Test-and-Measurement » NFC Testing Tools: A Comprehensive Guide to Tests and Equipment

NFC Testing Tools: A Comprehensive Guide to Tests and Equipment

nfc testing conformance testing rf measurements keysight nfc devices

This article explores various NFC tests and NFC testers utilized for NFC testing. This testing is crucial for NFC tags and readers throughout the design and manufacturing phases. We will also cover NFC conformance test tools offered by Keysight Technologies.

NFC Tests

The following table outlines typical NFC test types performed on NFC tag and reader devices, or any device compliant with NFC specifications.

Table 1: Types of NFC Tests

NFC Test TypeDescription
Conformance testingThe aim of this test is to verify modulation, coding, BER (Bit Error Rate) parameters of NFC transmitters and receivers. It verifies the physical layer and RF layer of the NFC device.
Interoperability testingIncludes peer communication, small data exchange, connection handover, etc. The main aim of this test is to verify that NFC devices from different vendors can communicate with each other without any issues.
NFC Digital protocolCovers digital interface, half-duplex transmission protocol, bit-level coding, frame formats, bit rates, commands, protocols, etc., used for data exchange between NFC devices that are bound to the LLCP protocol.
NFC analog testsFocuses on analog features of the RF interface of an NFC device, covering various roles such as peer mode initiator, target, reader/writer, card emulation, etc., across NFC technologies such as NFC-A, NFC-B, and NFC-F. It tests all the bit rates such as 106/212/424 kbps.
LLCP(Logical Link Control Protocol) OSI layer-2 protocol used by NFC devices for peer-to-peer communication.
SNEP(Simple NDEF Exchange Protocol) This protocol allows messages at the application layer, which are in NFC data exchange format, to be exchanged between NFC devices.

NFC Testers Used for NFC Testing

The T3111S test platform from Keysight Technologies serves as an NFC tester, capable of validating all the NFC testing requirements outlined in Table 1. It facilitates testing of analog RF, digital protocol, LLCP, and SNEP using a single test platform.

Other tools utilized as NFC testers during NFC device testing include:

  • Signal Generator: Used to generate the 13.56 MHz NFC frequency.
  • Digital Sampling Oscilloscope: Used to verify various time-domain parameters of the signal.
  • Vector Network Analyzer: Used to verify various insertion loss and return loss parameters.

Keysight NFC Testing Tools for Conformance Tests

The following table lists Keysight solutions used as NFC testing tools for conformance tests.

Table 2: Keysight Solutions for NFC Conformance Tests

Keysight SolutionDescription
T3111S NFC conformance test system
T3121S NFC R&D test system
T1141A NFC test set
T1142A Automatic positioning robot

Refer to NFC T & M for more information on NFC testing tools and equipment manufacturers.