Hardware

Libelium's RFID/NFC module integrates an RFID/NFC reader/writer integrated circuit.

Features

• Compatibility: Reader/writer mode supporting ISO 14443A / MIFARE / FeliCaTM / NFCIP-1

• Max capacity: 4KB

• Tags: cards, keyrings, stickers

Among several RFID standards; Libelium's RFID/NFC module is compliant with ISO/IEC 14443-A/Mifare®, which probably are the most successful international standards in RFID technology. Mifare® is a proprietary technology by NXP which is based on the ISO/IEC 14443-A standard. This technology operates at the 13.56 MHz ISM frequency band, so it can be deployed anywhere without authorization or license.

The RFID/NFC module implements the radio-frequency, analog and digital tasks in transmission and reception, while Waspmote's role is to control these operations. Waspmote is connected to the RFID/NFC module through its UART interface.

The ISO/IEC 14443-A/Mifare® standard offers a 3-pass authentication method to enable secure, encrypted communications between the RFID/NFC module and the card. Also, there are different mechanisms (CRC, parity, bit encoding, etc) to ensure the data integrity.

The RFID/NFC module is also compatible with NFC, in particular with the standards ISO/IEC 18098 and NFCIP-1. The NFC technology allows two-way communications between end-points that normally are smartphones or other advanced electronic devices. An NFC communication can be set in a very quick way, which is a benefit with regard to WiFi or Bluetooth.

The antenna is 57x57x10 mm and can be plugged in 2 directions, but for the best range we suggest to place it like in the photos, standing out of the surface of Waspmote. Obviously, for projects with strict form factor specifications, the antenna can be placed over Waspmote. The antenna has a gain of around 33 dB and is configurable by the user.