NFC TAGS

A Close Look at Near Field Communication Technology and Its Preparedness Applications

- Patrick McCarthy

Sticky notes provide a quick and easy way to write down snippets of important information — phone numbers, addresses, appointments, website URLs, and so on. But these colorful scraps of paper are low-tech tools in a high-tech world.

If you could design a modernized Version 2.0 of a sticky note, what characteristics would it have? It might be more durable, and water-resistant so it won’t become illegible if it gets wet. Maybe it’d be smaller, but with the capacity to store more text. Most importantly, the data it contains — letters and numbers are a form of data, after all — should be easy to access at a moment’s notice. These “advanced sticky notes” might incorporate some technology, but they shouldn’t rely on access to the internet or the power grid. And for the security-conscious user, these notes should be concealable in discreet locations and should offer optional password-protection to deter prying eyes.

Near Field Communication (NFC) tags serve as a compact, concealable, and versatile means of storing small amounts of data. Think of them as digital sticky notes — they can be bought by the dozen for a few bucks, programmed instantly with a smartphone app, and placed almost anywhere.

What is NFC?

Near Field Communication is a radio communication standard similar to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or RFID, but as its name indicates, it’s intended for extremely short range. NFC devices transmit on the 13.56 MHz frequency over a maximum distance of about 4 inches. NFC’s most common use is for contactless payment systems, which allow a chip in your credit card or smartphone to wirelessly transmit payment information to a nearby point-of-sale terminal. NFC tech can be used for countless other purposes, which we’ll discuss more below.

What is an NFC Tag?