NFC stickers are becoming widely used for promotional purposes, product identification, and for personal use.
NFC Stickers for promotional purposes
If you paste NFC stickers behind the poster, they make it interactive. When a user scans a certain part of a poster, the sticker will open the programmed URL address on a user phone and the user will get access to additional presentation content on their phone.
You can place multiple NFC stickers on the same poster and different parts of the poster will trigger different actions. These areas can be explained and marked on the printed side of the poster with a call-to action text like “Tap here for video presentation,” “Scan here for Ordering the product,” “Scan a tag for technical details,” etc.
With such an interactive poster you can:
- guide the customer to your YouTube or other video presentations,
- trigger a navigation to your address,
- open a URL link with additional promotional content
- display the product data as text on client mobile phone (product ID, date of purchase, warranty, etc.)
- open a mobile application or a download link to Google Play or another App Store
- automatically dial a phone number or open a pre-written SMS
- report the location (Latitude and Longitude)
- open a Street View at certain coordinates
- add your contact details to your client’s phone
- configure a Wi-Fi network or a Bluetooth connection
- add a Social Network link
- search for product with a specific platform (Amazon, AOL, Baidu, eBay, Google, IMDb, Wikipedia, YouTube, etc.)
- add a Bitcoin address for donations or other payments
- or just use a chip ID to trigger some customized actions.
These are standard NFC features, and to trigger them is a simple enough scan. Special NFC software on user phones is not needed.
The most common features like opening an URL, dialing a number, etc., are working well even on different platforms like Android and iPhones. Some features like the navigation can be related to a specific Android app and do not work the same on an iPhone. Unification of commands between manufacturers is still ongoing and evolving.
The programmed chip can be locked with a password, and the chip cannot be preprogrammed by other unauthorized users. The data retention time for these chips is 10 years.
NFC Stickers for product identification
NFC stickers are often used for product identification. They are suitable to use on products that are made from non-metallic materials, they are big enough to carry NFC stickers, and they cost much more than a sticker.
Since NFC chips are operating at a proximity range of up to 5 cm, the sticker has to be properly embedded in the product.
The NTAG213 chip contains a 7 byte-long unique ID number which can be used as Product ID Number, and has a memory of 144 bytes that allows us to store 136 characters of data like:
“ID: FRE123456789DE; Prod_Date:12.3.2021; Lot_No.:SI234543FT988G; Key_Parameters:15-A3-45-23-FE-67-54; Service_Date:12.9.2021; Status: OK”
When writing custom data to a NFC chip, you may use a custom key and the content will be hidden from non-authorized users.
NFC chips can be used also for proof of ownership of sporting equipment. The manufacturer can use an ID chip for manufacturing purposes and product tracking, the user can store and lock an ownership data like:
“This windsurf belongs to John Deep, 2803 Pike Street, San Diego, California, 92123, USA. If found, please call +1 858-597-5073”
The chip ID is always easily readable with many NFC applications, and is visible to the public. The ID is usually used as an identifier which connects the product to the other information inside the manufacturer database.
NFC Stickers for personal use
You can use an NFC sticker even for your personal use to simplify some routine tasks or help impaired persons.
Beside the universal functions like “Call my Dad,” send a pre-written SMS, or start a navigation to Home, you can trigger special tasks which work only with specific NFC task apps. Check your app store, there are a lot of free NFC task apps and more complex paid ones as well.
The NFC tasks are linked to the chip ID and they can:
- Enable/Disable my Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, open VPN connection,
- Play media, start microphone recording,
- Show an image, set brightness
- Launch an app . . .
- Launch vocal command . . .
- Dial a number, compose an SMS, enable speaker . . .
- Tasks to manipulate files and directories
- Tasks like compose and email, compose a tweet, enable flashlight, telling time, rolling some dice
- Enable Airplane mode, GPS, NFC, mobile data
- Reboot, shutdown . . . .
Reading test for a 35 mm size NFC sticker with a NTAG213 chip
We tested these stickers with different kinds of readers and measured the reading distances. This is not an official test, but was made to inform you about what reading distances you may expect with your application.
The reading distance between the RFID card and the reader is affected by many different factors, like the size of the antennas and quality of the chips, the interferences of metal, and electromagnetic signals, etc.
Technical specification for 35 mm size NFC sticker with a NTAG213 chip
NFC chip: NTAG213 (NFC Type 2)
Chip manufacturer: NXP Semiconductors
Protocol: ISO/IEC 14443 Type A.
Data Retention time: 10 years
Frequency: 13.56 MHz
Reading distance: up to 10 cm (usually up to 5 cm)
Dimensions: round, diameter 35 mm
Thickness: 0.25±0.04mm
Material: Plastic, PET
These NFC stickers are not suitable for mounting on metallic materials. If you need to paste your stickers on metal, check
our products with anti-metal protection.
Technical documentation for chips NTAG213 and software tools are available here:
https://www.nxp.com/products/rfid-nfc/nfc-hf/ntag-for-tags-labels/ntag-213-215-216-nfc-forum-type-2-tag-compliant-ic-with-144-504-888-bytes-user-memory:NTAG213_215_216
If you need a larger quantity or you are a reseller/integrator do not hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to help you.