What is the difference between RFID and NFC
Both RFID(radio frequency identification) and NFC (near field communication) adopt radio signals for all sorts of tagging and tracking purposes. Since NFC operates at a High Frequency of 13.56 MHz, which is an extension of RFID High-Frequency standards, the best description for NFC is that a subset of RFID. NFC therefore shares many physical properties with RFID technology, but there is three main difference between them:
1 Reading distance:
RFID tags can be active (the RFID tag are powered and can transmit data) or passive (RFID tag do not have their power source and must be powered by the reader). The reading distance for active RFID tags is up to 100 meters, for passive RFID tags are about up to around 20 meters. The reading distance for NFC tags is limited to a few centimeters.
2 Communications
RFID is capable of one way communication only. NFC is capable of two-way communications, which means an NFC device may act as both a reader or tag. Therefore NFC can be used for more complex interactions such as peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing.
3 Scanning
RFID technology with anti-collision algorithms enables multiple RFID tags can be scanned at once or over a rapid period. Only one NFC tag can be scanned at one time.
