RFID and NFC (Part 1)

What is RFID?

Radio Frequency Identification

• uses radio waves to facilitate communication.

What are the three types of RFID?

Low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF), ultra-high frequency

What is the frequency and distance for LF?

• Frequency = 125 - 134 kHz

• Distance = 10cm

What is the frequency and distance for HF?

• Frequency = 13.56 MHz

• Distance = 30cm

What is the frequency and distance for UHF?

• Frequency = 856 - 960 MHz

• Distance = 100m

What is the primary purpose of RFID?

To identify items

What are the three main components of RFID?

Tag, reader, and antenna

What are the two main types of RFID tags?

Active and passive

What are the characteristics of an active RFID tag?

Has its own power source and longer range (100m+)

What are the characteristics of a passive RFID tag?

No power source and short distance only (25m or less)

Give three examples of how RFID can be used?

• Inventory management

• Access control badges

• Livestock tracking

How does a passive RFID power get its power?

From the radios waves emitted by the RFID reader

What is a RFID reader?

A device that emits radio waves to communicate with RFID tags

• reads the data stored on the tag and passes it to a host system for processing

What does NFC stand for?

Near Field Communication

What is NFC?

A subset of RFID

• Uses radio frequency for very short distance communication

What is NFC commonly used for?

Information sharing, contactless payment, Bluetooth pairing

What frequency does NFC operate on?

13.56 MHz

• the same as HF RFID

What is the maximum range of NFC?

About 4cm

What are three operating modes of NFC?

• Card emulation

• Reader and writer

• Peer-to-peer

What is NFC Card Emulation Mode?

Let’s a device act a smart card. Useful for payments,

What is NFC Reader/Writer mode?

Allows a device to read information stored on a NFC tag on a label or poster

What is NFC Peer-to-Peer mode?

Allows for ad-hoc data transfer between tow NFC enabled devices