NFC 是Near Field Communication的首字母缩写词，通常在指代现代智能手机和平板电脑时使用。NFC是什么意思，NFC有什么作用？许多人购买昂贵的智能手机，它们都配备了NFC，但他们不知道NFC是什么或如何使用它。如果您想了解有关NFC、支持NFC的设备、NFC标签和NFC阅读器的更多信息，请继续阅读：
什么是NFC？NFC 是什么意思？
NFC代表近场通信(Near Field Communication)，本质上，它是一组近距离、低功耗的无线通信标准。NFC允许电子设备使用(NFC)蓝牙(Bluetooth)或WiFi等互补技术相互建立双向无线电通信。NFC是一种无线技术，可在另一个支持(NFC)NFC的设备几厘米的范围内工作。
NFC 是如何工作的？
NFC通过触摸两个设备或将它们彼此靠近 4 英寸或 10 厘米的距离来工作。
您可能听说过RFID或射频识别(Radio-Frequency Identification)。RFID标签最广泛的用途是在信用卡中。如果你的信用卡支持非接触式支付，那是因为它里面有一个RFID标签，零售店可以读取上面的信息来向你收费。
(Contactless)带有RFID的(RFID)非接触式卡。荷兰国际集团(ING Nederlands)摄
NFC是一种类似于RFID的技术，但关键区别在于，虽然RFID芯片只能读取，但NFC还允许您的设备从其他支持(NFC)NFC的设备传输和接收信息。因此，虽然NFC和RFID很相似，但它们并不是一回事。
当您配对两个启用NFC的设备时，NFC可以使用(NFC)蓝牙(Bluetooth)自动连接它们，然后开始在它们之间传输信息。某些设备（例如三星 Galaxy(Samsung Galaxy)智能手机）也可以使用NFC在您的设备之间自动启动Direct WiFi连接。与蓝牙(Bluetooth)相比，WiFi Direct要快得多。
NFC 在我的手机上有何作用？
NFC有很多用途，最常见的有以下几种：
- 在智能手机之间传输联系人和网页- 使用(Transfer contacts and web pages between your smartphones)NFC在智能手机之间即时传输联系人和网页。这是在两部智能手机之间传输此类数据的快速方法。
- 使用智能手机进行非接触式支付(Contactless payments with your smartphone)——您可以使用支持NFC的智能手机进行快速支付，就像使用信用卡一样。谷歌(Google)和苹果(Apple)都通过他们的移动钱包(Wallet)应用程序提供NFC支付解决方案。在这些应用程序中，您可以存储您的信用卡信息，然后使用您的智能手机而不是信用卡付款。付款过程因此更快。
- 将您的智能手机与其他消费电子设备配对(Pair your smartphone with other consumer electronic devices)- NFC可用于将您的 iPhone 或 Android 智能手机与同样具有NFC的耳机、便携式扬声器、媒体播放器或游戏控制器配对。
- 将您的智能手机与您的汽车配对(Pair your smartphone with your car)——NFC也得到汽车制造商的广泛采用，因为该技术可以让用户将他们的智能设备快速连接到他们的汽车多媒体系统。BMW或Mercedes等公司已将NFC添加到其新车型中。
- 从智能手机或向智能手机传输文件(Transfer files from or to your smartphone)- NFC 可用于自动完成启用、配对和建立蓝牙(Bluetooth)或直接 WiFi(Direct WiFi)连接的步骤，以在两个支持 NFC 的智能手机之间执行文件传输，也可以从智能手机到平板电脑、笔记本电脑，或二合一设备。
在三星 Galaxy(Samsung Galaxy)上启用NFC和非接触式支付
什么是 NFC 标签？
NFC标签是小型、廉价的智能标签，由少量存储内存、无线电芯片和小型天线制成。它们是非常薄的设备，可以插入小塑料盒中，甚至可以粘在纸或传单上。NFC标签不需要电池即可运行：它们从支持NFC的设备获取电力，您可以通过感应方式轻触或靠近它们。
三星(Samsung)制造的智能NFC标签（Galaxy Smart Tag）
什么是 NFC 标签阅读器？
您猜对了， NFC(NFC)标签可以通过NFC标签阅读器读取。NFC标签阅读器是支持NFC的设备，可以读取存储在NFC标签上的信息。最常见的NFC读取器是智能手机。通常，Android设备默认可以读取（也可以写入）NFC标签，因为操作系统知道如何使用该技术。另一方面，只有较新的 iPhone 可以直接执行此操作，因为Apple没有使用让 iOS 自动读取旧 iPhone 上的NFC标签。我们将在本文后面更详细地讨论这个主题。
NFC 还用在什么地方？
还有其他用途目前尚未广泛使用，但某些公司提供。最有趣的一项是NFC可用于访问和安全检查：例如，您可以使用NFC设备（例如智能手机）来验证您的身份并访问您的办公楼。一些公司和大学也在使用支持NFC的设备作为安全徽章。此外，西班牙的 Iberia 航空公司等公司允许旅客(Spain)将(Iberia airlines)登机牌存储在支持 NFC 的手机上。同样，苏格兰铁路运营商Rambus允许您使用支持 NFC 的智能手机支付火车票。
(NFC)公共交通工具中的NFC读取器
NFC危险吗？NFC应该打开还是关闭？
这项技术的唯一主要缺点是它不提供任何安全性或保护，除了只能在非常近的范围（几英寸或几厘米）内进行通信之外。NFC容易受到各种攻击，从窃听到数据修改。完整的漏洞列表记录在Wikipedia：NFC Vulnerabilities上。因此，虽然NFC本身并不危险，但我们建议您将其关闭，仅在需要时启用NFC 。
我的Android智能手机上有 NFC 吗？
并非所有Android智能手机都提供NFC，至少不是便宜的型号。要判断您的Android智能手机上是否有NFC，请先打开设置(Settings)。然后，使用搜索字段查找NFC。它通常位于“无线和网络(Wireless & networks)”类别（或三星 Galaxy智能手机上的“(Samsung Galaxy)连接(Connections)”类别）、蓝牙(Bluetooth)下方的某个位置或“更多连接(More connections)”部分中。如果你得到一个名为NFC的搜索结果，那么你的智能手机上有 NFC。点击NFC搜索结果，然后在下一个屏幕上打开NFC开关以启用它。
在Android智能手机上启用NFC
如果您想了解更多信息，请了解如何在 Android 上启用和使用 NFC(NFC on Android)。
我的 iPhone 上有 NFC 吗？
许多 iPhone 确实有NFC，但其中一些没有，还有一些不能使用NFC的所有好处，因为Apple选择不在其智能手机中包含其所有功能：
- 如果您使用的是 iPhone 5、5s、5c 或更早版本，则您没有NFC；
- 如果您有 iPhone 6、6 Plus 或iPhone SE，您有 NFC，但仅用于支付，使用Apple Pay；
- 如果您拥有 iPhone 7、iPhone 8、iPhone X、iPhone SE 2nd Gen、iPhone 11 或 iPhone 12，则您可以使用NFC进行支付，并且您还可以读取NFC标签，但前提是您使用的是 iOS 11 或更高版本。如果您有 iOS 14 或更高版本，您还可以使用第三方应用程序编写NFC标签。(NFC)
具有 NFC 的 iPhone（SE 第 2 代）
点击此链接可获取有关 iPhone NFC 的(information about iPhones’ NFC)更多详细信息。
最后的话：谁制造了 NFC，什么时候制造的？
索尼(Sony)、飞利浦(Philips)和诺基亚(Nokia)发明了这项技术。第一款配备NFC的手机是诺基亚 6131(Nokia 6131)，于 2006 年发布。第一款配备NFC的(NFC)Android智能手机是Nexus S，于 2010 年发布。
目前已有数百家公司采用了这项技术，并广泛应用于智能手机、平板电脑、个人电脑、便携式扬声器甚至汽车等各种设备。该技术及其标准的发展由非营利性行业协会NFC 论坛管理。(NFC Forum)该论坛有 100 多名成员，其中包括技术领域的大多数知名公司，包括英特尔(Intel)、微软(Microsoft)和谷歌(Google)。所有主要的手机制造商也是会员。
您如何使用 NFC？
如您所见，NFC是一项很有前途的技术，可用于许多方面。它在各种移动设备，尤其是智能手机中的日益普及，只会在未来增加其重要性。您是否使用NFC在智能手机之间发送数据、连接到便携式扬声器或执行其他任务？您是否(Did)仅仅因为获得了“什么是NFC ”而阅读了我们的指南？MCQ（多项选择题(Multiple Choice Question)）考试？请在下面的评论部分告诉我们，并分享您使用NFC的经验，以及您可能对NFC有任何疑问。(NFC)
What is NFC? How to use NFC -
NFС is an acronym for Near Field Communication, and it’s often used when referring to modern smartphones and tablets. What does NFC mean, and what does NFC do? Many people buy expensive smartphones, which all have NFC on them, but they have no idea what NFC is or how they can use it. If you would like to learn more about NFC, NFC-enabled devices, NFC tags, and NFC readers, read on:
What is NFC? What does NFC mean?
NFC stands for Near Field Communication, and, essentially, it’s a set of close-range, low-power wireless communication standards. NFC allows electronic devices to establish two-way radio communication with each other, using complementary technologies such as Bluetooth or WiFi. NFC is a wireless technology that will work within a few centimeters of another NFC-enabled device.
How does NFC work?
NFC works by touching two devices or placing them close to each other at distances that are less than 4 inches or 10 centimeters.
You have probably heard about RFID or Radio-Frequency Identification. The most widespread use of RFID tags is in credit cards. If your credit card supports contactless payment, that’s because it has an RFID tag in it, and retail stores can read the information on it to charge you.
Contactless card with RFID. Photo by ING Nederlands
NFC is a technology similar to RFID, but with the crucial difference that, while RFID chips can only be read, NFC also lets your device transmit and receive information from other NFC-enabled devices. Therefore, while NFC and RFID are similar, they are not the same thing.
When you pair two NFC-enabled devices, NFC can automatically connect them using Bluetooth and then start transferring information between them. Some devices, like Samsung Galaxy smartphones, can also use NFC to initiate a Direct WiFi connection between your devices automatically. Compared to Bluetooth, WiFi Direct is much faster.
What does NFC do on my phone?
NFC has many uses, and the most common are the following:
- Transfer contacts and web pages between your smartphones - instant transfer of contacts and web pages between smartphones with NFC. It is a quick way to transfer such data between two smartphones.
- Contactless payments with your smartphone - you can use your NFC-enabled smartphone to perform quick payments, just like you would with a credit card. Both Google and Apple provide NFC payment solutions through their mobile Wallet apps. In these apps, you can store your credit card information and then make payments with your smartphone instead of your credit card. The payment process is thus faster.
- Pair your smartphone with other consumer electronic devices - NFC can be used to pair your iPhone or your Android smartphones with headsets, portable speakers, media players, or game controllers that also have NFC.
- Pair your smartphone with your car - NFC is also getting great adoption from car manufacturers because this technology can allow users to connect their smart devices to their car multimedia system quickly. Companies such as BMW or Mercedes have added NFC to their new car models.
- Transfer files from or to your smartphone - NFC can be used to automatically complete the steps of enabling, pairing, and establishing Bluetooth or Direct WiFi connections to perform file transfers between two NFC-enabled smartphones, but also from your smartphone to your tablet, laptop, or 2-in-1 device.
Enabling NFC and contactless payments on a Samsung Galaxy
What is an NFC tag?
NFC tags are small, inexpensive, smart tags made with a tiny amount of storage memory, a radio chip, and a small antenna. They are very thin devices that can be inserted into small plastic cases or even stuck to a paper or a flyer. NFC tags don’t need batteries to run: they draw their power from NFC-enabled devices that you tap or keep close to them using induction.
A smart NFC tag made by Samsung (Galaxy Smart Tag)
What is an NFC tag reader?
NFC tags can be read with, you guessed, an NFC tag reader. NFC tag readers are NFC-enabled devices that can read the information stored on an NFC tag. The most common NFC readers are smartphones. Usually, Android devices can read (and also write) NFC tags by default, as the operating system knows how to work with this technology. On the other hand, only newer iPhones can do that directly, as Apple didn’t use to let iOS automatically read NFC tags on older iPhones. We’re touching on this subject in more detail later in this article.
Where else is NFC used?
There are also other uses that are not widespread at this point but are made available by some companies. One of the most interesting is that NFC can be used for access and security checks: you can use NFC devices, such as your smartphone, to validate your identity and get access to your office building, for example. Several companies and universities are also using NFC-enabled devices as security badges. Also, companies like Iberia airlines in Spain allow travelers to store their boarding passes on their NFC-enabled phones. Similarly, the Scottish railway operator Rambus lets you pay for your train tickets using NFC-enabled smartphones.
NFC reader in a public transport vehicle
Is NFC dangerous? Should NFC be on or off?
The only major downside of this technology is that it does not provide any security or protection outside the fact that communication can be done only within a very close range (of a few inches or centimeters). NFC is vulnerable to all kinds of attacks, from eavesdropping to data modification. A complete list of vulnerabilities was documented on Wikipedia: NFC Vulnerabilities. So, while NFC is not dangerous by itself, we do recommend you to keep it off and only enable NFC when you need it.
Do I have NFC on my Android smartphone?
Not all Android smartphones have NFC available, at least not the cheaper models. To tell whether you have NFC on your Android smartphone, first open the Settings. Then, use the search field to look for NFC. It is usually found in the Wireless & networks category (or the Connections category on Samsung Galaxy smartphones), somewhere beneath Bluetooth, or in a More connections section. If you get a search result named NFC, then you have NFC on your smartphone. Tap on the NFC search result and, on the next screen, turn the NFC switch on to enable it.
Enabling NFC on an Android smartphone
If you want to know more, learn how to enable and use NFC on Android.
Do I have NFC on my iPhone?
Many iPhones do have NFC, but some of them don’t, and some just can’t use all the benefits of NFC because Apple chose not to include all its features on its smartphones:
- If you have an iPhone 5, 5s, 5c, or previous, you do not have NFC;
- If you have an iPhone 6, 6 Plus, or iPhone SE, you have NFC but only for payments, using Apple Pay;
- If you have an iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone X, iPhone SE 2nd Gen, iPhone 11, or iPhone 12, you have NFC for payments, and you can also read NFC tags, but only if you are using iOS 11 or newer. If you have iOS 14 or newer, you can also write NFC tags using third-party apps.
An iPhone (SE 2nd Gen) that has NFC
Follow this link to get more detailed information about iPhones’ NFC.
Final words: Who made NFC and when?
Sony, Philips, and Nokia invented this technology. The first phone with NFC was Nokia 6131, and it was released in 2006. The first Android smartphone with NFC was the Nexus S, and it was released in 2010.
Hundreds of companies have now adopted this technology, and it is widely used in all kinds of devices like smartphones, tablets, PCs, portable speakers, and even cars. The evolution of this technology and its standard is managed by the NFC Forum - a non-profit industry association. This forum has more than 100 members, and it includes most of the prominent companies in the world of technology, including Intel, Microsoft, and Google. All the major mobile manufacturers are also members.
How do you use NFC?
As you can see, NFC is a promising technology that can be used for many things. Its growing adoption in all kinds of mobile devices, especially smartphones, will only increase its importance in the future. Are you using NFC to send data between your smartphones, connect to your portable speakers, or other tasks? Did you get to our guide simply because you got a “what is NFC?” MCQ (Multiple Choice Question) on an exam? Let us know, and share your experience with NFC, as well as any questions you might have about NFC, in the comments section below.
