NFC in the phone – what is it and how to use the function

NFC features

First of all, it is worth noting that you can use NFC communications to pay bills and purchases. To do this, Google offered the Wallet application. Many banks have supported the idea of ​​contactless payment by phone. N FC adapters are installed in terminals for cashless payments in shops and cafes.

In addition to how to use NFC on your phone as a payment method, you can exchange data between devices. It was said above that the speed of such a connection is very low by modern standards – about 400 kbps. Therefore, the technology of combining communication methods was invented. With the help of NFC, devices “recognize” each other, and a connection occurs, and further file transfer is carried out via Bluetooth or wi-fi direct. This provides the possibility of exchanging at high speed, and the connection occurs only by touching the back covers of smartphones.

At the same time, work with NFC tags is possible only if it is available in both phones. This is how Android Beam technology works and its Samsung counterpart Sbeam is a great way to transfer data on an Android phone.

Also, with the help of tags, you can quickly transfer contacts from android to another user.

Is it safe to use NFC?

Currently, there are 3 main ways to use the technology, so the question of how to use NFC should not be inconvenient. Equipment owners are offered:

• pay with gadgets in stores;
• launch using application and program tags;
• transmit information using NFS instead of Bluetooth.

Knowing what NFC is in a smartphone, users should understand that there is no need to worry about the security of personal data or finances. If you do not do stupid things and take the protection of personal information seriously, there will be no trouble. And with an irresponsible attitude, even the most reliable and secure system will not help users.

Now let’s look at why we need NFC in a smartphone. The first and perhaps the most common use is file transfer. There is one common myth here, many people think that the transfer is carried out directly via NFC. But in fact, the data is sent either via bluetooth or via Wi-Fi Direct.

NFC acts as a trusted identifier for devices. For example, Google’s Android Bin data transfer technology uses Bluetooth to transfer data, but for everything to work as it should, the devices first need to see each other via NFC. Samsung has its own implementation of sbin, it transfers data many times faster due to the fact that it already works over Wi-Fi.

In the settings and menu of the phone there is a group of parameters “Wireless networks”, click “More” – the list of parameters will open. The NFC item can be turned off, you need to switch the toggle switch on the screen to the “On” position. The NFC setup on your phone is now complete.

How does it work?

The NFC phone’s wireless communication system works on the principle of electromagnetic wave conversion. The circuit resembles a classic detector receiver.

There are two types of NFC tags:

1. Active – require an additional power supply and control, they can transmit any signals.
2. Passive – operate without power and contain specific immutable information, i.e. they can only transmit a pre-programmed signal.

Consider the example of the connection of two phones.

There is a coil and a capacitor, which are an oscillatory circuit; the diode detects an external magnetic field and sends this signal to the reader – this is the circuit of the NFC tag.

There are two devices with such marks, when you bring them to each other, the mark of one of them induces its vibrations to the second mark – they are detected and the second device “responds” to the first. Thus, the process of data exchange, identification, etc. is cyclically repeated

This is a generalized working principle of the NFC system in the phone.

Let’s try to figure out how NFC works in a smartphone. Two devices establish a connection with each other when they touch – for example, to pair two smartphones, you just need to attach them to each other.

If we delve into the technical details of the technology, we can say the following.

Communication via NFC is based on magnetic field induction – loop antennas are located within the near field and form a transformer. For the operation of NFC, frequencies in the range of 13.56 MHz are allocated. The supported data rate can reach 400kbps.

Pros and cons of the module

Among the main advantages are low energy consumption, reasonable price, ease of use and safety. But before you start using NFC, you need to familiarize yourself with some of the nuances.

Let’s analyze the main disadvantages of NFC.

1. Small working radius. This brings some discomfort when using. Although, at the same time, this indicator creates maximum protection. You will not be able to randomly produce a command, pay for a purchase, etc.
2. Uncontrolled creation of modifications for NFC. For example, the developers of Sony and Haomi took up the finalization of the transmission technology. They independently make consumables that carry out their work only with the gadgets of their company. In other words, in order to use all the NFC options, you will only have to purchase smartphones of specific brands. This also includes the installation of special applications from the same developer.

Some of the shortcomings are corrected gradually. Developers do not abandon their technology and constantly make various improvements.

Contactless payment is the most popular. Buying goods and then transferring money through a smartphone has a number of important advantages:

• simplicity of the process;
• the ability not to carry a card;
• reliability and security of financial transactions;
• constant availability of a source of funds at hand.

There are no obvious disadvantages of the electronic payment instrument, since all existing weaknesses are also present in standard bank cards.

Cheap NFC phones under 15,000

We will look at the most popular models of powerful, stylish and high-quality phones with NFC technology support in 2017. Let’s start:

1. Samsung galaxy S. Its price at the time of writing is about 650-700 dollars. Display – 5.5, 8 core processor, 32 GB of memory and 4 RAM. The metal case is a modern appearance and additional protection of the internals of the device. Powered by 8-core processor from Samsung, clocked at 2.3 GHz.
2. Sony Xperia XZ Premium – $750, slightly more expensive than Samsung. It has twice the amount of memory – 64 gigabytes and a more powerful camera of 19 MP, versus 12. The processor from Qualcomm has 8 cores operating at a frequency of 2.45 GHz.
3. The LG H870G6 costs $750, but its display is larger at 5.7 inches. Processor from Qualcomm 4-core 2.35 GHz. 64 GB of storage and 4 RAM ensure stable operation, and a 13-megapixel dual wide-angle camera ensures good photo quality.
4. XIAOMI Mi6 6/128GB costs $600, its powerful 2.45 GHz 8-core qualcomm processor, 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of memory turn the smartphone into a real multimedia center for games and any applications.
5. Samsung galaxy A7 is the cheapest in this list, it costs less than $400 and is therefore quite popular. A good processor from Samsung, although slower than on previous copies – it has 8 cores, and a frequency of only 1.8 GHz, in conjunction with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of permanent memory, made it an excellent phone for the Internet. In addition, it has protection against dust and water, a good camera and good performance.

The list of smartphones with NFC was compiled from popular phones priced over 20,000. Not every user will choose a fairly expensive phone, either for financial reasons or for some other reason. Is there something cheaper?

As mentioned earlier, phones with near-field communication technology filled almost all price segments, including budget phones. We offer you to get acquainted with phones in the segment up to 15,000 that support NFC, and their prices.

1. Nokia 5 Dual Sim – costs almost $250, it has a normal, but not so up-to-date processor – Snapdragon 430, 8 cores with an operating frequency of 1.4 GHz, works on android A 13 MP camera will allow you to make good clear pictures.
2. Motorola E Plus XT1771 – $200, cheap 4-core MTK 6737 processor, good autonomy – a great phone for everyday use for undemanding users.
3. Sony Xperia X – a real $250 background camera, a good lens and a 23 MP sensor – will make your photos bright and sharp. The 6-core Snapdragon 650 and 3 GB of RAM will allow you to play even modern demanding games.

Three decent NFC phone models that almost anyone can easily buy.

Advantages of NFC technology

The abbreviation NFC stands for Near Fild Communication. The technology is based on the principle of exchanging radio signals between two devices – this technology is similar to the well-known Bluetooth. However, there is one important difference – unlike Bluetooth, which is focused on data transmission at a distance of up to hundreds of meters, NFC is designed to exchange data at a distance of about 10 cm and closer.

The technology was announced in 2004 as an extension for contactless cards. After that, the technology gained quite a lot of popularity and can now be used in many areas.

The advantages of NFC include intuitiveness (one touch is enough to initiate data transfer), versatility (NFC has the widest range of uses), technology openness and compliance with industry standards, as well as increased security due to low transmitter power and low radius actions.

Using NFC, you can configure other wireless technologies – for example, it takes about 100ms to pair two devices via NFC, while connecting them to each other via Wifi or Bluetooth takes significantly longer, while it can be done via NFC.

NFC facilitates the exchange of information – it is possible to transfer a file from one smartphone to another by simply touching it with your smartphone. At the same time, the matter is not limited to file transfer – you can transfer a payment to the interlocutor, add him to “friends” or start a session of a joint multiplayer game.

In everyday life, NFC functions are related to running programs and applications. As a result, technology users are able to:

• instantly launch navigators;
• set up quick access to virtual services;
• turn on a kind of alarm clock, reminding you of important planned actions and affairs;
• speed up the process of launching equipment and programs.

The final appointment depends on the desires and fantasies of the user and has practically no restrictions (within reason and capabilities of phones).

For payment

The most important function, as mentioned above, is the use of mobile as a convenient payment tool. To pay for purchases in the store, you will need:

1. link a bank card to a gadget;
2. bring the device to the terminal (as a standard “plastic” with PayPass technology)
3. wait for the payment information to be read;
4. enter the pin code.
5. After that, it remains to pick up the paid goods.

In the house

The use of NFS in the home depends primarily on the user’s imagination. Those wishing to take advantage of the system’s capabilities are able to:

• automatically turn off wi-fi when leaving the apartment;
• launch an application with a notebook in the morning;
• turn off unnecessary options before going to bed;
• turn on the alarm.

The above list is just an example, since the full list of possibilities is much wider. The main condition for using this service will be a connection with the phone, without which it is impossible to program the execution of pre-selected tasks and the launch of utilities and useful services.

device with configured service;

with a label located in the right place (they will be discussed below).

To start or turn off wi-fi, you need to do just a couple of actions:

1. bring the cell phone to the mark;
2. wait for it to be read;
3. after which the device will perform the task provided by the settings.

You won’t have to do anything extra, because the connection to the Internet (or turning off the distribution of traffic) will already happen.

In the office

The process of using appliances in the office is not much different from using appliances in everyday life and at home. The main benefit that office workers can get is the automation of part of the work processes. Thus, employees are able to turn on some of the systems that are important for their activities with the help of NFS tags with one touch. As a result, the time required to activate workflows is saved.

An alternative way to benefit is to transfer small files and documents. But it is relevant for employees working in close proximity to each other.

In the car

The most obvious benefit from the presence of NFC tags in transport will be the automatic inclusion of navigators on smartphones mentioned above. Drivers and motorists just need to bring the device to the desired point of the car and wait until the system opens the map and builds a suitable route. It is unlikely that such an action will save a lot of time, but it will certainly simplify the life of car owners, saving them from the necessary procedure for launching GPS navigators and giving them the right to use the online service without unnecessary worries.

Types of payment services

The second application of NFC, which has become increasingly popular, is contactless payments. At the moment, a number of banks and e-wallets have learned to work with NFC in smartphones. As a result, now with the help of the NSF you can pay for travel in public transport, lunch in a cafe or purchases in a supermarket. This payment method is good because it is very close at hand. If the card can still be forgotten, then we do not part with the phone even in a dream.

In order for all this magic to work, we need to have three things.

1. Obviously a smartphone with an NFC chip
2. Special software for payment and data storage (payment system card details).
3. A terminal in a store that accepts contactless payment.

You probably have a question: “How safe are NSF payments?”. Can any craftsman carry out a transaction remotely without your knowledge? Well, judge for yourself. In order to make a payment, the phone must be brought at a distance of about 5 centimeters to the terminal, while the smartphone must be unlocked.

And the probability that these two conditions will be at least somehow adjusted by a fraudster tends to zero. But even if the stars do not converge in your favor, then your wallet will be protected by a limit on the maximum payment amount. In most payment systems and wallets, it is set to 10-15 bucks by default. The threshold can be removed if desired.

Having dealt with the benefits of NFC technology in everyday life, you should return to its usual purpose – use as a payment instrument. In order to pay by cellular in stores and pay for services with one touch, several conditions must be met:

• the device must have a special chip;
• the operating system must support the operation of the utility;
• binding of a bank card is obligatory;
• the bank must join the financial system and allow contactless transactions for customers.

Google Pay is the most common version of the mentioned online financial service, which works on devices with the Android operating system. They are closely connected to the Google app store and use all the extensions and additions provided by the digital corporation. At the same time, the payment process does not have obvious differences and important characteristic features, and therefore the main detail that distinguishes it from the general background will be compatibility with the Android platform.

Apple Pay is a full-fledged analogue of the online service from Google, which differs from it only by the manufacturer – Apple Corporation and compatible devices where the utility is used. Similar devices, as indicated by the name of the manufacturer, will be the iPhone and other similar devices. The principle of payment, despite the change of the developer, will remain unchanged. It is enough to attach an iPhone to the terminal and wait for the transfer of financial information.

Samsung Pay is the third type of online financial system that allows you to pay for goods and services in stores. Looking at the name, it is not difficult to guess what its most important distinguishing feature is. Samsung Corporation uses its own developments in the manufactured equipment, which include Samsung Pay.

Microsoft Pay

Not much different from what Google and Microsoft Pay offer. And the most important distinguishing feature is again associated with the manufacturer. The mentioned online system is used on devices where the Windows platform is used as the basis. Naturally, differences in approaches give rise to other distinctive nuances and details that distinguish programs from different developers. But most of the differences are “cosmetic” in nature and will not affect the process of transferring funds.

It makes no sense to list banks and financial organizations that allow you to pay for purchases without using “plastic”. The list is huge and includes not only the flagships of the banking sector, such as Sberbank, but also regional institutions, such as Ak Bars. Therefore, those who hope to get rid of the card are advised to call the contact center of the institution they need and clarify the required information with support operators.

Which Chinese phone with NFC should I buy?

Inexpensive phones with NFC support can be bought literally for a penny. Chinese phones with near-field communication can be ordered directly from China, thereby saving quite a lot. Popular now Xiaomi brand produces models in different budgets, ranging from cheap to expensive. Which xiaomi has NFC support? In fact, there are quite a few of them, pay attention to the line: Mi4, Mi5, Mi6 and others – they all have this function.

The cheapest rugged NFC phone is AGM A8, waterproof and runs on android 7 and quad core MSM8916 – you can buy it in the range of $150-200.

How do you know if your phone has NFC?

Your smartphone may have this useful technology. To find out if your phone has NFC, you can remove the battery cover – there should be a corresponding mark on its sticker. If you don’t see Near field Communication on the battery, what should you do? How do I know if my phone supports NFC?

Go to the following path in your phone: settings – wireless (connections). There should be an NFC item in this menu – you need to enable it, Android Beam should also be automatically activated. Otherwise, you simply do not have this communication function, but this problem can be solved. Now you know how to check if your phone has NFC, let’s see how to install it in android.

Tags

In addition to payments, NFC allows you to quickly pair with peripheral devices. You can connect headphones, a speaker or even a TV to your smartphone in a matter of seconds. For example, Sony has TV models to which you can connect your phone via NFC. If you wish, the list of unusual things that can be connected via NFC can be continued for a very long time, and I will give just a few examples.

This ring was invented by the guys from the kickstarter. They offer a dual zone NFC tag that will always be with you. In one of the zones, you can write the key to the door, and using the second to unlock the smartphone. Agree, the ability to open the door lock or unlock the smartphone with the same ring looks cool, you can feel like Frodo. But the ring is not the coolest thing that can be.

You can stick an NFC tag the size of a match head under your skin, as one person from Holland did, who sewed an NFC tag into his hand, on which he sang the key to his bitcoin wallet. In Glandia, this is not even possible, all sorts of psychotropics are implemented there.

In fact, there are more mundane applications for NFC, thanks to simple programmable tags, you can greatly simplify your life or automate some processes. Such tags do not require power to operate and have a small amount of memory. Any information can be recorded in them, but most often special commands for the phone are recorded in them.

You simply program the necessary algorithm of actions and bind it to the label. We got into the car, put the phone to the tag and your smartphone did everything that was needed. You can come up with a whole bunch of similar scenarios for both work and home. Fortunately, these tags are not very expensive on Aliexpress. Most likely, this article does not describe all the ways to use NFC, and if you somehow use this technology in an unusual way, share your ideas in the comments.

As mentioned above, the app requires NFC tags to work. They are small sticker devices that store a small amount of information and transmit it to a nearby device. They work from the magnetic field generated by the telephone. This is what makes them “near field” communication devices. They become active only when the magnetic field approaches, which surrounds a small area around the cell.

In general terms, a description of the main principles of operation is presented above. To the above, it should be added that the circuits used for data exchange are tuned to a certain frequency, which allows them to work with maximum efficiency. And the amount of energy received limits the scope of their action to 10 centimeters (often the distance is even less).

Types of tags

Currently, there are 4 types of NFC tags, differing in basic operation parameters. They do not have a specific name, while a brief description of each contains:

• the first – 48 bytes of memory and transmission at a speed of up to 106 Kbps;
• the second one is 2 Kb and the transmission level limit is 106 Kb;
• the third one stands out with an increase in bandwidth up to 212 Kbps;
• the fourth with a memory of 32 Kb and a speed of 424.

To set a task on an NFS tag, you will need:

1. turn on the application on the phone to use the technology;
2. read the mark by bringing the gadget to it;
3. select the action to be taken when a connection is established in the future;
4. save the set work pattern.

What to do if there is no NFC – NFC antennas and modules for the phone

There is no single place where the module needed by users is located. Its location depends on the model of the smartphone and the manufacturer of the equipment. To clarify the correct place, it is recommended that you read the instructions that came with your cell phone and find the necessary information in it. There are no other ways, but it should be emphasized that usually the module is behind the back panel, not far from the SIM card slot.

Don’t be discouraged if you don’t find the NFC feature in your phone. If structurally, an NFC antenna for your phone is an alien concept, do not despair, there is a simple solution. Install the NFC module. You just need to find a SIM card with an NFC chip on sale and install it in your phone.

This NFC SIM card can be installed to make payments with your phone.

Another way to install an NFC module in your phone is to equip it with a full-fledged NFC antenna. It is glued to the SIM card, and the other half is placed under the cover of the smartphone. This conversion adds a lot of possibilities for working with this technology.

Now you know what to do if there is no NFC!

In the phone, the NFC module consists of two components, it is just another chip on the main board of the device that provides signal processing, and an antenna under the back cover of the device that provides communication with other devices. In some cases, NFC, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and other wireless technology chips can be combined into one. In this case, the processing of signals from NFC is performed by this common chip.

As for the antenna, most often it is glued to the back cover of the device. If the phone case is collapsible, then you can see it by simply removing the cover.

In some cases, the NFC antenna may be integrated into the phone’s battery. In this case, the battery will be labeled NFC or Near field communication.

If the antenna is integrated into the battery, you need to be careful when replacing it. You need exactly the same model, with a built-in antenna. If you purchase a battery without an antenna, the NFC module will not work.

The NFC module greatly expands the capabilities of the phone. If your device is equipped with this module, it can perform the following operations:

• Emulate contactless cards;
• Read passive RFID tags;
• Share information with other NFC devices;

Thanks to this, NFC can be used for a variety of tasks:

• Payment for purchases and trains in public transport;
• Work with electronic money;
• Use of payment services (Google Pay, Apple pay, Samsung Pay, etc.);
• Obtaining information from advertising materials, street billboards and other places with RFID tags;
• Quickly pair Bluetooth devices or connect to Wi-Fi;
• Gaining access with an electronic key;
• Data transfer to other phones with NFC module;

In order to use NFC on your phone, you must first turn it on. In older versions of Android, you need to open the “Settings” application and go to the “More” section.

After that, the wireless settings screen will appear. Here you will find the NFC switch, with which you can turn the phone’s NFC module on or off.

In Android 8.1, the location of the option that enables the NFC module is slightly different. Here you need to open the “Settings” application and go to the “Connected devices” section.

After that, the “Connected Devices” section will appear.

NFC option will be available here, as well as Bluetooth and others.

Conclusion

Modern technologies not only simplify but also speed up our life and make it more comfortable. This technology will not only save time, but also do it very safely.

The security of the connection is guaranteed by near-field communication, because you almost touch the tags when transmitting data. Applications that use NFC technology allow you to use the gadget not only for payment, but also to change phone modes when you read the tag. You can place tags in your car, home, bedroom, and set up which parameters will match which tag – this greatly automates your device.

It should be understood that the presence of an NFC chip is insignificant, but still increases the cost of manufacturing the device, which, of course, is reflected in the final cost.

If you really want to use an NFC chip for contactless payment with your smartphone or for other purposes, then, of course, having it in your smartphone will be an important parameter for you. If you use bank cards with contactless payment or generally prefer cash, and you are not interested in data transfer and tags, then you should not pay attention to the lack of NFC support, on the contrary – why overpay for functionality you do not need?