RFIDNFCgebruikerskaarten

RFID, or radio-frequency identification, describes systems that use electromagnetic fields to identify and track tagged objects without direct line of sight. Tags can be passive, drawing power from a reader’s signal, or active, containing their own battery. Near-field communication, NFC, is a specialized subset of RFID intended for close-range, two-way communication. NFC commonly operates at 13.56 MHz and adheres to standards such as ISO/IEC 14443 and related specifications, enabling mutual data exchange between devices and tags.

Applications of RFID and NFC span retail, logistics, asset management, access control, libraries, and public transport. RFID is widely used for inventory counting and anti-theft tagging, while NFC enables contactless payments, ticketing, and simple device pairing. In many settings, NFC is used to initiate a secure session with a tag or reader, after which data can be read, modified, or a transaction completed.

Benefits include rapid, non-contact data transfer, improved accuracy, and automation of processes. Limitations involve variable read ranges, environmental interference, tag cost, and potential battery dependency for active tags. Privacy and security concerns arise from possible data leakage, cloning, or unauthorized access, prompting the use of encryption, authentication, and secure elements in devices.

Standards and interoperability are maintained by organizations such as ISO/IEC, the NFC Forum, and various industry consortia. Common formats include ISO/IEC 14443 for contactless cards and ISO/IEC 15693 for vicinity tags, with NFC refining that space for consumer devices. Deployment considerations include tag material compatibility, read-write permissions, and data governance.