Are these two different at all?
If you read about technology, you are likely familiar with the terms radio frequency identification (RFID) and near-field communication (NFC). You might have seen that your mobile phone is an NFC device. This article will answer a few questions you may have about these technologies.
Are these two different at all?
RFID is the process by which things are identified by unique radio waves, and NFC is a specialized subset in the RFID family. Specially, NFC is a branch of high frequency RFID and both operate at the 13.56 MHz frequency. Near-Field Communication is designed to be a secure form of data exchange, and an NFC device is capable of being both an NFC reader and NFC tag. This feature allows NFC devices to communicate between them.
At a minimum, an RFID system integrates a tag, a reader and an antenna. The reader sends a signal to the tag via the antenna, and the tag answers with its information. RFID tags can be active or passive.
Active RFID tags have their own power source giving them the capability to broadcast in a 100 meters area. They are ideal for several industries where asset location and other developments in logistics are important.
Passive RFID tags do not have their own power source. Instead, they use electromagnetic energy from the RFID reader. The radio waves must be strong enough to power the tags; they have a read range from up to 25 meters.
NFC systems operate on the same frequency as HF RFID (13.36 MHz) systems. Therefore, there are only short read rang limitations.
Because of the short read range limitations, NFC devices have to be in very proximity – no more than a few centimeters. That is the reason why NFC is often used for secure communications, especially for access controls or for contactless payment.
If you want to learn more about RFID, check out our website or contact us.