gadgets are active. You can open the music player by going to the main screen, where the "Multimedia" item will be selected, and after it the "Music" icon. If the latter is not displayed, then you should touch the "Apps screen" symbol, and after it - "Music". To open the media library, you will need to visit the "My Music" tab. After selecting a music category, you can proceed to select a track that will be sent to a friendly device. You should touch it to play, and then click on the pause. Broadcasting occurs only when the track is playing or paused.
The transmitting and receiving phones must be turned back to each other so that their NFC recognition zones touch. When the connection is established, both devices will vibrate andthen the broadcast will start. After vibration, the devices should be moved away from each other. This prevents attempts to reconnect, which could interfere with the transfer process. When the process is completed, the receiving phone will start playing the received file automatically. At the same time, the track will be saved in the corresponding application.
Important points
So, if we talk about what NFC is, then it should be said about the presence of certain points that can be called the "dark side" of this technology. While NFC can make many everyday tasks easier, sometimes it makes life much more difficult when you look at it from a security point of view. This technology works exclusively at close range. If you do not use NFC, then for complete protection and to ensure your safety, you can turn it off. In this case, all its convenience simply disappears, but this allows you to use other methods. It all depends on the individual settings of the smartphone. If you use the device as a mobile wallet, but do not protect it with anything, then problems may well arise. Even PIN-code protection does not always work, unfortunately, when there is NFC in the phone. What it is becomes clear when an attacker takes advantage of your carelessness.
It is worth imagining such a scenario as the loss of a phone or its theft. Then the person who found or stole it will be able to use all payments and functions. Howeverit’s worth being realistic here, because you can lose the keys to your apartment or car or wallet, which is fraught with the same danger. That is, NFC is only as secure as the user decides.
First devices
NFC support first appeared in the Nokia 6131, released in 2006. However, such a function turned out to be completely useless and unclaimed, since at that time there was no infrastructure. The NFC module is currently equipped with a serial smartphone Sony Xperia S. This device is equipped with a dual-core processor and a 43-inch HD screen. It operates under the operating system from Google. Android-NFC is no different from a similar function in other platforms. This device comes with two NFC tags called XPERIA SmartTags, which allow you to program the device to start certain operations within its range, for example, turning on the navigator or turning off Wi-Fi.
Intel has already addressed the issue of integrating NFC chips into the next generation of ultrabooks, and only this can guarantee that this technology has a great future.
The birth of the future
So, if we consider NFC technology (how to use it is already a little clear), then it is worth saying about who or what it owes its appearance to. In 2002, companies such as Sony and Phillips teamed up to develop an entirely new radio standard, which was given the name. Prior to this, repeatedlyAttempts have been made to form technologies of this kind: Phillips has created MIFARE technology, and Sony has a similar development called FeliCa. Despite the fact that these technologies had a lot in common, they turned out to be incompatible with each other. The created standard was intended to absorb all the advantages of past developments, as well as open up opportunities for its application in practice.
Speaking of what NFC is, it must be mentioned that since its inception and development, this technology has been focused on interaction between different electronic devices, between which there is no wired connection. As examples, it is appropriate to indicate personal computers, PDAs, mobile phones, video cameras, and other gadgets.
One can say about such a feature of the implementation of the interaction of devices working with the support of this technology as the rapid initiation of communication between devices after they are brought close to each other at a fairly close distance. After the connection is established, an attempt is made to transfer data between the devices.
For example, if you bring a working camera to the TV, provided that the NFC module works in both gadgets, the image transfer process will immediately begin. If a mobile phone or PDA is in close proximity to a personal computer, this will allow you to immediately start synchronizing the address book or some other documents.
Method of implementation and development prospects
TechnologyNFC is implemented as a chip that operates in passive or active mode. The first option involves using the device as a pass or subway card, and the second - receiving information from passive devices, as well as sending it. At the moment, one can observe not too intensive distribution of this technology, but everything is already ready to conquer the world. Companies like Google and Apple are betting on it. You can already hear about iPhone NFC, that is, these chips are being added to Apple products. There are even SIM cards with a built-in chip that can work exclusively in passive mode.
In today's society, there are very bright prospects for using this technology to use mobile devices for contactless payments. It is quite possible that in a few years one smartphone will replace the user with a whole range of devices and devices.
