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What is NFC & RFID?

NFC (Near Field Communication) and RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) are wireless communication technologies that enable the exchange of data over short distances.

NFC is a type of RFID technology that operates at a frequency of 13.56 MHz and allows for the exchange of data between devices that are in close proximity to each other, typically less than 4 cm. It is commonly used for mobile payments, digital identity, access control and end user facing applications like a digital business card.

RFID is a technology that uses radio waves to communicate between a reader and a tag that is attached to an object. RFID tags can be passive (powered by the reader) or active (powered by a battery) and can be read from a greater distance than NFC tags. RFID technology is commonly used in inventory management, supply chain management, and asset tracking.

NFC Reading and Writing

The NFC reading and writing feature of NFC.cool Tools allows you to scan and decode NFC tags using your iPhone's NFC module.

NFC tags are small, wireless chips that can store a variety of information, such as text, links, business cards and other data.

The app decodes the information contained within the NFC tags and displays it on the screen for you to view, making it easy to quickly access the information stored on the tags. This feature is useful for a variety of purposes, such as quickly sharing a link, accessing product information or sharing your contact details.

NFC Tag Types

The NFC tag landscape is diverse and constantly evolving. There are a wide range of NFC tag types available, each with its own unique features and capabilities. The following tag types are supported by NFC.cool Tools:

  • NFC Tag Type 1 is a standardized format for NFC tags. It uses the ISO/IEC 14443-2 Type A protocol and is based on the NXP MIFARE Ultralight© chip.
  • NFC Tag Type 2 is a standardized format for NFC tags. It uses the ISO/IEC 14443-2 Type A protocol and is based on the NXP MIFARE Classic© chip.
  • NFC Tag Type 4 is a standardized format for NFC tags. It uses the ISO/IEC 14443-4 protocol and is based on the NXP MIFARE DESFire© chip.
  • NFC Tag Type 5 is a standardized format for NFC tags. It uses the ISO/IEC 15693 protocol and is based on the NXP ICODE© chip.

For your convenience, you can buy NFC tags through our Amazon affiliate links.

For more information please read our blog post about NFC Tags

NDEF Messages

NDEF (NFC Data Exchange Format) is a standardized format for storing and exchanging data over NFC (Near Field Communication) connections. A NDEF message is a data structure that can be used to store and transfer a variety of different types of information, such as URLs, text, and other types of binary data. There are many different types of NDEF message types, including:

  • Business Card: A vCard is an electronic business card that can be used to exchange contact information. For more information you can read our blog post about NFC Business Cards
  • Weblink: A Weblink NDEF message can be used to encode a URL.
  • Wi-Fi: A Wi-Fi NDEF message can be used to encode Wi-Fi network information. This message can then be shared with colleague and friends to quickly connect to your Wi-Fi network by simply tapping the NFC tag.
  • Location: A location NDEF message can be used to encode geographic coordinates and transfer them over NFC. This can be used to quickly and easily share location information with others.
  • Text: A text NDEF message can be used to encode a short piece of text and transfer it over NFC. This can be used to quickly and easily share information with others.
  • Telephone Number: A telephone number NDEF message can be used to encode a phone number and transfer it over NFC. This can be used to quickly and easily share contact information with others.
  • SMS: An SMS NDEF message can be used to encode a short message and transfer it over NFC. This can be used to quickly and easily send messages to others.
  • E-Mail: An e-mail NDEF message can be used to encode an e-mail and transfer it over NFC. This can be used to quickly and easily share an e-mail address with a predefined message.
  • Whatsapp: A Whatsapp message can be used to store a phone number and a message. This can be used to quickly message someone a predefined message over Whatsapp.
  • Telegram: A Telegram message can be used to store a phone number and a message. This can be used to quickly message someone a predefined message over Telegram.
  • Instagram: An Instagram message can be used to share your profile name with friends.

NDEF Formatting

NFC tags come in different varieties and shapes and often they are not formatted for the use of NDEF messages. The NDEF formatting feature of NFC.cool Tools allows you to easily format NFC tags to store NDEF data on them.

You can find the feature in the NFC Expert functions on the NFC tab in the app.