NFC

Definition
NFC is a technology standard for very-short-range wireless connectivity that enables quick, secure two-way interactions among electronic devices.

Description
NFC technology typically takes the form of a small chip embedded in a phone or a plastic card (like a credit card). The phone or card is simply placed on or very near a reader device (such as a pad on a debit card terminal, kiosk machine, or turnstile) - or another portable NFC device - to initiate a transaction.

NFC has a very short range (typically 1-2 inches). Therefore while it is called a "contactless" technology, the range is short enough that the phone or card usually must be "tapped" against the reader device for the transaction to occur reliably.

Specific examples
NFC is used most often for financial transactions, as a replacement for swiping or inserting a plastic card. In this way it can function as a credit card, debit card, transit pass, or any type of stored-value card.

It can also be used for authentication, such as an employee ID to grant entry to buildings

Additional contributions
NFC can also be used to simplify secure setup of longer-range wireless protocols. In this scenario, touching two NFC devices together might pair them for Bluetooth, or authenticate a device for a Wi-Fi network. The fact that the two devices must (almost) touch acts as physical permission, replacing a password or other manual authentication normally required.


 * Contributor: Onashabay Nurzhan **

media type="youtube" key="066ihbHuQeE" width="672" height="377" align="center" Video describing how NFC works
 * NFC is used in recently introduced system from Apple - Apple Pay. This is a mobile payments and digital wallet service that gives users opportunity to make payments It is compatible with work with Visa's PayWave, MasterCard's PayPass, and American Express's ExpressPay terminals. It could be used to make payments in some shops: Apple Store, McDonald's, Subway, Target Macy's and hundreds of banks.

Resources
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