Develop Bugs

Nfc tags for dummies (I'm the dummy)

Hello,I heard great things about nfc tags like put one on door entrance so when you get home,scan phone and it turns on Wi-Fi, increases ringer or whatever your home profile may be. How do I do this? I see tags on eBay....getting my nexus but how easy is it to set up so I can have a sticker at home or car etc..
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+1 I want to know it too

Looks like you might need this app.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.jwsoft.nfcactionlauncher
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

Just got my tags today, got them from tagsfordroid.com. You need to be running Android 4.0.3 to be able to write them.
The tags i got are small discs, like 3 cm diameter, all white with a green android. They are rewritable and i can write to them stuff like text, a URL, a contact card, send an SMS or make a call. With NFC Tasker, i can add actions like turn wifi on, connect to a wifi network, etc.. pretty flexible. You just write the tag and then you can read it back, its basic.

NFC sounds amazing, I have just ordered 10 Stickers. Will test the functionality when they will arrive and maybe when I'm successful, write a small howto.
greets from austria

streilu said:
maybe when I'm successful, write a small howto.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please! x 10

got my tags from tagage.net.
they have a nice starter pack which includes different form factors/sticker types and different memory sizes.
(ask them to NDEF format them for you as this might not be possible with ics < 4.0.3)
the nfc functionality works pretty good as far as I've played around with my tags. reading a tag is more or less instantaneous and if an app is associated with the data type you've put on the tag, this app is launched and the corresponding action, e.g. opening an url, is executed without hardly any waiting time.
for personal use the app NFC Task Launcher is the way to go as you don't want to scan url/sms/text/vCards all the time. With this app you can automate your daily routine, e.g. turning wifi on when you arrive home.
NXP has two apps in the market that are really helpful. NFC TagInfo by NXP is for getting information about a tag (pretty technical) and NFC TagWriter by NXP is (as the name suggests) for writing tags (contact/url/plain text/sms).
If you have any questions regarding nfc feel free to ask. maybe I will write down my personal experience some time in the future.

A lot of good information here. Where to buy tags, how to get the formatted properly, etc.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1359057

Awesome...sounds great, but why do I need 4.03?
This wont work on 4.01??
I might as well wait, not sure how long before my new nexus updates, i think next update is 4.02

nevermind...read up on why , 4.03 allows formatting.
I shall wait

Bigal77 said:
Awesome...sounds great, but why do I need 4.03?
This wont work on 4.01??
I might as well wait, not sure how long before my new nexus updates, i think next update is 4.02
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not just install a custom rom?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Bigal77 said:
nevermind...read up on why , 4.03 allows formatting.
I shall wait
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You can order the tags preformatted as NDEF. Buynfctags will format them for $0.05/pc. I got 5 sticky tokens formatted and shipped for less than $10.00.

I bought 14 tags from tagstand.com. They have a wide variety of tags (as small as 25mm I believe), as well as "outdoor" styled tags. Their prices are competitive ($1.00 USD/ea), and they have an option to pre-format the tags for you.
I should receive the tags in a week, and I'll post back if they work well.

brobits said:
I bought 14 tags from tagstand.com. They have a wide variety of tags (as small as 25mm I believe), as well as "outdoor" styled tags. Their prices are competitive ($1.00 USD/ea), and they have an option to pre-format the tags for you.
I should receive the tags in a week, and I'll post back if they work well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just bought some of the outdoor ones from them as well, I can't wait to play around with them

Do you guys know a good shop for nfc tags. Located in Europe? Or that delivers fast and cheap to Europe?
Thanks
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

TulpiX said:
Do you guys know a good shop for nfc tags. Located in Europe? Or that delivers fast and cheap to Europe?
Thanks
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
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http://www.jwksoftware.com/nfc-tags

TulpiX said:
Do you guys know a good shop for nfc tags. Located in Europe? Or that delivers fast and cheap to Europe?
Thanks
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
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These guys are in Finland, and it looks like they are doing some pretty cool stuff with custom logos and such. I have no idea about how good/bad they are to do business with though...
http://www.tagage.net/tagage-shop/

It looks like the big ones are jumping on the ship as Sony has presented xperia tags.
w ww.sonyericsson.com/cws/products/accessories/overview/xperia-smarttags?cc=gb&lc=en#view=overview
I can't post links yet...

s.m.knipe said:
These guys are in Finland, and it looks like they are doing some pretty cool stuff with custom logos and such. I have no idea about how good/bad they are to do business with though...
tagage.net/tagage-shop/
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I created a new user account for their shop. three minutes later I got an email stating that I should have a look at some page where the problems around unformated tags and the galaxy nexus are explained. and they format them for free if you ask them to do so.
i'm living in hamburg, germany, they are from finland. ordered on the 4th of january, got them on the 9th. (I ordered the starter pack)
so from my point of view I would totally recommend them.

Thanks.
I will look into that
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

NFC Sticker Tags

i first saw those NFC tags when the Xperia S came out, thought it was kind of a cool concept, but then forget all about it, till yesterday when i came across this vid .. anyways, so i went on and bought these , hope it won't take them long to arrive
anyways, does anyone of u guys have any experience with these NFC tags? what do u think about them?

Not with cm9 , but in general yes.
What do you want to know?
If you are looking for specific tags to get I'd go NTAG based tags. For the galaxy nexus don't get small Ultralight c tags as they have too poor rf performance to work well with the galaxy nexus.
Otherwise it's a fairly straightforward product. Put the phone in range and it reads.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

They're probably regular RFID tags, working with whatever frequencies NFC use. NFC is a form of RFID.
I'd like to see features to write more info to tags like contact profile.

i bought these cheap ones basically just to try them out, i'm not really informed about the different types
anyways, i just wanted to hear from the guys who use NFC tags how's their experience so far, what profiles do they use and that kind of stuff

Which NFC tags for S3?

Hi Ive received my Samsung S3 and know it does NFC stuff. I would like to use it for stuff like, keep one or two in the car to activate/deactivate car mode/Bluetooth on etc etc
I have seen the Samsung TecTiles NFC tags, but only available in the US, I'm in UK. SO can anyone suggest which to get, are they all the same? is there certain ones for creation functions etc?
I've searched on eBay but there seems to be loads of types
cheers

I jst bought these. supposed to be good quality from what I was told by several people from the forum.
http://www.amazon.com/PREFORMATTED-...=UTF8&qid=1339884679&sr=8-5&keywords=NFC+tags

Check out this item I found on eBay: http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=160817173853
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA

MrMrMr111 said:
Hi Ive received my Samsung S3 and know it does NFC stuff. I would like to use it for stuff like, keep one or two in the car to activate/deactivate car mode/Bluetooth on etc etc
I have seen the Samsung TecTiles NFC tags, but only available in the US, I'm in UK. SO can anyone suggest which to get, are they all the same? is there certain ones for creation functions etc?
I've searched on eBay but there seems to be loads of types
cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can buy small ones on ebay for a few quid.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160817201613
http://rapidnfc.com/which_nfc_chip
http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jwsoft.nfcactionlauncher
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.dinglisch.android.taskerm
http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.widgapp.NFC_ReTAG_FREE
credit to searley

MrMrMr111 said:
Hi Ive received my Samsung S3 and know it does NFC stuff. I would like to use it for stuff like, keep one or two in the car to activate/deactivate car mode/Bluetooth on etc etc
I have seen the Samsung TecTiles NFC tags, but only available in the US, I'm in UK. SO can anyone suggest which to get, are they all the same? is there certain ones for creation functions etc?
I've searched on eBay but there seems to be loads of types
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There seem to be loads of types because there are loads of NFC types
The kind you want, though, is a MIFARE 13.56MHz, rewritable (important), lockable (also important so someone can't hijack it), and has 1K or 4K of memory depending on what you want to do with it.
I've bought tags from tagsfordroid.com before, and while they're not the absolute cheapest, they're cheap enough when you don't need bulk. I got the Androidified versions with keychain, but there's also plain white stickers if you wanted to print on it and stick it in a public place.

zmore said:
There seem to be loads of types because there are loads of NFC types
The kind you want, though, is a MIFARE 13.56MHz, rewritable (important), lockable (also important so someone can't hijack it), and has 1K or 4K of memory depending on what you want to do with it.
I've bought tags from tagsfordroid.com before, and while they're not the absolute cheapest, they're cheap enough when you don't need bulk. I got the Androidified versions with keychain, but there's also plain white stickers if you wanted to print on it and stick it in a public place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These tags you suggested hold 768 bytes. Question I have is how many tasks can one of these tags hold? I mainly would use these for turning on/off bluetooth, wifi, GPS, changing ringer volume and vibration, and launching a couple of apps. Think it could hold enough info to do all that at once? How about enough to hold vCard information and launch a website for my fathers business?

I bought some from here: http://tagsfordroid.com/tags/Home.html

If you search, much info can be found.
The two sites I have looked at personally are tagstand.com and buynfctags.com.
Both of those sites have tags for about 1 dollar each.
A good link to take a look at is "here"
This shows most of the usual types.
SUMMARY:
1k tags are the largest, and can hold the most data. Usually larger and thicker than the other chips.
NTAG203 tags are the best for typical use, can hold a moderate amount of data, and are the most current and fastest.
Don't get ultralight C if you can get the NTAG203 tags.
The normal ultralight tags (no C) are the smallest, and thinest, obviously, stated in the title. Very small memory, good for small tasks, such as wifi toggle, etc. Not always space for many tasks.
Personally, I will be purchasing mostly NTAG203, and a few ultralight.

They're usually rewritable, so you don't need too many. 1K is helpful if you're trying to get it to perform multiple tasks.

Or if you have some nfc enabled gear around ( i have some skiing tickets from dolomiti superski) and they are write protected you can still use them. i've been using them with the help of an app called NFC retag. if the app can read it (ive found it to work with most things, even my library card and my ramp exit card) you can assign actions to it. it may be a bit limited but you can't beat free . also use the nfc mod by mayhemer to enable nfc while screen is off

1Android said:
I jst bought these. supposed to be good quality from what I was told by several people from the forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem with the small MIFARE ones is that they're 46B free. That works for URLs if you shorten them and for something like a Foursquare check-in or toggling your phone's sensors or sound, but doesn't work so well for messages or more data intensive things. They also don't work unless the back is non-conductive and don't react to sun or heat well.
I bought a 50-pack of the 4k ones from a supplier in Shenzen (they're called NtaG, can't find them online on a quick Google check, maybe someone else has better luck) for $20 when I was there. My house looks like someone ran amok with a stickerbook.

Fornowagain said:
You can buy small ones on ebay for a few quid.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160817201613
http://rapidnfc.com/which_nfc_chip
http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jwsoft.nfcactionlauncher
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.dinglisch.android.taskerm
http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.widgapp.NFC_ReTAG_FREE
credit to searley
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I Just ordered the starter pack from rapidNFC and they have been dispatched already. Can't wait to have a play with them.
Les

PointyUK said:
I Just ordered the starter pack from rapidNFC and they have been dispatched already. Can't wait to have a play with them.
Les
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Click to collapse
They turned up today, great service from rapidNFC.
Les

PointyUK said:
They turned up today, great service from rapidNFC.
Les
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Click to collapse
I would agree! I haven't received mine yet, but have emailed with questions and their response has been quick and thorough. I'm impressed so far!

I bought these. Handy for slipping into a wallet and work with my Galaxy S3.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110897283604#ht_606wt_922

i bought these, quite cheap
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/120934052564?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

NoOneCanHelpMe said:
i bought these, quite cheap
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/120934052564?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you got them and used them yet? They work on?

MrMrMr111 said:
Have you got them and used them yet? They work on?
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Click to collapse
still waiting for them, most I found in UK are like 10 pounds for 5 so I decided to wait a bit for these, twice as cheap will post results, when I get them

After reading up on specifications for the different kind of tags i ended up buying 10pcs mifare 1k s50 tags. A friend of mine got his a while a go and they are so thin they arent even noticable under a layer of paint. Readability seems slightly worse though but it definately works.
Hope im not missing out on anything by not going for any of the alternatives. Hope to see some more reviews on the different brands and types soon.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium

Ive ordered twice from nfcdog.com at about £1 a tag and delivery was pretty quick

NFC keyboard

I am not sure where I saw it but I saw an article for a disposable keyboard that uses NFC as a form of communication but on the major downside the keyboard was around $250 not exactly "disposable" if you ask me..moving on the crutch of my question is how is this possible???? Is there a way to create a NFC coil that is in constant communication with the phone if so how?
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda app-developers app

rastlin said:
I am not sure where I saw it but I saw an article for a disposable keyboard that uses NFC as a form of communication but on the major downside the keyboard was around $250 not exactly "disposable" if you ask me..moving on the crutch of my question is how is this possible???? Is there a way to create a NFC coil that is in constant communication with the phone if so how?
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
An app is required, so I would assume that each key triggers a different value that gets sent to the phone via NFC then the app recognizes it and inputs text. It is not really practical considering that bluetooth keyboards do the same thing but with a range of 10m with replaceable batteries and for a much lower price. It is nice that there would be no bluetooth paring, but the required app outweighs that. Overall I can't see this taking off.
Here is a link if anyone is interested: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/07/throwaway-nfc-keyboard/

i read about this too...sounded pretty idiotic. Expensive and useless. I wonder how they get people to finance manufacturing of stuff like that.

gkrawiec said:
i read about this too...sounded pretty idiotic. Expensive and useless. I wonder how they get people to finance manufacturing of stuff like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some people are just curious. Best way to find out is dive in and try. That's what started xda in the first place...

Xperia NFC Smart tags(Do not buy)

Just got my Xperia NFC tags looking to set it up to launch application but the tags only have 46bytes memory and the memory it takes to launch an App is at least 60bytes so the most you can do with these things is store a few URLs.
So I'm have to go on eBay again to find some no-name 1kb tags to do the job.

These work awesome for me usIng NFC Task Launcher. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B006TGVPL2/ref=mp_s_a_5?pi=SL75&qid=1348853544&sr=8-5
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium

That sucks.
Btw, does anyone know where to buy a package of 5 or 10 all black NFC stickers?
I found packages that have several colors, but not all one color.
I could probably just use a black marker on them but that would look, dorky.

As far as I know those xperia tags are only made to trigger a procedure saved on the xperia phone and nothing more.
You can try samsung tectiles but they are only available in the us, so is the official app over playstore. (5 pcs about 15$)
Samsung is starting pi***ng me of with the accesories.
Sent from my GT-N8000 using xda app-developers app

Just ordered 2 1kb tags for £1.10 each from eBay and they should do the same job as more expensive tags because it's mainly just memory capacity that matters.

CZ Eddie said:
That sucks.
Btw, does anyone know where to buy a package of 5 or 10 all black NFC stickers?
I found packages that have several colors, but not all one color.
I could probably just use a black marker on them but that would look, dorky.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haven't seen black but there's a few all white 5 packs of NFC stickers on eBay for around $5.30

Crap i bought those and they are on the way
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

Hi,
You could take a look at AutomateIt (Pro). It has the possibility to trigger a list of tasks, like launching apps, when scanning an NFC tag.
As far as I know, the NFC Tag can even be formatted, AutomateIt only needs the tag ID, so size shouldn't be an issue here.
Bye,
Lutz

I've bought bulk NFC tags from www.tagstand.com and www.tagsfordroid.com
Both have worked without any issues using Tasker or NFC Task Launcher and they're pretty cheap. Haven't seen any all black NFC tags (Besides the Xperia ones) but you could ask them about it. I know tagstand does do custom type tags but you need to email them.

Jainyankee1993 said:
Crap i bought those and they are on the way
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
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Yeah I'm almost never taken in by brand names but I bought these without thinking because they cheap and got the Xperia brand on, and I feel a bit stupid for not doing my research on NFC tags.

Geordie Lad said:
Just ordered 2 1kb tags for £1.10 each from eBay and they should do the same job as more expensive tags because it's mainly just memory capacity that matters.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where did you get them? I can only find the ones that claim to be original..

All tags that are not locked write protected and can be reprogrammed regardless of size, even those from xperia, sometime one app is unable to perform certain functions, whiles other can.
I had these NFC tags which I got from china shenzhen metro for USD 0.32 each, yes these tags are used to travel on the metro link, just like buying a ticket, but can be used for NFC functions, but only have 24kb usable space, can only be used enough for a few url, toggle BT, wifi or simple functions.
With certain app, it will not allow me to format and reuse them, including the NFC task launcher, other app will work and once formatted, it will work with most apps including NFC task launcher.
hope this helps.

Jammy959 said:
Where did you get them? I can only find the ones that claim to be original..
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Click to collapse
For all I know it is fake, but it doesn't matter because it holds the same memory as original and the point I'm making is they completely useless for doing much of anything, and I bought it from eBay.

Mifare 1k NFC Tags from Ebay
Ebay is where I got Mifare 1k NFC Tags: www ebay.com/itm/150885916919
It ships from China, and takes about 2-3 weeks to ship it to US.
I have used both NFC Task Launcher and AnyTag and works flawlessly.

I am a bit surprised by the original post in this thread.
I took delivery of an Xperia T 2 weeks ago and bought a set of 4 Xperia Smart Tags last week.
When I get in the car the tag turns on my bluetooth and starts up sygic navigation.
And this is not using any third party software just the smart connect that was on the phone when I got it.
So the tags are certainly big enough to launch an app if used on the phones they were intended for.
This sounds like a limitation of the S3 not the tags