Imagine a world where you get in your car and place your phone on the dashboard and as soon as you drive off, your phone automatically starts working. Your Bluetooth is turned on and connected and after a 3-second delay, your favorite playlist is playing and your GPS is up and ready to go. This is all possible with a small tool called Near-field communication or NFC, an underutilized technology for the average smartphone user. In recent years, NFC has become more popular via Tap to Pay options (Apple, Google and Samsung Pay), but this feature only scratches the surface given the plethora of options at its disposal.

We are a distributor for the leading smart card readers on the market from manufacturers such as ACS, HID Global and Identiv. Through our long journey in the smart card industry since 1997, we have seen our fair share of change within the industry which has culminated in the adoption of EMV-based smart cards. Tx Systems has been in the NFC space since 2011 with options from NFC readers to a wide variety of NFC-enabled tags. We offer NFC tags from the leading manufacturer, NXP Semiconductors, based in the Netherlands with options such as the highly advanced, NXP NTAG 424 DNA Tag with supported applications within authentication and home automation. With a passion for cybersecurity and securing critical data from the world’s largest companies, you can be certain that your data is in good hands.

So, what is this technology, and how does it actually work? When an NFC-enabled device goes near another NFC-enabled device or tag, both antennas shoot a radio frequency allowing them to communicate at a short distance of 4 cm or less. Since this is a low power and low frequency technology, this can be powered by just one of the devices. This allows items like credit cards and NFC tags to only be powered and communicable when another gives it a power signal. With power only being needed by one of the components, it allows for chips to be increasingly smaller and in ever so compact form factors.

NFC tags are the definitely the most powerful stickers in the world! Considering that on a small NFC chip, the size of a postage stamp, can hold enough information to command a cell phone, it can be used in many unique situations. For example, we have our previous car scenario, when the phone is placed on the dashboard that has an NFC sticker on it, the phone can automatically read it. This sticker can be set-up using apps like Tasker , available on the Google Play Store, to do any number of tasks, e.g., turn on Bluetooth, turn on your #1 playlist on Spotify and turn on GPS. The automation of small, everyday tasks such as these can make a user’s life easier and their routine much more seamless.

Now, let us see how NFC could be used in a more serious implementation and not just making a car ride smoother. The collecting of trading cards and coins have been a major hobby for decades across the world. When you finally get that treasured piece that you have spent countless hours looking for, you would definitely want to be able to prove its authenticity. NFC can solve that issue with just a simple sticker. Now, when you buy a collectible card, the grading package shows an NFC sticker. A quick scan with your smart phone will bring you to the card’s official website showing the authenticity of that card. Furthermore, the NFC tags can be set up to be tamper-proof so if one is ever ripped off to get to the card, it will notify the owner that it may have been tampered with.

Fads of the future might also drive more use cases for NFC technology in the consumer space. With the rise in popularity of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) which is a rare, digital item that can be owned by a large group of people. An NFT represents ownership of a particular file or collectible, such as artwork, videos, in-game items, and even real estate. All of these are stored on a blockchain which means there is no central governing power behind it. Card makers and coin printers can add much more depth to the products than ever seen before. Now, instead of just buying a pro-football player’s special autographed card, you can also scan the NFC tag in the card and be directed to the NFT attached such as a short clip of his 1st touchdown ever.

In conclusion, the addition of NFC tags and NFTs to products can help keep physical items relevant in the 21st century and appeal to younger, newer users who are used to a completely digital existence.

So, if you are looking for NFC tags for your next DIY project or are looking to protect your collectibles, Tx Systems offers NFC tags from one of the biggest players in the industry, NXP Semiconductors! With their Identiv NXP NTAG 424 DNA Stickers , you will make leaps and bounds towards making your life that much easier!

This article was by John Velez with edits by Carl Hughes.