Extending the Near Field Communication Market Opportunity with DASH7 Wireless Sensor Networking Technology

DASH7 and NFC (Near Field Communications) complement each other extremely well, as their features and functionality are completely different, but their technologies are suprisingly similar. This whitepaper describes the technical feasibility of integrating DASH7 components with NFC components and touches upon the functionality afforded by such an integrated solution. © Copyright 2012 Haystack Technologies, Inc. contact: [email protected] Extending the NFC Market Opportunity with DASH7 04/10 2 / 2 Introduction Introduction to DASH7 and NFC Technology DASH7 is a wireless sensor networking standard that is used for applications requiring low power, “bursty” wireless communication. DASH7 is described by and named after the ISO/IEC 18000-7 standard for active RFID. DASH7 has extremely long range (hundreds of meters), providing excellent network coverage and making DASH7 ideal for large area sensor networking or supporting reliable communication with things on the move. Some common examples include building automation smart energy, tire pressure monitoring, and in-transit temperature monitoring of perishable goods. NFC (Near Field Communication) is a passive RF technology usually based on ISO/IEC 18092 (a superset of ISO/IEC 14443 and ISO 18000-3), different from classic passive RFID by virtue of NFC’s ability to act as both a tag and reader. Talk of NFC integration into cellular phones has become a consistent topic of technology journalism in recent years, and has approached a point where mainstream cell phone adoption seems inevitable [1]. NFC has extremely short range (approximately 4 centimeters [2]) providing excellent spatial isolation and making NFC ideal for replacing things like credit cards, or alternatively as a means of access control. Even today, most access control systems use ISO/IEC 14443 or 18000-3 passive RFID cards, and the hope is that, very soon from now, we can stop carrying dozens of cards in our wallets. Some advocate forgetting the wallet entirely. © Copyright 2012 Haystack Technologies, Inc. Extending the NFC Market Opportunity with DASH7 04/10 3 / 3 DASH7, NFC, and Smartphones 1.1 Low Cost RF Silicon in 2010 Filter ADC Digital Core