• New capabilities have been added to the certification program to simplify the testing of NFC end-products.
• A streamlining of testing requirements was done to evaluate how the device will behave depending on the intended use of the product

The NFC Forum recently announced it has made available Test Release 13.2 (TR13.2) which adds new capabilities to its certification program to simplify the testing of NFC end-products.

The forum’s certification program confirms that certified devices are compliant with NFC Forum Specifications, ensuring a consistent behavior of devices across different NFC-ecosystem and sets the foundation for interoperability within each use case of diverse markets.

This addition makes the certification process easier and more affordable for businesses and enables other standards bodies using NFC technology to more easily test product functionality and deliver better user experiences, according to officials. NFC Forum is the global standards body for NFC technology.

Testing Requirements Streamlined

The added NFC Forum testing approach provides new capabilities for market-ready products allowing for release candidate software to be evaluated rather than engineering software designed exclusively for testing. This shortens time-to-market for NFC Forum enabled products.

Additionally, a streamlining of testing requirements was done to evaluate how the device will behave depending on the intended use of the product.

Together these efforts reduce the number of tests needed without impacting testing coverage or changing the functionality being evaluated, according to NFC Forum officials.

McCamon Comments

Mike McCamon, executive director of NFC Forum, explained the NFC Forum-enabled products are known to work seamlessly to maintain integrity and trust in the technology, adds that cross market interoperability has never been more important.

“Testing product conformance to NFC Forum Specifications is crucial for our industry to enable the basic first step to achieve interoperability,” said McCamon in a press statement. “Simplified and affordable approaches, such as those introduced in TR13.2, are key to deliver the optimal balance of cost versus quality for ensuring a good user experience.”

Industry bodies which incorporate NFC Forum testing practices within their certification programs, such as the Connected Car Consortium, Universal Stylus Initiative and GSM Association, will not be impacted by the updates.

Certification Program

NFC Forum partners with select authorized test laboratories to provide certification testing services. These laboratories are now equipped to deliver TR13.2 testing. The forum’s website provides certified products and offers protocols on how to get a product certified.

McCamon stated the forum certification program is adaptive in order to supports the needs of many different industry groups as it offer three levels of testing: analogue, digital and NDEF-application test cases.

“We are sensitive to the requirements of our partners and ensure that any advances made don’t affect their testing programs,” he said. “The latest updates are exclusive to certain NDEF-application tests.”