NFC: How Near Field Communication works

NFC is the abbreviation for "Near Field Communication". The term is mostly used in connection with smartphones, data transmission and payment processes, because the method represents a form of contactless payment that should be secure.

NFC enables contactless payment

As the term near field communication already suggests, the important thing with this payment method is that the devices that are used for the process are located close to each other.

• NFC is a radio standard for wireless data transmission. The three letters stand for "Near Field Communication", ie communication between two elements that are close to each other.
• The peculiarity of NFC is in fact that both devices must be kept a few centimeters apart so that a transmission can take place.
• This in turn results in the greatest advantage of NFC: it is extremely secure against eavesdropping from outside. After all, possible perpetrators would have to approach you in the smallest of spaces to spy on data.
• At 424 kbit / s, the transmission speed is lower than that of Bluetooth, but it is still enough to send small amounts of data such as Internet links in a split second.
• NFC thus offers a quick, simple and relatively secure way to transfer data with your mobile phone without taking a major security risk, as can be the case with other alternatives.

Areas of application for near field communication

With NFC, data is transmitted over short distances. In addition, the payment method is particularly suitable for paying relatively low amounts and is thus used in the area of ​​"micropayment". There are also some institutions in Germany that offer this function.

• The first supermarkets like Aldi-Nord already offer a payment service via NFC. The smartphone or an NFC-enabled credit card then only has to be held up to the terminal to pay the amount of money. It works very safely and even faster than conventional methods. NFC can already be found on ticket machines.
• NFC is already quite widespread when it comes to exchanging data between smartphones or tablets. For example, if you hold two Android devices with an NFC chip together, you can transfer data with one click - for example links, contact details or photos.
• Information transmission with NFC tags: It is also possible that small chips are used in advertising posters, which can then be used to pass on information such as the appropriate calendar entry or a link to a website.
• Savings banks also offer the option of contactless payment. With the Girogo service, customers can pay amounts of up to 25 euros.
• At some colleges and universities, students can use their NFC chips to transfer smaller sums of money.

How do NFC tags work?

NFC technology is an offshoot of RFID technology. Basically, NFC tags are RFID tags. The only difference is that the frequency is fixed.

• RFID stands for "radio-frequency identification". A distinction can be made between active and passive RFID transponders.
• The best known is the passive RFID transponder. In order to interact with this, a reading device emits an electromagnetic field. The RFID chip receives the transmitted energy via an antenna and can thus implement the received commands. If an RFID tag is read out, the electromagnetic field of the transmitter is weakened or the modulated signal is reflected in phase opposition, so that the reading device can view the stored information.
• A separate power supply is usually installed in active RFID transponders: The range is significantly greater.
• The classic (passive) RFID transponders, which can also be found in clothing stores, have an antenna that resonates at 125 kHz. But other designs with different frequencies are also possible. NFC tags are usually only designed for 13.56 MHz. With most smartphones you can also read and describe them.
• However, RFID transponders do not offer 100% security: Numerous devices can be found on the Internet with which a copy of a scanned RFID tag can be made. However, with the classic passive RFID chips, the copier must be very close to the chip: Undetected data theft is generally not possible.

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