Starting from Q2 2020, the NFC Forum will enforce an updated version of their test specifications, numbered CR12.0.
What is the goal of this new version ?
- To Enhance the user experience.
It means introducing test conditions closer from the real world. But also contributing to decrease the number of interoperability issues on the field.
- To Introduce new possibility of use cases.
The active mode communication testing will be enhanced.
- To Enhanced alignment with other standards
Principles used in EMVCo and ISO 10373-6 and -7 will be adopted.
Here are the 10 things you need to remember about the CR12 test specification:
- NFC is a contactless communication technology, standardized by several organizations
- A device that embeds the NFC technology may need to follow several standards, depending on its use cases (Payment? Transportation? Access control?)
- There are discrepancies between the requirement of the different standardization committees which, at the end, may hinder the user experience, and eventually his adoption of the NFC technology
- The NFC Forum, through its new CR12 test specification, helps the ecosystem to address those discrepancies (the other standardization groups are doing similar tasks too)
- This new test specification adds 3 new Listener antennas to its « arsenal » of antennas, in order to get closer from the EMVCo test conditions
- The NFC Forum CR12 mandates that an 8 shaped coil is used to capture poller waveshapes
- It introduces the test of the active mode transmission scheme, paving the way for new use cases
- The NFC Forum CR12 re-invented completely the DP tag operation test cases, to ensure a satisfying device to tag user experience
- Wireless charging over NFC is going to be standardized in a short term by the NFC Forum
- NI has implemented all NFC Forum CR12 test cases, and will release a solution certified by the NFC Forum in the coming weeks (tool certification under finalization)
Watch our video presentation about the NFC Forum CR12 test specification.