What are the differences between QR Code/RFID/NFC？UCOT at the cutting edge of NB-IoT communications
The internet has completely changed the world in the last two decades. It has drastically changed the way people communicate with each other and access information. The next iteration of internet is truly underway and it’s known as the Internet of Things (IoT)
IoT technology lets the non-intelligent devices we use become smart. Fridges, coffee machines and air conditioners can now be operated by mobile phones and increasingly by voice commands. Whether you want to switch lights on or off, adjust the room temperature, play music or watch TV programs, the Internet of Things can follow your commands. The Internet of Everything will also significantly reduce labour costs and improve efficiency across all business types.
The Internet of Things connects the original non-intelligent objects to the internet, thus achieving a comprehensive upgrade and useful data that can be sent back to manufacturers and service providers. An important question in the development of IoT technology today is how do these devices connect to the internet?
In terms of communication protocols, one-dimensional code, two-dimensional code, RFID, NFC, NB-IoT and other technologies have all been applied to the Internet of Things in some form or shape. Let’s analyze them each one by one.
One-dimensional code
A name often used to describe one-dimensional codes is a bar code or barcode. A barcode is a set of regularly arranged bars, spaces and corresponding characters. It can express limited information and it requires specific computer software to read and identify the barcode. There are many different one-dimensional code systems on the market. The commodity identification code EAN is used by supermarkets and for books (ISBN’s).
The 1D code originated in the 1940s and has been widely used ever since. Its characteristics arehigh speed input, high accuracy, low cost and reliability. However, the amount of data that the one-dimensional code can record is extremely small. It’s also easy to be forged or copied, which makes it insufficient to meet the needs of the future Internet of Things.
QR Code
The QR code is an improved version of the one-dimensional code. A one-dimensional code only has horizontal information, whereas a QR code has two dimensions; vertical and horizontal information. This makes it better than the one-dimensional code in terms of fault tolerance and data volume. It also retains the characteristics of low cost and fast recognition of one-dimensional code.
QR codes are very popular and widely utilized in China because of its integration with platforms such as WeChat and Alipay. It’s ease of use undoubtedly improves people’s lives. However, the QR code still has its shortcomings, including the low-cost/easy-to copy double-edged sword that it inherits from the one-dimensional code.
Additionally, QR code recognition depends on the network, lighting environment, security, fault tolerance and recognition rate. It’s simply not efficient enough to be used in industrial and commercial areas.
RFID
Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) has always been considered one of the core technologies in the Internet of Things. Unlike the one-dimensional code and the QR code, the RFID wireless connection medium is not a visible light but an electromagnetic field. As such, it has the advantages of electromagnetic field penetration and non-linearity. For example, a supermarket scanner can scan only use one barcode at a time, while an RFID reader can identify all RFID tags in a warehouse simultaneously.
Depending on the technology used, the effective range of RFID can range from a few centimeters to 1 kilometer. Compared with one or two-dimensional code, the communication distance is much longer and the capacity, copying difficulty and environmental tolerance are a lot higher.
RFID requires a certain configuration cost, but in the case of a large number of applications its relative cost is still low.
However, from an anti-counterfeiting point of view the security of RFID is still problematic. For example, the Chinese spirit Maotai used RFID but this didn’t stop counterfeiters from producing enormous amounts of fake Maotai wine cases to meet the increased demand for the product.
NFC
Near Field Communication (NFC) evolved from RFID and is compatible with most RFID high-frequency related standards. However, NFC is designed to be used only at close range to prevent RFID from being remotely switched on and this makes it difficult to detect, steal or tamper with its information.
Another big difference between the two is that RFID can only read and judge information, while NFC supports information exchange. In addition, RFID is used for one-to-many, while NFC is designed for point-to-point scenarios.
At present, most of the high-end mobile phones are equipped with NFC modules as the NFC protocol provides payment-level security. ApplePay, UnionPay flash payment and use NFC functions. Many public transport cards and access cards also use NFC technology.
Because NFC has interactive features, it can also be used in smart switches, such as placing an NFC contact to unlock the door to your home and your car. When the phone touches the switch, the door unlocks.
UCOT integrates paper batteries and sensors into NFC tags to track and trace various commodities. It realizes the trust of the front-chain NFC gate and the . chain-locked blockchain.
NB-IoT
Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) is a communications protocol that supports low-power devices in wide area network (WAN) cellular data connections. It has wide coverage, low power consumption, massive connectivity and low cost. It’s specifically designed for the Internet of Things and is expected to become the standard communication protocol.
NB-IoT is built on a cellular network and consumes only about 180KHz of bandwidth. It can be deployed directly on GSM networks, UMTS networks or LTE networks (that is, existing 2G, 3G, 4G networks), thus reducing deployment costs and achieving smooth upgrades.
Strictly speaking, NB-IoT is not the same as a one and 2 dimensional code and it is a lower-level communication technology. The above-mentioned one-dimensional code, two-dimensional code, RFID, and NFC belong to the sensing layer of the Internet of Things. For example, after scanning a QR code, you need to communicate with the server through Wi-Fi or a 4G network to get the QR code URL. The information is then converted to a web page for presentation to the user.
NB-IoT is a communications protocol is more suitable for Internet of Things than Wifi and 4G networks. Technologies such as 1D code, QR code, RFID and NFC will be replaced by simpler solutions, so NB-IoT also shows a substitution for QR code, RFID and NFC, despite the two not being on the same level of technology.
The use of sensing layers requires some kind of artificial scanning and receiving, while NB-IoT’s wide coverage and low power consumption allows items to stay connected to the network and actively transmit without having to be scanned. IoT objects are more independent of manual operations, which makes them more efficient and smarter.
Future developments of NB-IoT
The world’s major operators — including China Unicom, Telstra and Vodafone — have already deployed NB-IoT and opened test bands in many areas. UCOT’s NB-IoT equipment has been successfully tested using these networks and is the world’s leading core technology brought by the UCOT team.
The NB-IoT network will be fully operational soon and the NB-IoT traceability solution from UCOT will present an absolute competitive advantage to the current generation of traceability solutions in the industry.
For Sales Enquiries contact UCOT’s Sales Director Mike Verhoeven on +61 403 491 144 or mike.verhoeven@ucot.world.
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