NFC (Near Field Communication) is a short-range wireless technology that enables simple and secure communication between electronic devices. In 2004, Nokia, Philips, and Sony established the NFC Forum, which defines NFC tag types with different communication speeds and capabilities, including memory capacity, security features, data retention, and write endurance. This guide covers NFC tag Types 2, 3, 4, and 5, as well as legacy Type 1 tags.
The NFC Type 1 tag is based on theISO/IEC 14443A standard. Among the five NFC Forum tag types, Type 1 is one of the simplest options, offering limited memory capacity and a relatively slower data transfer rate. Type 1 remains relevant when identifying older products, although its features were removed from the NFC Forum Technical Specification Release 2021. The typical Tag Type 1 IC is Innovision Topaz 512 and the applications for Tag Type 1 normally are One-time provisioning or Read-only applications etc.
The NFC Type 2 tag is based on the ISO14443A standard. NFC Tag Type 2 tag is a more cost-effective choice as it provides enough functionality at the right price to meet market needs. The Type 2 tag is read & re-write capable and users can configure the tag to become read-only. The typical Tag Type 2 IC are NXP® Ntag series ( NTAG424 DNA is an exception and is classified as Type 4. ) and MIFARE® ULTRALIGHT series. The applications for Tag Type 2 normally are Low-value transactions or event RFID tickets etc.
The Type 3 tag is based on the Sony FeliCa system, which is a Japanese innovation and mainly used in Asia. This is a complex tag that provides a wide range of functionality but also comes with higher pricing. The typical Tag Type 3 IC is SONY Felica Lite-S and the applications for Tag Type 3 normally are transit tickets, e-money, electronic ID etc.
NFC Forum Type 4 tags are designed for compatibility with ISO/IEC 14443A and ISO/IEC 14443B standards and support ISO/IEC 7816 based command structures. Security features such as cryptographic functions and access controls depend on the specific chip and its configuration. These NFC IC are pre-configured at manufacture and they can be either read / re-writable or read-only, also it allows for self-modification of NDEF content. The typical Tag Type 4 IC are NXP® DESFire series and the applications for Tag Type 4 normally are payment and security.
The latest NFC Type 5 specification was released in 2015, which is based on the RFID technology defined by the ISO/IEC 15693 specification. ISO/IEC 15693 specification was originally developed to enable a longer RF operational range that up to 1.5 meters. NFC Forum chose to support Active Communication mode that allows data transfer performance similar to the RFID technologies that supported by NFC Forum, but limits the reading distance at NFC devices. The typical Tag Type 5 IC are NXP® ICODE series and ST25TV series by STMicroelectronics. The applications for Tag Type 5 normally are library books, packaging, and ticketing, etc.
