NFC (Near Field Communication) and its applications
We come across many smartphones nowadays having NFC functionality. We really wonder what is NFC and how it is helpful to us. What are its applications?. In this article, we have covered all these questions in detail.
First of all, NFC means Near Field Communication. We know Bluetooth and WiFi that we use to share files, photos, and videos. In the same fashion, NFC works on Radio Frequency. However, it has a very short range of fewer than 4 centimeters. Hence, you can use it for short-range communication.
NFC requires one transmitting device and another receiving device. The use of Near Field Communication technology is still in the nascent stage and doesn’t have much popularity among common people. The main reason behind this is the use of Bluetooth and WiFi. Bluetooth and WiFi have long range and nowadays, we can connect to them faster.
In the recent period, the use of Near Field Communication in payments is getting increasingly popular. More and more payment services are implementing them for electronic payment. The smartphone payment technologies like Samsung pay, Apple pay and Google pay are using it.
Types of NFC devices
There are two types of NFC devices. The active and passive NFC devices. Active devices send and receive data and can communicate with each other. The active devices can communicate with passive devices as well. The most common examples are card readers in the public transportation system or our smartphones.
The passive devices can send information to other devices but they don’t have the capability to process any information. In addition, they don’t need any power source to work. Also, they are unable to communicate with other passive devices. The most common example is the identity tag. In more recent time, contactless credit and debit cards like Visa Paywave implement this technology.
The working of NFC technology
Near Field Communication uses the RF frequency of 13.56 Mhz to transmit data over another device. Basically, Near Field Communication uses electromagnetic induction to transfer data. This technology previously used in RFID technology.
The NFC is capable of inducing an electric current in passive devices. Hence, passive devices don’t need their own power source. So, we can power passive devices by the electromagnetic field of active devices. One drawback of this technology is its range. It needs less than 4cm distance for communication to take place.
The NFC standard has three modes of operation. The first mode is peer to peer mode. This mode is very common among mobile devices having the Near Field Communication-enabled. These devices send and receive data by changing their type. They become active while sending data and passive while receiving it.
The read or write mode is one-way communication. In this mode, one active device makes a connection to another device in order to read the data on that device. The last mode is an emulated mode. The use of this mode is common in the contactless credit card. We can just tap the card over the terminal and you are ready to go.
Advantages of NFC
The most important advantage of Near Field Communication over other technologies is its low use of power. In NFC technology there is no need to have power on both devices for communication.
NFC opens new opportunities in the payment space. The traditional electronic payment system is a bit complicated as it needs more verification steps like PIN numbers and OTP. However, this type of payment system entirely removes such complications. You need to just tap on the terminal and you will be fine. There is no need to remember a PIN or enter OTP.
The adoption of this technology for payments will be definitely higher as it is as fast as exchanging cash. People are going away from traditional electronic payment systems but this system has immense potential. People need a solution which is as fast as the exchange of cash and this is where Near Field Communication comes handy.
This technology helps you connect fast to other devices. It is faster than Bluetooth when it comes to establishing a connection. NFC devices automatically connect with each other without any manual intervention.
The Near Field Communication has more potential for building faster payment apps specifically in NFC enabled devices. In addition, we can use Near Field Communication to initiate a more capable connection between two devices. We can say that for pairing and establishing Bluetooth connection between two devices, we can use Near Field Communication first.
In conclusion, The NFC has immense potential in payment space specifically for faster and secure payments. The passive devices make this technology handy and safe as well.
