Near field communication (NFC) and Bluetooth are wireless technologies that allow your smartphone to talk to other devices. NFC is restricted to short-range communication, which means it can only work when both devices are within a few centimeters of each other. Bluetooth, on the other hand, is capable of connecting over much longer distances.
What is NFC (Near Field Communication)?
NFC (Near Field Communication) is a short-range wireless communication technology that allows two devices to exchange data with each other when they are brought into close proximity. It was developed as a standard by the NFC Forum, and is now supported by many modern smartphones and tablets.
NFC can be used for mobile payments, data exchange, and other proximity services.
What is Bluetooth?
Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances (using short-wavelength UHF radio waves in the ISM band from 2.4 to 2.485 GHz) from fixed and mobile devices, and building personal area networks (PANs).
Bluetooth operates independently of a wide range of wireless technologies like WiFi or cellular signals. It does not require new protocols and is compatible with older versions of Bluetooth technology, with some exceptions noted below.
Bluetooth uses the 2.4 gigahertz spectrum band, which is unlicensed worldwide. It operates at speeds up to 1 Mbps (megabit per second), 10 times faster than 802.11b Wi-Fi
What’s the difference between Near Field Communication and Bluetooth?
You’re probably familiar with Bluetooth, but have you heard of NFC? Near Field Communication is a short-range wireless communication technology that allows you to exchange data with other devices. The same way that your phone connects to your headphones or car stereo via Bluetooth, it can also use NFC to send messages and payments. But what exactly are the differences between them?
NFC is more secure than Bluetooth because it’s designed for close proximity use—think credit cards and payment terminals instead of wireless headphones and speakers—and uses an encrypted protocol to ensure only authorized devices can connect with each other. With this kind of security in place, there’s less chance your data will be compromised if someone tries to hack into your device over Bluetooth (but it can happen).
Which is better?
NFC is a short-range wireless communication technology that allows you to transfer data between devices. It has been around for more than 15 years and is used for making payments, exchanging business cards, and more. Bluetooth is more of a connection protocol rather than a specific technology. It’s low-power wireless technology that pairs devices together and allows them to communicate with each other from up to 33 feet away.
Both NFC and Bluetooth can be used for connecting devices (such as your phone or tablet), transferring files between two computers via Wi-Fi hotspot, or even syncing your watch with your smartphone so that it knows when it’s time to wake you up in the morning (that last example requires two things: an iOS device running iOS 12 or later; and an Apple Watch Series 4).
Conclusion
NFC is a short-range wireless technology that allows users to exchange data between devices by tapping them together. It’s very similar in nature to Bluetooth, except it works on a much shorter range and doesn’t require pairing beforehand (though some devices still do).
NFC is used mostly on smartphones and tablets with Android operating systems since they’re able to communicate with other devices using this technology. NFC has been around since 2001 but only became mainstream after Apple announced support for it in 2013 with their iPhone 6 lineup of phones.
