seminar_final_new-libre.pdf

U10EC014, Odd Semester, 2013-14 i

SEMINAR REPORT

Entitled

“NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATION AND ITS APPLICATIONS”

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement

for the Degree of

: Presented & Submitted By :

Ms. BHOOMIKA GUPTA

(Roll No.U10EC014)

B. TECH. IV (Electronics & Communication) 7th Semester

: Guided By :

Ms. JIGISHA N. PATEL

Assistant Professor, ECED.

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING

Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology

Surat-395 007, Gujarat, INDIA.

(NOVEMBER - 2013)

U10EC014, Odd Semester, 2013-14 ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It is very common to see that a person’s quest for knowledge never ends. Theory and

practical are essential and complimentary to each other. I am indebted and thankful to

various who have helped me in the preparation of seminar.

I am highly obliged to Ms. Jigisha N. Patel for her guidance and support throughout the

semester and for her help in the seminar report and presentation. She guided me with

every problem I came across while preparing the seminar. She was instrumental in

helping me expand my horizon and learn more.

I would like to thank other faculty members of Electronics and Communication

Engineering Department and all the staff who directly or indirectly offered their help and

co-operated to make my effort successful.

Thank You.

BHOOMIKA GUPTA

U10EC014

U10EC014, Odd Semester, 2013-14 iii

ABSTRACT

Near Field Communication (NFC) is a new technology that has emerged in the last

decade. NFC is a short range, high frequency, low bandwidth and wireless

communication technology between two NFC enabled devices. Communication between

NFC devices occurs at 13.56 MHz high frequency which was originally used by Radio

Frequency Identification (RFID).

NFC works on both active and passive devices using various modes of operations. Also,

NFC can happen between only two devices at a time. Potential NFC applications and

services making use of NFC technology include e-payment, e-ticketing, loyalty services,

identification, access control, content distribution, smart advertising, data/money transfer

and social services. Due to its applicability to a wide range of areas and the promising

value added opportunities, it has attracted many academicians, researchers, organizations

and commercial companies.

Technology usage is now in the pilot phase in many countries. Usability issues and

technology adoption are being explored by many academicians and industrial

organizations. As NFC enabled mobile phones spread and commercial services are

launched, people will be able to pay for goods and services, access hotel rooms or

apartments, update their information in social networks, upload their health data to

hospital monitoring systems from their homes, and benefit from many more services by

using their NFC enabled phones.

The success of NFC technology is bound to advances in other fields as well. Over-the-Air

technology among ecosystem factors is definitely a prerequisite to operate NFC systems

satisfactorily. Secure Element (SE) is also a requirement to store valuable digital

information on the same smart card securely. Dependence on other technologies is one of

the challenges that NFC currently faces. All of these are discussed in detail in the

following report.

U10EC014, Odd Semester, 2013-14 iv

Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology

Surat-395 00, Gujarat, INDIA.

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION

This is to certify that the B.Tech. IV (7th

Semester) SEMINAR REPORT entitled さNear

Field Communication and its Applicationsざ is presented & submitted by Candidate Ms.

Bhoomika Gupta, bearing Roll No.U10EC014, in the partial fulfillment of the requirement for the

award of B. Tech. degree in Electronics & Communication Engineering.

She has successfully and satisfactorily completed her Seminar Exam in all respect. We,

certify that the work is comprehensive, complete and fit for evaluation.

Ms. Jigisha N. Patel Prof. P. K. Shah

Seminar Guide Head of the Department, ECED

Assistant Professor Associate Professor

SEMINAR EXAMINERS:

Name Signature with date

1.Prof.____________________ __________________

2.Prof.____________________ __________________

3.Prof.____________________ __________________

DEPARTMENT SEAL

November-2013

U10EC014, Odd Semester, 2013-14 v

INDEX

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT………..………………………………………………….. ii

ABSTRACT………………………...………………………………………………... iii

CERTIFICATE………………………..…………………………………………..…. iv

LIST OF FIGURES………………………………..…………………………………. vi

LIST OF TABLES……………………………………………..…………………….. vii

1. NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATION…………………………….…………. 1

1.1. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………... 1

1.2. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING TECHNOLOGIES……………….... 2

1.3. OPERATION OF NFC…………………………………………………... 3

1.4. BASICS OF DATA TRANSMISSION WITH NFC…………………….. 4

1.5. INTERFACE AND PROTOCOL………………………………………... 6

1.6. ORGANISATION OF REPORT………………………………………… 8

2. NFC OPERATING MODES………………………………………………... 9

2.1. MOBILE INTERACTION TECHNIQUES……………………………… 9

2.2. CLASSIFICATION OF NFC DEVICES………………………………… 9

2.3. READER/WRITER MODE……………………………………………… 11

2.4. PEER-TO-PEER MODE…………………………………………………. 15

2.5. CARD EMULATION MODE…………………………………………… 18

2.6. OVERVIEW ON BENEFITS OF OPERATING MODES……………… 19

3. NFC SECURITY…………………………………………………………….. 21

3.1. THREATS AND SOLUTIONS………………………………………….. 21

3.2. STANDARDISED NFC SECURITY PROTOCOLS……………………. 22

4. NFC APPLICATIONS………………………………………………………. 23

4.1. NFC SHOPPING: READER/WRITER MODE…………………………. 24

4.2. NFC GOSSIPING: PEER-TO-PEER MODE……………………………. 26

4.3. NFC TICKETING: CARD EMULATION MODE……………………… 27

4.4. FUTURE SCOPE OF NFC………………………………………………. 30

5. CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………. 31

REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………….. 32

ACRONYMS………………………………………………………………………… 34

U10EC014, Odd Semester, 2013-14 vi

LIST OF FIGURES

FIG. 1.1 EVOLUTION OF NFC TECHNOLOGY………………………………. 1

FIG. 1.2 INITIATOR (POLLING DEVICE) AND TARGET (LISTENING

DEVICE) DEVICES……………………………………………………..

3

FIG. 1.3 MODULATION SPECTRA SHOWING LOAD MODULATION…….. 5

FIG. 1.4 VISUALIZATION OF LOAD MODULATION……………………….. 5

FIG. 1.5 FRAME FORMAT OF NFCIP-1……………………………………….. 7

FIG. 2.1 MOBILE INTERACTION TECHNIQUES…………………………….. 9

FIG. 2.2 READER/WRITER MODE…………………………………………….. 11

FIG. 2.3 PROTOCOL STACK OF READER/WRITER OPERATING MODE… 12

FIG. 2.4 NDEF STRUCTURE……………………………………………………. 14

FIG. 2.5 USAGE MODEL OF NFC SHOPPING: READER/WRITER MODE… 14

FIG. 2.6 PEER-TO-PEER MODE………………………………………………... 15

FIG. 2.7 PROTOCOL STACK OF PEER-TO-PEER OPERATING MODE……. 16

FIG. 2.8 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LLCP AND OSI REFERENCE MODEL 17

FIG. 2.9 GENERIC USAGE MODEL OF PEER-TO-PEER MODE……………. 17

FIG. 2.10 CARD EMULATION MODE…………………………………………... 18

FIG. 2.11 PROTOCOL STACK OF CARD EMULATION MODE………………. 18

FIG. 2.12 GENERIC USAGE MODEL OF CARD EMULATION MODE………. 19

FIG. 4.1 RANGE OF APPLICATIONS OF NFC………………………………... 23

FIG. 4.2 APPLICATIONS OF NFC……………………………………………… 23

FIG. 4.3 NFC SHOPPING: ACTIVITY DIAGRAM…………………………….. 24

FIG. 4.4 NFC SHOPPING: USAGE MODEL……………………………………. 25

FIG. 4.5 NFC GOSSIPING: ACTIVITY DIAGRAM……………………………. 26

FIG. 4.6 NFC GOSSIPING: USAGE MODEL…………………………………... 27

FIG. 4.7 NFC TICKETING: ACTIVITY DIAGRAM…………………………… 28

FIG. 4.8 NFC TICKETING: ACTIVITY DIAGRAM…………………………… 28

FIG. 4.9 NFC TICKETING: USAGE MODEL…………………………………... 29

U10EC014, Odd Semester, 2013-14 vii

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE 1.1 COMPARISON OF NFC WITH VARIOUS EXISTING

TECHNOLOGIES……………………………………………………...

2

TABLE 1.2 MODULATION AND CODING SCHEMES BASED ON DEVICE

TYPE AND DATA RATE……………………………………………..

4

TABLE 2.1 SUMMARY OF NFC DEVICES……………………………………... 10

TABLE 2.2 BENEFITS OF VARIOUS OPERATINGMODES OF NFC…………. 20

TABLE 2.3 INTERACTION WITH THE SERVICE PROVIDER………………... 20

TABLE 3.1 SUMMARY OF SECURITY SERVICES PROVIDED BY

VARIOUS PROTOCOLS……………………………………………...

22

U10EC014, Odd Semester, 2013-14 1

CHAPTER-1 NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATION

1.1 Introduction

Near Field Communication is a new short-range wireless connectivity technology that

evolved from a combination of existing contactless identification and interconnection

technologies. It was jointly developed by Sony and NXP Semiconductors (formerly

Philips) [1]. Fig. 1.1 shows the evolution of NFC technology.

NFC operates in a frequency range centered at 13.56 MHz and offers a data transmission

rate of up to 424 kbit/s within a distance of approximately 10cms. NFC is backward

compatible with the Smart Card infrastructure based on ISO/IEC (International

Organization for Standardization/ International Electrotechnical Commission) 14443 A

and ISO/IEC 14443 B as well as with the Sony FeliCa card. For the exchange of

information between two NFC devices, a new protocol was developed which is defined in

the standards ECMA (European Computer Manufacturers Association) 340 and ISO/IEC

18092 [2]. The NFC Forum was founded in the year 2004 by NXP, Sony and Nokia to

work towards the development and deployment of NFC. The NFC forum develops

specifications which ensure interoperability of NFC units and services.

Fig. 1.1 Evolution of NFC technology [1]


Currently, devices such as Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus, Samsung Galaxy Note, Sony Xperia

ZR, Nokia 6131 NFC etc. provide NFC facility to its users. Some applications of NFC are

Google Wallet (US), A Little World (India) for mobile payments, China Unicom for

mobile transport ticketing (China) etc. [3]

1.2 Comparison with Existing Technologies

Table 1.1 shows the comparison of various existing wireless technologies with NFC and

its benefits over the others.

Table 1.1 Comparison of NFC with various existing technologies. [1]

Sr.

No

Concept NFC Bluetooth

(IEEE

802.15.1)

WiFi

(IEEE

802.11)

RFID Zigbee (IEEE

802.1.5.4)

1 Range <0.1m

(generally

10cm)

10m 100-150m 3m 30-100m

2 Throughput 106, 212,

424kbps

721kbps 6Mbps Varies 100Vkbps

3 Operating

Frequency

13.56Mhz ISM band

2.4Ghz to

2.485Ghz

2.4Ghz Varies 862Mhz,

915Mhz,

2.4Ghz

4 Latency <0.1 sec 6 sec 1.5ms < 1 sec 20 ms

5 Cost Low Moderate High Low Moderate

6 Power

Consumption

Moderate

to low

Low High Low Moderate

7 Security Fairly

secure

PIN 64bit,

128bit

(Less secure

than WiFi)

More

secure

than

bluetooth

Secure 128-bit AES


Hence, NFC has good speed of operation for close proximity. It is suitable for crowded

areas. It uses ISM band of frequency which is available worldwide. NFC is affordable,

has good throughput and low latency. Since transactions are done at a small range at

which signals are not much susceptible to interception, NFC is highly secure. Thus, NFC

can be a very beneficial wireless mode of communication for short ranges and can be

used for fast transactions eg. Money transfer etc.

1.3 Operation of NFC

NFC occurs between two NFC devices in a close proximity range (within a few

centimeters). These two NFC devices can operate in several modes as described in

chapter 2.

There are two different roles that a device can play in NFC which can be illustrated as a

“request and reply” concept as shown in Fig. 1.2. The initiator (or polling device) sends a

request message to a target and the target (or listening device) replies by sending a

message back to the initiator. In this case the role of the initiator is to start the

communication. The role of the target is to respond to the requests coming from the

initiator [2].

Fig. 1.2 Initiator (Polling device) and Target (Listening device) devices [2]


1.4 Basics of Data Transmission with NFC

NFC is based on inductive coupling, where loosely coupled inductive circuits share

power and data over a distance of a few centimeters [2]. Similar to the transformer

principle, the magnetic near-field of two conductor coils is used to couple the polling

device (initiator) and listening device (target) as shown in Fig. 1.2. The operating

frequency is 13.56 MHz, and a bit-rate of 106 kbit/s (also 212 kbit/s and 424 kbit/s) is

used. Modulation schemes are amplitude on/off keying (OOK) with different

modulation depth (100 % or 10 %) and BPSK. This is summarized in Table 1.2

Table 1.2 Modulation and coding schemes based on device type and data rate.

Speed Active Device Passive Device

106 kbps Modified Miller, 100% ASK Manchester, 10% ASK

212 kbps Manchester, 10% ASK Manchester, 10% ASK

424 kbps Manchester, 10% ASK Manchester, 10% ASK

Power Transmission and Data Transmission from a Polling Device

For transmission to a passive system such as an NFC phone in passive card emulation

mode (described in chapter 2), the passive system uses the 13.56 MHz carrier signal of

the polling device as energy source. Modulation scheme of the polling device is ASK. For

NFC peer-to-peer mode, both directions are modulated and coded like a polling device.

However less power is necessary because both NFC devices use their own power supply

and the carrier signal is switched off after end of transmission.

Data Transmission from a Listening Device

Due to the coupling of the coils of initiator and target, a passive target also affects the

active initiator. A variation in the impedance of the target causes amplitude or phase

changes to the antenna voltage of the initiator, detected by it. This technique is called

load modulation. Load modulation is carried out in target mode using an auxiliary

carrier at 848 kHz which is modulated by the baseband and varies the impedance of the

target device. Fig.1.3 shows the spectrum with load modulation. The modulation scheme


is ASK (ISO/IEC 14443 A) or BPSK (ISO/IEC 14443 B) [2].

Modulation Schemes used by NFC are ASK (100% and 10% modulation depths) and

BPSK. Also, NFC uses Modified Miller and Manchester Coding schemes depending

upon the type of communication used, i.e., Type A (normal) or Type B (banking/short

range).

Fig. 1.3 Modulation Spectra showing Load modulation [2]

Time Domain Frequency Domain

Fig 1.4 Visualization of load modulation [2]

Fig. 1.4 visualizes load modulation for ASK modulation with Manchester Coding.


1.5 Interface and Protocol

Near Field Communication Interface and Protocol (NFCIP) is standardized in two forms

as NFCIP-1, which defines the NFC communication modes on the RF (Radio Frequency)

layer and other technical features of the RF layer, and NFCIP-2 which supports mode

switching by detecting and selecting one of the communication modes.

NFCIP-1

NFCIP-1 is standardized in ISO/IEC 18092, ECMA 340, and ETSI TS (European

Telecommunications Standards Institute Technical Specification) 102 190 [4]. This

standard defines two communication modes as active and passive. This Standard

specifies, in particular, modulation schemes, coding, transfer speeds (106/212/424 kbps),

and frame format of the RF interface, as well as initialization schemes and conditions

required for data collision control during initialization. Furthermore, it defines a transport

protocol including protocol activation and data exchange methods.

The protocol flow in NFCIP-1 specifies that any NFCIP-1 device should be in Target

mode initially and not generate an RF field, and should wait for a command from an

Initiator. The NFCIP-1 device may switch to Initiator mode and select either Active or

Passive communication mode and transfer speed. Initiators first tests for external RF field

presence and if an external RF field is detected then it should not activate its own RF

field. If an external RF field is not detected, the Initiator shall activate its own RF field for

the activation of Target. Initiator and Target can then exchange commands and responses

in the same communication mode and the transfer speed.

The frame format of NFCIP-1 consists of Preamble, SYNC, Length, Payload, and CRC

as shown in Fig. 1.5. The Preamble shall be 48 bits minimum all logical ‘0’s [4]. The

SYNC is of 2 bytes. The 1st byte is ‘B2’ and the 2nd byte is ‘4D’.The Length is an 8-bit

field and it is set to the number of bytes to be transmitted in Payload plus 1. The range of

the Length is 2 to 255. The Payload consists of data where n is indicated by the number of

data bytes. 16-bit CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) is performed.


Fig. 1.5 Frame Format of NFCIP-1 [4]

NFCIP-2

NFCIP-2 is a standard specified in ISO/IEC 21481, ECMA 352 and ETSI TS 102 312.

The standard specifies the communication mode selection mechanism and is designed not

to disturb any on-going communication at 13.56 MHz for devices implementing ISO/IEC

18092 (i.e., NFCIP-1), ISO/IEC 14443 or ISO/IEC 15693 (e.g., long range-vicinity

communication, RFID tags) [5]. Although all of the ISO/IEC 18092, ISO/IEC 14443 and

ISO/IEC 15693 standards specify 13.56 MHz as their working frequency, they may

specify distinct communication modes.

Devices following NFCIP-2 need to implement the functions of the proximity coupling

device (PCD) (ISO/IEC 14443), vicinity coupling device (VCD) (ISO/IEC 15693) and

the initiator and the target functions defined in ECMA-340 [5].

Mode switching specifies the procedure for NFCIP-2 devices to enter the NFC MODE,

PCD MODE, PICC (Proximity Integrated Circuit Card) MODE or VCD MODE selected

prior to the following sequence. NFCIP-2 devices shall execute the following sequence:

1. The NFCIP-2 device shall have its RF field switched off.

2. If the PICC (Proximity Integrated Circuit Card or Object) MODE has been selected,

the NFCIP-2 device enters the PICC MODE.

3. If the NFCIP-2 device detects an external RF field it enters the NFC MODE as a

Target.

4. If the NFCIP-2 device does not detect an external RF field and the NFC MODE has

been selected, it shall enter the NFC MODE as an Initiator.

5. If the NFCIP-2 device does not detect an external RF field and the PCD MODE or the

VCD MODE has been selected, it shall perform external RF field detection and Initial

RF generation. [5]


The use of these protocols are further described in chapter 2 while discussing the various

modes of operation of NFC.

1.6 Organisation of Report

The report is organised as follows:

In chapter 1, we take a look at the current NFC standards, compare it with the existing

technologies and find the need to use NFC. We then concentrate on the operation of NFC

and how the basic data transmission takes place through it.

In chapter 2, firstly we mention the different types of mobile interaction techniques and

then classify the devices used in NFC. Also, we perform a deep study of the various

modes of operation of these devices. Lastly, we compare these modes and provide with an

overview.

In chapter 3, we discuss the security aspects of NFC and its framework.

In chapter 4, we take a look at the applications of the previous mentioned modes of

operation. We provide a mild analysis of these and then give examples of the currently

available NFC applications in market.

Subsequently, we take a quick look at the future scope of NFC, and then we conclude this

report.


CHAPTER-2 NFC OPERATING MODES

In the previous chapter we discussed how basic data transmission takes place in NFC. In

this chapter we discuss the classification of devices used in NFC. Building upon the

basics learned in chapter 1, we move towards the study of various operating modes of

NFC devices and discuss their usage models.

2.1 Mobile Interaction Techniques

When mobile devices are used to interact with smart objects in the environment,

additional components are required where when a user interacts with a smart object using

an interaction technique. Fig. 2.1 shows the available interaction techniques that the

mobile devices use, which are called mobile interaction techniques, are touching,

pointing, and scanning [6]. The NFC technology interaction technique is touch based.

Fig 2.1 Mobile Interaction Techniques [6]

2.2 Classification of NFC Devices

The touching action is taken as the triggering condition for NFC communication. The

NFC application is designed so that when the mobile touches some NFC device with the


expected form of data, it boots up immediately.

We can classify the NFC devices in the communication based on two parameters. The

first parameter is the energy supply which results in active and passive devices. The

second one is initiating the communication and leads to initiator and target devices.

ACTIVE vs PASSIVE DEVICES

An active device is one that is powered by some power source, e.g. battery, so that it

generates its own electromagnetic field. On the other hand, a passive device is one that

does not have any integrated power source. In NFC, the energy to the passive device is

supplied by the active device. To summarize, an active device powers the passive device

by creating the electromagnetic field.

INITIATOR vs TARGET DEVICES

NFC always occurs between two parties, so that one party is called the initiator, and the

other party is called the target. The initiator is the one that initiates the communication;

the target responds to the request that is made by the initiator.

An initiator always needs to be an active device, because it requires a power source to

initiate the communication. The target, on the other hand, may be either an active or a

passive device. If the target is an active device, then it uses its own power source to

respond; if it is a passive device, it uses the energy created by the electromagnetic field

which is generated by the initiator that is an active device. Table 2.1 shows the summary

of the NFC devices.

Table 2.1 Summary of NFC devices.

Devices Initiator Target

Active Yes Yes

Passive No Yes


Now, we move towards the discussion of various operating modes of NFC. The three

existing operating modes are the reader/writer, peer-to-peer and card emulation modes.

The reader/writer mode enables NFC enabled mobile devices to exchange data with NFC

Forum mandated NFC tags. The peer-to-peer mode enables two NFC enabled mobile

devices to exchange data with each other. In the card emulation mode, the user interacts

with an NFC reader in order to use her mobile phone as a smart card such as a credit card.

Each operating mode has different use case scenarios and each provides various

underlying benefits to users.

2.3 Reader/Writer Mode

In reader/writer operating mode, an active NFC enabled mobile phone initiates the

wireless communication, and can read and alter data stored in NFC tags. In this operating

mode, an NFC enabled mobile phone is capable of reading NFC Forum mandated tag

types, such as NFC smart poster tags. This enables the mobile user to retrieve the data

stored in the tag and take appropriate actions afterwards. This is shown in Fig. 2.2.

Fig. 2.2 Reader/Writer Mode [1]

The reader/writer mode’s RF interface is compliant with ISO/IEC 14443 Type A and

Type B. NFC Forum has standardized tag types, operation of tag types and data exchange

format between components. The reader/writer operating mode usually does not need a

secure area. The process consists of only reading data stored inside the passive tag and

writing data to the passive tag.


The protocol stack architecture of the reader/writer operating mode, the (NFC Data

Exchange Format) NDEF and record types are explained in the following sections.

PROTOCOL STACK ARCHITECTURE OF READER/WRITER MODE

Fig. 2.3 shows the protocol stack architecture of reader/writer mode.

Fig. 2.3 Protocol stack of reader/writer operating mode [1]

Analog is related to RF characteristics of NFC devices and determines the

operating range of devices. Digital protocols refer to the digital aspects of

ISO/IEC 18092 and ISO/IEC 14443 standards, and define building blocks of the

communication.

Tag operations indicate the commands and instructions used by NFC devices to

operate NFC Forum mandated tags which are Type 1, Type 2, Type 3, and Type

4. They enable read and write operations by using the NDEF data format and

RTDs (Record Type Definitions) (i.e., smart poster, URI RTDs) from/to a tag.

NDEF applications are based on NDEF specifications such as smart poster and

reading product information from NFC enabled smart shopping fliers.

Non NDEF applications are vendor specific applications such as an electronic

purse balance reader and contactless ticket reader which are not based on NDEF

specifications. [1]


NFC FORUM MANDATED TAG TYPES

1. NFC Forum Type 1 Tag Operation Specification

Type 1 Tag is based on ISO/IEC 14443A. Tags are read and re-write capable;

users can configure the tag to become read-only. Memory availability is 96 bytes

and expandable to 2 KB. [1]


Type 2 Tag is based on ISO/IEC 14443A. Tags are read and re-write capable;

users can configure the tag to become read-only. Memory availability is 48 bytes

and expandable to 2 KB. [1]


Type 3 Tag is based on the Japanese Industrial Standard X 6319-4, also known as

FeliCa. Tags are pre-configured at manufacture to be either read and re-writable,

or read-only. Memory availability is variable, theoretical memory limit is 1MB

per service. [1]

4. NFC Forum Type 4 Tag Operation Specification 2.0 (November 2010)

Type 4 Tag is fully compatible with the ISO/IEC 14443 standard series. Tags are

pre-configured at manufacture to be either read and re-writable, or read-only. The

memory availability is variable, up to 32 KB per service; the communication

interface is either Type A or Type B compliant. [1]

NDEF and RTD

NDEF specification is a standard defined by NFC Forum [7]. NDEF is a data format to

exchange information between NFC devices; namely, between an active NFC device and

passive tag, or two active NFC devices. The NDEF message is exchanged when an NFC

device is in the proximity of an NFC Forum mandated tag, the NDEF message is received

from the NFC Forum mandated tag, over the NFC Forum LLCP (Logical Link Control

Protocol).


Fig. 2.4 NDEF Structure [7]

NDEF is a binary message format that encapsulates one or more application defined

payloads into a single message as depicted in Fig. 2.4. An NDEF message contains one or

more NDEF records. A record is the unit for carrying a payload within an NDEF

message. Each record consists of a payload up to 232-1 octets in size. Records can be

chained together to support larger payloads as well.

NDEF records are variable length records with a common format. Record type names

(RTD) are used by NDEF applications to identify the semantics and structure of the

record content. NFC Forum defines various record types for specific cases; smart posters,

URIs, digital signature, and text [8].

GENERIC USAGE MODEL OF READER/WRITER MODE

The generic usage model of an operating mode provides a model that almost fits with the

usage of all applications in that operating mode. The NFC Shopping use case makes use

of the reader/writer mode, and its usage under the generic usage model of the

reader/writer mode is shown in Fig. 2.5.

Fig. 2.5 Usage Model of NFC Shopping: Reader/Writer Mode [1].


2.4 Peer-to-Peer Mode

In peer-to-peer mode, two NFC enabled mobile phones establish a bidirectional

connection to exchange information as depicted in Fig. 2.6. They can exchange virtual

business cards, digital photos, and any other kind of data. Peer-to-peer operating mode’s

RF communication interface is standardized by ISO/IEC 18092 as NFCIP-1.

Due to the low transfer speed of NFC if large amounts of data need to be sent, peer to

peer mode can be used to create a secondary high speed connection (handover) like

Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

Fig. 2.6 Peer-to-peer mode [1]

This mode has 2 standardized options: NFCIP-1 and LLCP. NFCIP-1 takes advantage of

the initiator-target paradigm in which the initiator and the target devices are defined prior

to starting the communication. However, the devices are identical in LLCP

communication. After the initial handshake, the decision is made by the application that is

running in the application layer.

On account of the embedded power to mobile phones, both devices are in active mode

during the communication in peer-to-peer mode. Data are sent over a bi-directional half

duplex channel. Meaning that when one device is transmitting, the other one has to listen

and should start to transmit data after the first one finishes. The maximum possible data

rate in this mode is 424 kbps [1].


PROTOCOL STACK ARCHITECTURE OF PEER-TO-PEER MODE

Fig. 2.7 shows the protocol stack architecture of peer-to-peer mode.

Fig. 2.7 Protocol Stack of peer-to-peer operating mode [1]

Analog and digital protocols are lower layer protocols standardized by NFCIP-1.

LLCP allows the transfer of upper layer information units between two NFC

devices.

Protocol bindings provide standard bindings to NFC Forum protocols and allow

interoperable use of registered protocols.

NFC Forum protocols are the ones that NFC Forum defines as binding to LLCP.

Simple NDEF exchange protocol allows exchange of NDEF messages. It is also

possible to run other protocols over the data link layer provided by LLCP.

Applications may run over the simple NDEF exchange protocol, other protocols,

or NFC Forum protocols. Example applications are printing from a camera,

business card exchange, and so on [1].

LLCP

The LLCP defines an OSI data link protocol to support peer-to-peer communication

between two NFC enabled devices. LLCP is essential for any NFC application that

involves a bi-directional communication as shown in Fig. 2.8 [9].


Fig. 2.8 Relationship between LLCP and OSI Reference Model [1]

LLCP provides a solid ground for peer-to-peer applications. It enhances the basic

functionalities provided by NFCIP-1 protocol as well. NFCIP-1 protocol provides a SAR

(Segmentation and Reassembly) Level 1 capability, as well as data flow control

depending on the “Go and Wait" principle usual for half duplex protocols. Furthermore,

NFCIP-1 protocol allows error handling by using acknowledgement (ACK) frame and

negative acknowledgement (NACK) frame, and provides an ordered data flow. It

provides a link layer which is reliable and error-free [10].

LLCP provides five important services: connectionless transport; connection oriented

transport; link activation, supervision and deactivation; asynchronous balanced

communication; and protocol multiplexing. [9]

GENERIC USAGE MODEL OF PEER-TO-PEER MODE

In peer-to-peer mode, users communicate with each other using NFC enabled mobile

phones. In this mode normally no service provider is used in the process, meaning that

users do not communicate with it. If users intend to use any services on the Internet, a

service provider may be included in the process as well. A peer-to-peer mode usage

model of NFC Gossiping is illustrated in Fig. 2.9.

Fig. 2.9 Generic usage model of Peer-to-peer mode [1]


2.5 Card Emulation Mode

In card emulation mode, the NFC enabled mobile phone acts as a contactless smartcard.

Either an NFC enabled mobile phone emulates an ISO 14443 smart card or a smart card

chip integrated in a mobile phone is connected to the antenna of the NFC module. As the

user touches her mobile phone to an NFC reader, the NFC reader initiates the

communication. The communication architecture of this mode is illustrated in Fig. 2.10.

In this mode, the NFC device appears to an external reader much the same as a traditional

contactless smart card. This enables contactless payments and ticketing by NFC devices

without changing the existing infrastructure [2].Mobile devices can even store multiple

contactless smart card applications in the smart card. Examples of emulated contactless

smart cards are credit card, debit card, and loyalty card.

Fig. 2.10 Card Emulation mode [1]

PROTOCOL STACK ARCHITECTURE OF CARD EMULATION MODE

Fig. 2.11 Protocol stack of Card Emulation Mode [1]


Fig. 2.11 shows the protocol stack architecture of card emulation mode. NFC devices that

are operating in this mode use similar digital protocol and analog techniques as smart

cards and they are completely compatible with the smart card standards. Card emulation

mode includes proprietary contactless card applications such as payment, ticketing and

access control. These applications are based on ISO/IEC 14443 Type A, Type B and

FeliCa communication interfaces.

GENERIC USAGE MODEL OF CARD EMULATION MODE

Fig. 2.12 Generic usage model of Card Emulation mode [1]

In card emulation mode, the user interacts with an NFC reader, generally using her

mobile phone as a smart card. The NFC reader is owned by a service provider which is

possibly connected to the Internet as well. In this operating mode, the user connects to a

service provider through an NFC reader possibly without notifying the service provider

[1]. NFC Ticketing usage model using card emulation operating mode is depicted in Fig.

2.12.

2.6 Overview on Benefits of Operating Modes

Table 2.2 tabulates the benefits of various operating modes of NFC discussed in this

chapter. Furthermore, an important point to be compared in operating modes is access to

the service provider. Communication with the service provider is performed in different

ways in each mode which is shown in Table 2.3.


Table 2.2 Benefits of various operating modes of NFC. [11]

Reader/Writer Mode Peer-to-Peer Mode Card Emulation Mode

1. Increases

mobility

2. Decreases

physical effort

3. Ability to be

adapted in

many

scenarios

4. Easy to

implement

1. Easy data

exchange

2. Device pairing

1. Physical object

elimination

2. Access control

Table 2.3 Interaction with the service provider. [1]

Operating

Modes

Initiator Target Connecting to

Service Provider

Awareness

of Service

Provider

Reader/Writer Mobile

device

NFC tag Through Internet Yes

Card

Emulation

NFC reader Mobile device Through NFC

reader

No

Peer-to-Peer Mobile

device

Mobile device Through Internet Yes

As a summary, the prominent mode of NFC is card emulation mode, because NFC yields

two big improvements in this mode: elimination of a physical object and providing access

control using a mobile device. Commercially available applications (payment, electronic

key, ticketing, etc.) generally use the card emulation mode [12].


CHAPTER-3 NFC SECURITY

Security is the degree of protection against an intentional or accidental misuse or action.

So far we have discussed the working of NFC. This chapter gives analysis of security

with respect to NFC. It lists the threats, which are applicable to NFC, and describes

solutions to protect against these threats. All of this is given in the context of currently

available NFC hardware, NFC applications and possible future developments of NFC.

3.1 Threats and Solutions

A possible danger that has the potential to cause an unfair benefit to the unauthorized

people or to cause harm by exploiting vulnerability is called a threat. Threats may be

either intentional or unintentional [1]. The threats involved are eavesdropping, data

corruption, data modification, data insertion, man-in-the-middle attack etc. [13]

NFC by itself cannot protect against eavesdropping. It is important to note that data

transmitted in passive mode is significantly harder to be eavesdropped on.

NFC devices can counter data corruption because they can check the RF field, while they

are transmitting data. If an NFC device does this, it will be able to detect the attack. The

power which is needed to corrupt the data is significantly bigger, than the power which

can be detected by the NFC device. Thus, every such attack should be detectable [13].

Protection against data modification can be achieved in various ways. By using 106k

Baud in active mode it gets impossible for an attacker to modify all the data transmitted

via the RF link. This means that for both directions active mode would be needed to

protect against data modification. But this has the major drawback, that this mode is most

vulnerable to eavesdropping. Also, the protection against modification is not perfect, as

even at 106k Baud some bits can be modified. NFC devices can check the RF field while

sending. This means the sending device could continuously check for such an attack and

could stop the data transmission when an attack is detected [13]. Data insertion attack can

be avoided by the answering device by answering without delay.


3.2 Standardised NFC Security Protocols

Security protocols of NFCIP-1 are standardized in ECMA 385 as NFC-SEC (NFC

Security) and ECMA 386 as NFC-SEC-01 [14].These security protocols are used in peer-

to-peer operating mode.

NFC-SEC provides security standard for peer-to-peer NFC communication. Protocols that

are included within NFC-SEC are defined to be used on top of NFCIP-1 protocol [1].

NFC-SEC-01 is standardized in ECMA 386 which specifies cryptographic mechanisms

for key agreement, data encryption and integrity [14].

NFC-SEC describes two different protocols as summarised in Table 3.1

Table 3.1 Summary of security services provided by various protocols. [15]

Protocol Security Services

NFC-SEC Eavesdropping, Data modification

NFC-SEC-01 -Diffie-Hellman key exchange (192 bit)

-Key derivation and confirmation (AES 128 bit)

-Data encryption (AES 128 bit)

-Data integrity (AES 128 bit)

NFC by itself cannot provide protection against eavesdropping or data modifications. The

only solution to achieve this is the establishment of a secure channel over NFC using

NFC-SEC protocols. This can be done very easily, because the NFC link is not

susceptible to the Man-in-the-Middle attack. This resistance against Man-in-the-Middle

attacks makes NFC an ideal method for secure pairing of devices.


CHAPTER-4 NFC APPLICATIONS

This chapter is about developing NFC applications for mobile phones. There are various

NFC development platforms and languages. Example, for mobile phones with Android

operating system, Android SDK is used for NFC development [1].

NFC is used for a wide range of applications which can be divided into three categories as

shown in Fig. 4.1:

Fig. 4.1 Range of applications of NFC

The several of applications of NFC can be shown in Fig. 4.2.

Fig. 4.2 Applications of NFC [16]


4.1 NFC Shopping: Reader/Writer Mode

Many real life scenarios can be implemented in reader/writer mode. In this use case we

have implemented an online shopping scenario in order to show NFC in action. Here, the

user adds products to the basket simply by touching the phone to the tags on the NFC

enabled shopping catalogs, thus using reader/writer mode. When the user runs the

application, the application waits for an NFC interaction to start. When the desired tag is

discovered within the proximity, data in the tag are transferred to the mobile phone and

product information is displayed to the user, and then the desired quantity is requested.

When the user confirms adding product to the basket, the product is inserted to the basket

and a confirmation message is displayed to the user. These steps are repeated until the

user decides to order the basket [1].

Fig. 4.3 shows the activity diagram of NFC Shopping which is a step-by-step flow of

what actually happens while using this application.

Fig. 4.3 NFC Shopping: Activity Diagram


Data Structure

In order to implement the service, required data should be transferred from the NFC tag to

the mobile device:

1. Push registry entry: This is used to run the mobile application automatically

when a user touches a tag.

2. Product identification: This is the primary key for each product. The data

will be sent to the backend information server after ordering the basket

together with the desired quantities. The information system will be able to

identify the desired products using the data. Note that the user will input the

desired quantity of a product.

3. Product information: This is used to display a short description of the

product to the user.

4. Product price: This is used to display the price of the product to the user.

Usage Model

Fig.4.4 depicts the usage model of this application. The steps for the same are as follows:

1. Service request: User (say Alice) touches her mobile phone to the tag on the smart

NFC catalog.

2. Data transfer: Push registry, product identification, product information, and

product price are transferred to the mobile phone.

3. Processing by the mobile device: The application is started with push registry data

(if not started already). Then, the mobile phone performs the required processing

such as displaying product information to the user, asking for input from the user,

adding a product to the basket, and so on.

4. Order online: Alice orders the current basket, and the mobile phone

communicates with the supermarket’s server through a mobile Internet service or

a Wi-Fi service. The server confirms this request and sends a confirmation

message about having received the required data successfully.

Fig. 4.4 NFC Shopping: Usage Model [1]


4.2 NFC Gossiping: Peer-to-Peer Mode

NFC Gossiping is a social interaction application. The gossiping case’s aim is to establish

a digital gossiping service, so that people can disseminate information to others peer-to-

peer. The following Fig.4.5 shows the activity diagram of NFC Gossiping application.

Fig. 4.5 NFC Gossiping: Activity Diagram

Data Structure

In order to implement the required service, gossip data should be stored in the mobile

device’s storage. The following data need to be stored in order to perform the necessary

functions:

1. Gossip message: This is the actual message that will be sent to peers.

2. Group name: This holds the defined group names.

3. Message group: This stores the corresponding group of each message.

Since each message will share to the next person according to its group,

the group data are required.


Usage Model

Fig. 4.6 shows the usage model of NFC Gossiping message transfer where user Alice

transfers the message to Bob that she wants to share.

Fig. 4.6 NFC Gossiping: Usage Model [1]

4.3 NFC Ticketing: Card Emulation Mode

NFC Ticketing is an application which is used to buy tickets at the ticket counter. This

application uses Card Emulation mode. Here, user (say Alice) approaches a kiosk to buy

tickets which has NFC technology integrated in the kiosk machines. Alice selects the

show specifications; and then she pays for the tickets using her NFC enabled mobile

phone by touching her mobile phone to the reader embedded at the kiosk. After the

payment was confirmed, she touches another tag to transfer tickets to her mobile phone.

Then Alice approaches the turnstile at the entrance of the cinema. Alice touches her

mobile phone to the reader on the turnstile after which the turnstile opens. Fig. 4.7 and

Fig. 4.8 show the activity diagram for the use case described above.

Usage Model

The NFC ticketing use case includes two card emulation applications. Thus, the given

usage model of NFC ticketing includes the generic usage model twice as shown in Fig.

4.9 [1].


Fig. 4.7 NFC ticketing: Activity diagram

Fig. 4.8 NFC ticketing: Activity diagram


Fig. 4.9 NFC Ticketing: Usage Model [1]

1. Payment request: Alice requests payment by touching her mobile phone to the

reader on a kiosk machine. The NFC reader reads the required credit card data.

2. Credit card authorization: The reader sends the credit card information to the

backend information system for credit card authorization.

3. Payment confirmation: The mobile phone is notified on the transaction and the

ticket is sent to the device over the air.

4. Entrance request: Alice requests entrance to the cinema by touching her mobile

phone to the reader at the turnstile. The NFC reader reads the ticket and processes

it.

5. Ticket validation: The NFC reader sends the ticket information to the backend

system in order to validate it.

6. Turnstile opening: When the ticket is validated, the turnstile is opened.

To summarize, various modes of operation of NFC can be used to implement different

types of applications. Along with the above mentioned applications, we can also perform

a variety of daily routine tasks using NFC such as unlocking car, getting entry inside a

building, buying articles, banking, etc. NFC can also establish a Bluetooth connecting

between phones for sending large amounts of data from a further distance range than NFC

covers.


4.4 Future Scope of NFC

NFC could be used for so much more than just data transfer and payments. We can

purchase our tickets, reserve hotel, unlock and lock rooms and cars etc. The truth is that

all of this and more is possible with NFC. As long as vendors get a reader that supports

NFC, capable phones can quickly and easily send information to those devices.

With Android, Nokia and Blackberry all in various stages of supporting NFC, others feel

the pressure to offer support as well to avoid falling behind in a technologically advanced

world. Some current as well as developing applications of NFC include:

Google Wallet: Google’s smartphone program that allows users to load credit card

information and pay.

Visa and Samsung have partnered to create a NFC compatible smartphone geared

at fans of the Olympics. This smartphone will carry special content and aims to

make purchases and other interactions at the Olympic Games faster and easier.

As other cell phone manufacturers race to keep up, NFC could grow substantially and be

offered on more and more devices. All in all, the future of NFC looks bright.


CHAPTER-5 CONCLUSION

Near field communication can be extremely beneficial in the modern era of technology.

NFC is an extremely simple and convenient technology because the data exchange can be

done by just bringing two NFC enabled devices together. It is interactive and secure

which does not require any special software to run on. The underlying standards of NFC

follow universally implemented ISO, ECMA and ETSI standards. It also does not require

any manual configuration or settings which make it easier for consumers.

This technology has the limitation that it can be operated only with devices under a short

range and has a very less data transfer rate. Consumer privacy and data security is also at

risk if there is a cyber-breach. A major challenge is interoperability which is guaranteed

only if the devices comply with the standards required. Even after these hindrances, NFC

is building on existing systems, popular example being Google Wallet. So, it has a very

good chance to be valued and used for many years to come.

Thus, NFC is a new technology and like other technologies it is hard to make it

mainstream as of now because of technological limitations. But it’s fast growing and it

will be successful once the strict security measures are set in place.


REFERENCES

[1] Vedat Coskun, Kerem Ok and Busra Ordenizci, “Near Field Communication from

Theory to Practice”, 1st Edition. New York: Wiley, 2012.

[2] NFC Forum, Analog, Technical Specification, Version 1.0, July 2012.

[3] M. Csapodi, A. Nagy, “New applications for NFC devices”, Proc. of 16th IST

Mobile and Wireless Communications, Budapest, Hungary, IEEE, 2007, pp. 245-

249.

[4] ECMA 340: Near Field Communication Interface and Protocol (NFCIP-1), 3rd

Edition, June 2013.

[5] ECMA 352: Near Field Communication Interface and Protocol (NFCIP-2), 3rd

Edition, June 2013.

[6] Rukzio E., Callaghan V., Leichtenstern K., and Schmidt A. (2006), “An

Experimental Comparison of Physical Mobile Interaction Techniques: Touching,

Pointing and Scanning”, Proc. of Eighth International Conference on Ubiquitous

Computing, CA, USA, 17–21 September 2006, pp. 7–104.

[7] NFC Forum, NFC NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF), Technical Specification,

Version1.0, July 2006.

[8] NFC Forum, NFC NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF), Technical Specification,

Version1.0, July 2006.

[9] NFC Forum, Logical Link Control Protocol, Technical Specification, Version 1.0,

December 2009.

[10] Tuikka T. and Isomursu M., “Touch the Future with a Smart Touch”, VTT

Tiedotteita – Research Notes 2492, Espoo, Finland, 2009.

[11] B. Ozdenizci, M. N. Aydin, V. Coskun, K. Ok, “NFC Research Framework: A

Literature Review and Future Research Directions”, Proc. 14th IBIMA

International Business Information Management Conf., Istanbul, TURKEY, 2010,

pp. 2672-2685.

[12] Vedat Coskun, Kerem Ok and Busra Ordenizci, “Current Benefits and Future

Directions of NFC Services”, Proc. of 2010 International Conference on

Education and Management Technology (ICEMT), Cairo, Egypt, 2–4 November

2010, pp. 334–338.


[13] E. Haselsteiner, K. Breitfuß, “Security in Near Field Communication (NFC)”, in

Workshop on RFID Security, 2006.

[14] ECMA 386: NFC-SEC-01: NFC-SEC Cryptographic Standard using ECDH and

AES, June 2010.

[15] ECMA 385: NFC-SEC: NFCIP-1 Security Services and Protocol, June 2010.

[16] Franssila H., “User Experiences and Acceptance Scenarios of NFC Applications

in Security Service Field Work”, Proc. of the 2010 Second International

Workshop on Near Field Communication, Monaco, 20–22 April 2010, pp. 39.


ACRONYMS

1. NFC: Near Field Communication

2. SE: Secure Element

3. RF: Radio Frequency

4. ISO: International Organization for Standardization

5. IEC: International Electrotechnical Commission

6. ECMA: European Computer Manufacturers Association

7. RFID: Radio Frequency Identification

8. ISM: Industrial, Scientific and Medical

9. OOK: On/Off Keying

10. ASK: Amplitude Shift Keying

11. BPSK: Binary Phase Shift Keying

12. NFCIP: Near Field Communication Interface and Protocol

13. ETSI TS: European Telecommunications Standards Institute Technical

Specification

14. CRC: Cyclic Redundancy Check

15. PCD: Proximity Coupling Device

16. VCD: Vicinity Coupling Device

17. PICC: Proximity Integrated Circuit Card

18. NDEF: NFC Data Exchange Format

19. RTD: Record Type Definition

20. LLCP: Logical Link Control Protocol

21. OSI: Open Systems Interconnection

22. NFC-SEC: NFC Security

23. AES: Advanced Encryption Standard

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