Contactless payment module or what is NFC technology in a phone? NFC technology in smartphones and its practical use Capacity of nfc services.

All current Android smartphones have the top line of the screen literally crammed with all sorts of symbols. Many of them are understandable, familiar and even useful: the notification panel informs you about new email messages, file downloads, availability and quality of telephone and WiFi networks, battery level, etc. However, sometimes a mysterious letter N appears there, causing some suspicious users to feel a little uneasy.

In this article, we will talk about the function that is indicated in Android devices by this very letter N, as well as how to disable it, and why you can do it right now.

• What does the N symbol stand for, and what is NFC?

On panel android notifications an intricately designed letter N appears as a sign that the smartphone (or tablet) has turned on the NFC module. NFC - Near Field Communication - is a technology by which two nearby mobile devices can exchange data (sorry for such a simplified definition).

You have probably heard about this technology and even seen it in action. In developed democracies, NFC is used everywhere: for example, in mobile payment systems (of the most famous in our country - Android Pay and Samsung Pay) is when you can directly from your smartphone, smart bracelets and other smart devices. In addition, through NFC you can also any other data from one smartphone to another.

• How to disable NFC in Android smartphone(and remove the N icon from the notification bar)?

With this, everything is simple. Most likely in your Android you will find the option to disable NFC right in the quick settings menu. That is, we swipe down the screen, and in the drop-down menu, somewhere next to the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth symbols, we find an icon in the form of the same letter N, as in the notification panel, with a signature next to it and, if the function is active, tap on it to turn it off.

If in quick settings you did not find the letter N of your smartphone, then open the usual settings, then press " More… " In chapter " Wireless networks "and in the subsection" File and data transfer » set the NFC option switch to the « Off “, after which the N symbol will disappear from the notification panel.

• Disable or not disable NFC?

Frankly speaking, at present there is practically no real benefit from NFC for the vast majority of Android users. Well, as we have already said, pictures or other files can be transferred from one smartphone to another. Contactless mobile payment systems are not yet so popular among the population, and there is such a suspicion that they will not be used for quite a long time. The aforementioned Android Pay and Samsung Pay, despite their very successful debut in the States, will not get to our region soon.

So, if you are not currently in an American store, then you can safely cut down NFC function on your Android smartphone and thus save battery power.

Hello everyone, today we will consider what NFC is. This technology has appeared in smartphones for a long time, but many users undeservedly deprive it of attention. Why is it needed? What can she do and where is NFC used? All these questions will be answered in this article. First, let's figure out what this strange abbreviation NFC means. It stands for Near field communication, which translates as near field communication or near non-contact communication.

The distance at which the NFS technology works does not exceed 10 centimeters. BUT maximum speed transmission is only 424 kbps. The central frequency of NFC is 13.56 MHz. The technology has been developed since 2004, and the first specification of the standard was approved in 2006. And at the same time, the first NFC-enabled device came out - Nokia 6131.

In a nutshell, the principle of NFC technology can be described as follows. Each device has an induction coil that generates an electromagnetic field. On another device there is another similar coil, in which, under the influence of the field of the first coil, electricity arises, which is subsequently converted into a signal. Devices in turn generate electromagnetic fields and exchange them. This mode of operation is called active. And there is also a passive mode, this is when only one device generates an electromagnetic field. This is how cards or RFID tags work.

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 transfer technology android data Bin 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.

The second application of NFC, which has become increasingly popular, is contactless payments. On the this moment a number of banks and electronic wallets learned how 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. Apparently a smartphone 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 rigged 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.

In addition to payments, NFC allows you to quickly pair with peripherals. Can be connected to your smartphone in seconds bluetooth headphones, speaker or even TV. 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. The first thing that comes to mind is a door lock with an NFC chip that can be opened from a smartphone, which is very convenient. You can also use the NFC ring for this.

You simply program the necessary action algorithm 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.

NFC technology allows high-frequency wireless communication over short distances. Equipped with NFC modules a large number of modern devices- First of all, the technology is focused on tablets and smartphones. In this article, we will look at what NFC is in a smartphone, how NFC technology works, what advantages it has, and what is the range of its application.

The abbreviation NFC stands for Near Field Communication. The technology is based on the principle of radio signal exchange 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.

How it works?

Let's try to figure out how NFC works in a smartphone. Two devices communicate with each other when they touch - for example, to pair two smartphones, you just need to put them together.

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.

NFC operating modes

NFS in a smartphone can work in two modes:

• Active mode - both devices transmit information in turn, while both devices must have a power source.
• Passive mode - the initiator of the data transmission session, by modulating its field, provides the carrier field and the response of the second device - it uses the power of the field of the first device for data transmission.

Passive mode allows you to create devices that do not need their own battery - for example, a small mark the size of a penny coin or even smaller can effectively interact with another device on short distances- just bring them closer and the data transfer process will start on its own.

Benefits of NFC Technology

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

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 - you can transfer a payment to the interlocutor, add him to "friends" or start a session of a joint multiplayer game.

Prospects for NFC

NFC as a communication technology has a wide range of applications that can be constantly expanded. So, through NFC, you can implement such contactless technologies as access control to the premises, payments using mobile phone- including in public transport and shops, various solutions in the field consumer electronics, health care, information exchange programs and so on.

Great opportunities open up in the field of e-commerce - an NFC device can act as a wallet, travel ticket, boarding pass, discount coupon, and so on. NFC tags in stores allow you to instantly get additional information about the product and other stores with such goods. An NFC tag can be installed in a museum, gallery or exhibition hall - when you read the tag, you will receive information about the object.

Initially, Near Field Communication technology ( NFC) has gained maximum distribution as a technology for making contactless payments. You can use a smart card with an embedded NFC chip as a public transport ticket, as a payment card in retail establishments, as a smart business card or as a contactless key card.

However, in recent years, this technology has been increasingly used in devices such as smartphones and tablets: almost all major manufacturers have begun to equip their models with medium and high level NFC adapters.

What is NFC?

If we translate the name of the Near Field Communication technology from English, we get the phrase "near field communication", which can be deciphered into ordinary language as wireless connection over short distances. Thus, we see that two NFC-enabled devices can communicate with each other when they are nearby. And indeed - the "range" of NFC is only a few centimeters.

AT mobile devices NFC technology can be used for various purposes. You can, for example, turn your phone into a virtual bank card, use it as a pass to the pool or to the enterprise. You can also quickly share files and links, and even, using special applications, read and write information to programmable NFC tags or NFC smart cards.

In the operating room Android system, NFC support appeared in android versions 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich - Its built-in Beam feature allows you to share files between devices.

Why do you need NFC if you already have Bluetooth?

As you remember, NFC is most often used when paying for various goods or services, and in this case, Bluetooth is not quite suitable. Firstly, because of its large range (there is a possibility of interception of your payment data). And secondly, the connection between the two NFC devices, unlike Bluetooth, is almost instantaneous.

Does your device support NFC?

Not all phones and tablets have NFC adapters. Does your tablet have NFC support? How to check if it exists?

Some manufacturers, such as Samsung, place the Near Field Communication logo directly on the battery of their smartphones, while others, such as Sony, place the NFC logo on the device.

However, the easiest way to check for an NFC adapter in your phone or tablet is through its settings menu:

Go to the settings menu of your Android device

In the "Wireless networks" section, click "More ..."

Here you should see the NFC settings items:

NFC activation

If your tablet or phone has an NFC adapter, you need to allow it to be used to exchange data between other NFC devices.

Go to Settings -> Wireless networks -> More...

Check the box "allow data exchange when combining the tablet with another device"

This will automatically turn on Android Beam.

If Android Beam doesn't turn on automatically, just tap on it and choose "Yes" to turn it on.

When Android Beam is disabled, it limits the ability to share NFC data between smartphones or tablets.

Sharing data using NFC

Once you have activated NFC, you can use it to transfer data. For successful data exchange between tablets and phones, please note the following:

Both the sending and receiving devices must have NFC enabled and Android Beam enabled.

None of the devices should be in sleep mode or have a locked screen.

When you bring two devices close enough to each other, you will hear sound signal, indicating that the devices have found each other.

Do not separate the devices until the data transfer is complete and you hear a successful beep.

Data transfer via NFC

Place the back panels of the devices against each other.

Wait until confirmation appears that both devices have found each other and the sender's screen shows "click to send data":

Click on the screen and the data transfer will start:

You will hear an audible confirmation, both at the beginning and at the end of the data transfer.

Application Sharing

With NFC, you cannot share APK files. Instead, the sending device sends the other device a link to this app on Google Play Market, and the recipient opens a page in the Market offering to install it.

Web page sharing

Just like in the previous case, the web page is not transferred from one device to another, but only a link to it is exchanged, which the recipient tablet or phone opens in its web browser.

Exchange youtube video

Again, when sharing a YouTube video, there is no transfer of the file itself - just a second device will open the same video on the YouTube site.

Usage NFC tags.

In addition to sharing information between tablets and phones, you can use your device to read (and write) data from NFC tags and smart cards equipped with an NFC chip.

NFC chips are small enough that they can be embedded anywhere - in business cards, bracelets, product labels, stickers, price tags and other items. They can contain information about a person, a URL, information about a product, and even commands that your phone or tablet will have to execute when you tap these tags.

To read data from NFC tags (or to write information to them), you will, of course, need a special application.

For example, using the Yandex.Metro program, you can find out how many trips are left on a one-time Moscow Metro card, and the NFC App Launcher program will allow you to program your phone or tablet to perform certain actions by placing the relevant information in an NFC tag.

Conclusion

Most of the modern Android phones and tablets are already equipped with NFC adapters, but so far this function has little demand and its use is still limited, mainly by the ability to quickly exchange content and contactless payment services. However, in the future, NFC can penetrate into all areas of our lives, sometimes even completely unexpected ones.