What's the difference between NFC and Bluetooth?
With all the
talk of the new NFC cell phones coming out, people are confused
regarding what it means. NFC and Bluetooth have similar abilities.
Bluetooth is something that allows wireless devises to communicate. The
same can be said for NFC or Near Field Communication.
While
blue tooth and Near Field Communication have the same properties, they
are vastly different. NFC will allow people to use the wireless
technology to make payments for products all by simply holding a cell
phone close to a reader. While NFC seems to be difficult, it is actually
a relatively easy technology. Bluetooth technology is a bit more
difficult and used mostly for music and wireless applications. Think of
it like the security key at a hotel. The key card has tons of
information stored on a magnetic strip, called RFID or Radio Frequency
Identification. Using the same process, NFC will be able to transmit
this information through a chip. These chips are embedded in different
things, but it has a small commuting range.
The average
communication range for a NFC product is less than 20 cm, but the
Bluetooth can communicate at around 10 meters. NFC has limitations;
whereas Bluetooth does not have as many. The security will be tighter on
the limits for the consumer’s protection. The entire NFC chip or module
inside the phone will be controlled heavily, unlike Bluetooth.
While making payments is a perk, this is not the only technology that
NFC enabled smart phones will be able to do. There are RFID chips in
many things we come in contact with every day, such as posters and
billboards. By simply scanning this with the smart phone, the NFC can
communicate and swap information. This can easily fill one's address
book by simply scanning. Having the local restaurant or dry cleaners at
just the touch of a button is very convenient for today’s busy person.
Many people are concerned about added costs to have this NFC chip in
the phones. Actually, it will probably not add anything or very little.
However, the more information on the phone, the more dangerous it comes
when landed in someone else’s hands. Security measures are still being
developed to protect consumer’s information on their phones. Having a
phone lost or stolen with that kind of information would be a horror
story.
While Bluetooth and NFC use some similar aspects of
technology, they are totally different. The very way that they
communicate with other devices and the technological features they
utilize are not the same.
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