Today, various technologies have been developed in various industries. Access control systems have not benefited from the existence of these technologies. Wireless technologies are being used more than ever in existing security issues. NFC and Bluetooth are two technologies in this field that are similar but also have differences.
Both use wireless technology to transfer information and communication between two devices. Both technologies provide connection between two devices in a short distance. But in addition to their similarities, they are different. Of course, this difference does not make us prefer one over the other. Each of the two technologies has its own advantages and disadvantages, and according to our needs, we can use each of these two technologies. In the rest of the article, we will introduce and then examine the differences between Bluetooth and NFC technologies.
What is Bluetooth and how does it work?
Bluetooth is a wireless technology that enables communication between two devices over short distances. Bluetooth uses a very high frequency (VHF) wavelength in the range of 2.402 GHz to 2.480 GHz. Devices equipped with Bluetooth can communicate with each other up to a distance of 10 meters. Data transfer speed is usually 1 to 3 megabits per second. Each device can communicate with up to 8 other devices at the same time. Bluetooth technology is present in various devices such as smartphones, speakers, iPods, laptops.
Bluetooth divides data into packets. Then it sends each packet on one of the 79 dedicated Bluetooth channels. The bandwidth of each channel is one megahertz.
Access control systems are mainly based on Bluetooth Low Energy, which is highly efficient in terms of performance and energy consumption. Systems that use BLE can operate for several months with only one battery.
What is NFC and how does it work?
NFC stands for Near Field Communication and means close communication. NFC is a type of wireless technology that creates a short-range connection between devices on the 13.56 wavelength to communicate and transfer information. In NFC, information can be transferred between devices that are up to 4 cm apart. Only one device can be connected to another device at a time and the data transfer rate is 424 Kbit/s. This technology is suitable for transferring and paying money between two tools. NFC technology is similar to Bluetooth, but it is more reliable, which is why it is used for financial payments. The Google Pay application is one of the examples of applications that work with NFC.
Differences between NFC and Bluetooth
Next, we examine the differences between NFC and Bluetooth:
Performance distance
NFC works at a shorter distance than Bluetooth. In contrast, Bluetooth can function at a greater distance, i.e. up to 10 meters. Bluetooth has interference due to its greater range, but NFC creates a strong connection in a shorter distance without interference.
way of working
Bluetooth requires manual setting to communicate between two devices, but communication via NFC is done without the need for settings. All that is needed in NFC is to place two devices next to each other to instantly establish communication between them.
energy consumption
In most cases, NFC consumes less energy than Bluetooth and can work on a low-power transceiver and will not affect the battery much. In fact, NFC is a cost-effective technology in terms of energy consumption. Of course, Bluetooth does not consume much energy, but compared to NFC, it consumes more energy.
Security
In NFC technology, there is more security due to the transfer of information in a very short distance. In addition, this short distance means that there is almost no interference during the transfer of information and the information is transferred reliably between two devices.
Data transfer rate
Communicating between two devices in NFC is done faster because no special settings are needed and as soon as the two devices are in a suitable range, they are connected. But the data transfer rate in NFC is much lower than Bluetooth. For this reason, it is not suitable for transferring large files, and in case of transferring large files such as video, it is better to use Bluetooth.
flexibility
NFC has the ability to connect to passive RFID tags, so it is a suitable option for use in access control systems. In contrast, Bluetooth is incompatible with RFID tags. As a result, NFC is more flexible.
NFC creates a more secure connection than Bluetooth due to the ability to communicate in a shorter distance. As a result, it is more suitable for crowded places. Because in crowded places, different devices are communicating with each other, as a result of having NFC, communication is established without interference. Although Bluetooth uses PIN-based authentication, it has various security issues and is vulnerable to hacker attacks.
Conclusion
The difference between Bluetooth and NFC technology makes each of them have their own uses. NFC is mostly used in systems that need to communicate in a shorter distance and more secure, and as a result, it is used more in access control and payment systems. In contrast, Bluetooth, although it does not create a secure connection, it communicates in a wider range and the speed of data transfer is also
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