Near Field Communication (NFC) allows wireless communication and data exchange between digital devices such as this printer and a smartphone by using electromagnetic radio fields, while technologies such as Bluetooth use radio transmissions instead.
NFC is a sub-class of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology that is designed for use by devices within close proximity to each other. NFC technology allows devices to establish communication by touching or bringing them into close proximity, usually no more than 7.62 cm (3 in.).
The printer contains a passive NFC tag which contains information that other devices, such as a smartphone, can read. The NFC tag does not read information itself; it only transmits information.
Active devices can read information and send data. An active NFC device, such as a smartphone, would not only be able to collect information from NFC tags, but it would also be able to exchange information with other compatible phones or devices. An active device could even alter the information on the NFC tag if authorized to make such changes. To ensure security, NFC often establishes a secure channel and uses encryption when sending sensitive information.
