INSIDE Secure announces new dual-interface tag
18 March, 2013
category: NFC
INSIDE Secure has revealed a new NFC tag that could broaden the possible interactions between NFC-enabled devices.
The new INSIDE dual-interface NFC Forum Type 4 Tag aims to redefine how consumer devices will interact with medical, communications, entertainment and other electronic devices. The new INSIDE dual-interface Tag will maintain the standard NFC contactless interface, but will also feature a one-wire interface that will enable the tag to conduct low-cost wireless communications between devices.
It is this new one-wire interface that INSIDE Secure believes will open the door to a host of new and exciting NFC applications.
INSIDE Secure is using the NFC Type 4 tags to transform standard storage devices into multipurpose communication channels that can act as an alternative to Bluetooth or other similar technologies.
As an example, INSIDE’s new NFC tags can wirelessly pair a phone to a Bluetooth headset simply by tapping the devices together. The Type 4 tag detects the NFC field on the contactless interface and connects to the one-wire interface inside the headset, thus starting the pairing process.
Uses for the new NFC tags are not limited to Bluetooth, however, as the tags’ field sensing capability could be applied to Wi-Fi connectivity as well. The new Type 4 tag could allow for an NFC-enabled device to connect to a wireless access point as well as support data transfer— through the tag— between the device and wireless access point.
INSIDE’s new dual-interface NFC Type 4 Tag will come in two memory configurations, the VaultIC 151D with a 1.5-Kbyte file size and the the VaultIC 161D with its 16-Kbyte file size— the largest memory size currently on the market.
In addition to INSIDE’s proprietary one-wire interface, both tag models feature a standard contactless interface fully complaint with ISO14443 Type B protocol. Data access on the tags, regardless of the interface used, is performed according to NFC Forum standards.