What You Need to Know About NFC Card Manufacturers
If you’re looking to print your own RFID tags, you need to understand the different aspects of the process. You’ll want to know about the Antenna coil arrangement, the magnetic axis angle and emulation.
Antenna coil arrangement
In the field of NFC, antennas may take a variety of shapes. They may be in a cascaded coil arrangement where the first coil is connected in series with the second. This configuration is useful for near field coupling and can be implemented in any suitable hardware.
Another interesting configuration is a spiral shaped NFC coil antenna. It can be integrated into the chassis of a portable device. A spiral shaped NFC coil antenna is rectangular in shape and can include multiple layers, including individual turns or loops.
An example of a spiral shaped NFC coil antenna is incorporated in an Ultrabook portable device. The spiral shaped NFC coil antenna includes multiple rectangular loops that perform a consistent coupling to readers.
Alternatively, the spiral shaped NFC coil antenna is directly embedded to a metal chassis or used in a flexible printed circuit. A number of commercial packages exist for antenna design simulation. However, it is important to consider geometric constraints and the appropriate inductance.
Having a spiral shaped NFC coil antenna in a portable device is not enough. Various applications require changes in the size of the antenna. These include NFC tag 106 and passive devices such as credit cards and mobile phones.
To achieve the maximum potential, a special pattern can be applied to the antenna. It may also be required to meet the contactless card resonance frequency specification.
While many antenna coils are connected in series, it is necessary to have one that is able to transfer power at a designated frequency. There are various formulas that can be used to calculate equivalent inductance for different shapes.
Similarly, there are formulas that can be used to calculate the total apparent power, which is the energy moving through the network. If the total apparent power is lower than the H-field or power specification, the antenna will not work.
RFID card printing process
An RFID card is a plastic card equipped with a radio frequency antenna inside. It is commonly used for payment, access control, and ID. They are contactless and able to be read by a reader. The range of nfc card manufacturers the reading distance is from one cm to several meters.
NFC and RFID chips are available from commercial sources. Some of the materials used in manufacturing RFID and NFC tags are aluminum, copper, graphene, conductive inks, and non-conductive base material. Among these, the first two are most common.
The manufacturing process of an NFC tag can be divided into two stages. First, the antennae are constructed. During this stage, the metallic foil from the antennae is converted into position markers 2 d. These are located at predetermined positions relative to the wireless communication chip. During the next stage, these position markers are then used to write data into the chip.
A chip sheet is then placed onto a writing platform. A grid of readers will fire at the sheet in a predetermined sequence. As each reader fires, the chip sheet will be read. If there is interference between adjacent readers, the chip will be blocked. This ensures that there is no disruption between readers and the chip.
The wireless communication chip is then written into the chip sheet using a NFC writing apparatus. In some approaches, a single chip is written at a time. Other approaches are more complex, and involve a number of sheets.
A common approach for the chip writing is to determine a predetermined identifier for each sheet to determine the sheet that is being written to. For example, in the case of a single business card, the identifier could be the name of the manufacturer.
Magnetic axis angle
When it comes to NFC cards the magnetic field generated by a magnetically aligned circuit board is about as reliable as a magnet. To be more specific, the fabled magnetic axis is in a state of flux. As such, an effective countermeasure is a necessity. In the form of an elegantly designed shielding scheme, the aforementioned aforementioned magnetic field is mitigated, thereby allowing for the deployment of an elegant albeit complex antenna circuit. The result is a highly functional near field communication device. The best part is, the entire rig is fully assembled and ready for testing, so the test subject can be a happy camper.
One of the most important steps is to choose the right combination of components for the task. An aerial coil of the appropriate length and magnetic field strength is mounted on the card for good measure, and is oriented at an angle of about 45 degrees from the card’s axis. The aforementioned magnetic axis is then mated to an array of matching antennas to create an efficient and cost-effective wireless data connection to the nearest available receptacle. While the actual physical data transfer may be limited to a small window on the PCB, it is no problem to perform data exchange between multiple devices and locations. Moreover, the card can be used to communicate with a variety of near field communication (NFC) capable mobile phones, smartwatches and other similar devices.
Emulation
NFC card emulation is a common feature found on smartphones and smart watches. It allows users to interact with contactless card readers without having to touch a physical device. The process can be implemented using hardware, software, or both.
Host card emulation (HCE) is a new way of emulating an NFC card. It enables apps to directly communicate with an NFC reader, and is used in nfc card manufacturers Android 4.4 and higher. HCE supports secure NFC-based transactions. This technology is based on cryptographic processes traditionally used by hardware-based secure elements.
Host card emulation is a software architecture that runs smart-card logic in the smartphone CPU. When an app sends an APDU, the OS will launch a background task, which responds to the APDU. To enable host card emulation, the application must have the Host component.
Another type of NFC card emulation is NFC HCE, which lets users make contactless payments. The technology also allows for contactless tickets and public transportation transit passes. However, this technology is not available on Apple iPhones.
Some HCE enabled devices can emulate NTAG’s and MIFARE cards. In order to support these AIDs, the device must be capable of detecting bit 1 and 5.
Alternatively, users can use the App to compose a blank note, which they can then write to the tag. This option is particularly useful for large numbers of tags.
Aside from NFC-based card emulation, other types of NFC strategies include host-based card emulation and secure element-based emulation. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Ultimately, it is important to understand the pros and cons of each strategy to make an informed decision.
Host-based card emulation allows any Android application to emulate an NFC card. It reduces the complexity of developing an NFC solution.
Limitations
NFC is a relatively new technology that allows you to use your mobile device to perform a wide variety of functions, from making payments to securing your data. But while it’s a good idea to make use of NFC, you may want to think twice before getting too excited.
Getting a slick NFC device isn’t cheap, and cloning it could end up costing you in the long run. Plus, you won’t have the security benefits of the original, such as an anti-tamper device.
The best way to go about it is to implement a site-specific policy. One way to do that is to set a limit on the number of cards you allow someone to have on their account. That number should be determined by the site’s goals.
A NFC business card is a great way to share your contact information. Not only can they be used to establish social networking connections, they also allow for direct access to certain websites.
You may be thinking that NFC can only be used in a limited number of places. While that’s true in some instances, it’s not true in others. Whether you’re a retail store or an office, you can still leverage the technology to help you communicate with your customers.
NFC is also a good fit for cell phone transactions. It’s a great way to get more done in less time. With this in mind, it’s a good idea to pair it with the document-specific – or at least the corresponding – best practices.
For instance, you could create a two-factor authentication solution with a smartphone and an NFC-compatible key fob. If you choose to do this, though, you should make sure to use the best encryption method.