NFC functions similarly to RFID, but it is more up-close-and-personal wireless. Unlike RFID, which can be used long distances, NFC scanners have a maximum range of roughly 4 inches or 10 centimeters. Because of their limited range, NFC scanners are unsuitable for RFID-style inventory monitoring. As a result, NFC tags are employed in numerous applications where the ability to communicate a few bits of digital information swiftly is useful.

NFC readers, unlike RFID readers, are not usually specialist equipment. In reality, NFC chips are often integrated directly into the circuitry of your smartphone with NFC clear tags. At your local shop, similar technology is implanted at the point of sale, and you could also choose to have white NFC tags. To pay, log in to your phone, authorize the transaction, and bring the phone near the NFC scanner at the checkout.

However, NFC can do more than just let you pay for products. A smart tag, for example, may be inserted in a campaign flyer. When you tap the tag on your device, you are sent to a webpage that touts a candidate’s credentials. At the same moment, you will get an immediate biography in the form of a text file and a picture.

Alternatively, at your favorite restaurants, touch your phone to an NFC-tagged menu, and you will get the whole menu on your phone, along with nutritional information and mouth-watering descriptions of the components in your favorite meals. If the reader was connected to a payment system such as Apple Pay or Google Pay, you could also pay for products without inputting your credit card information.

To make use of the versatility of near-field communication, you must have the necessary hardware and software. For most of us, it is our smartphone or wristwatch, as well as the applications we put on it.

Below is an infographic from NFC Tagify to know the pros and cons of NFC Tags.