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I remember hearing that these physical NFC tags are pretty inexpensive. I wonder if developers can come up (or may have already come up) with apps that enable the phone to launch certain profile/apps when an NFC tag is scanned.
For example, putting an NFC tag at your office desk, so that your phone is switch into vibrate mode or whatever profile the second you put down your phone at your desk. Or putting an NFC tag at your bedside table, so that the phone goes into certain quiet and low power mode (say, underclock) or turn alarm on, when you put down the phone and go to bed.
Many of these features can be accomplished by location-aware app I suppose, but having the tactile feedback (i.e. the short vibration) when scanning NFC tag makes it more assuring (not to mention that I find that location-aware apps not too reliable).
EDIT: Ok, found a similar thread, can't seem to be able to delete this thread though...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1359057
I bought some nfc tags from the good people over at tagsfordroid.com and took the weekend to program a few of the tags. I thought it would be cool to list some of the programs/actions people have programmed into the tags so others can get some good ideas.
Program: NFC Task Launcher.
Work tag:
~switch tag.
1. Get to work:
Disable wifi
set ringer type vibrate
set brightness to 26
disable bluetooth
2. Leave work:
Enable Wifi
Set Ringer type Normal
Enable Auto-Brightness
Ringer Volume 7
NFC on key chain.
~switch tag.
1. hotspot on:
enable portable hotspot
set brightness to 16
disable wifi
disable bluetooth
2. hotspot off:
disable portable hotspot
enable wifi
enable bluetooth
enable wifi
That's all i have for now. lets see what else everyone is programming into their nfc chips.
i also put an nfc tag by my calendar at my work to pull up my calendar app when i tap my calendar.
Put a tag on my car dock to turn off wifi, turn up ringer and media volume, and start pandora
Have one on my valet at home to turn on wifi and set ringer to vibrate
Sent from my Galaxy Note using xda premium
neevz said:
Put a tag on my car dock to turn off wifi, turn up ringer and media volume, and start pandora
Have one on my valet at home to turn on wifi and set ringer to vibrate
Sent from my Galaxy Note using xda premium
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Click to collapse
cool!
alicechong89 said:
Here is another page for Creative Uses for NFC Tags
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1447678&highlight=nfc+tags
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Click to collapse
good article i saw that one when doing a search.
Just thought it would be cool to actually show the action items that were posted to the tags so someone could reproduce it if they thought it was a good idea.
has anyone figured out how to turn on and off an exchange account with NFC? I would love the tag that i use when i leave my office to turn on my exchange account mail so i can get my e-mail while im at home. I dont need it on while im at work because im in front of a computer all day and have access to my e-mail.
chambers7867 said:
has anyone figured out how to turn on and off an exchange account with NFC? I would love the tag that i use when i leave my office to turn on my exchange account mail so i can get my e-mail while im at home. I dont need it on while im at work because im in front of a computer all day and have access to my e-mail.
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Click to collapse
I'm sure that you could set something up using a combination of NFC Task Launcher and Tasker.
Also, while I'm tooling around trying different tags, It seems that placing tags on a metal background causes them to not work... I have had no success placing them on the side of the front door (metal door...) so I can touch it on my way out the door. Also all the desks and everything else for that matter is metal at work (Navy) so placing a "work" tag has proven to be rather difficult to accomplish successfully... May have to try different types of tags to see if there is success with another type.
Ammontj said:
I'm sure that you could set something up using a combination of NFC Task Launcher and Tasker.
Also, while I'm tooling around trying different tags, It seems that placing tags on a metal background causes them to not work... I have had no success placing them on the side of the front door (metal door...) so I can touch it on my way out the door. Also all the desks and everything else for that matter is metal at work (Navy) so placing a "work" tag has proven to be rather difficult to accomplish successfully... May have to try different types of tags to see if there is success with another type.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get metal isolating tags, they have an isolation layer between the IC and the surface you place them on so they work on metal. They are a bit thicker as a result.
place them on so they work on metal
There is a mod in the EVO 4g LTE and HTC one x forums that let's you choose when NFC can be read.
Screen on and unlocked,
Screen on and locked, or
Screed off (obviously locked)
I modded the phone to read tags when the screen is on and even if the phone is still locked. Allowing it to read while the screen is off may be a security risk for some.
Anyway,
On my keychain:
Switcher:
WiFi off, Bluetooth on, volume up, brightness up, latitude check in, plays media player.
This is great because it automatically connects to my car Bluetooth headset and the HTC aux stereoclip so music starts playing through my car speakers wirelessly via swipe of the keychain.
Tap again to disable all these and check in again w latitude.
I also have a separate tag in my car low on the dash to enable GPS and open maps so I don't have to fiddle w my phone througg the settings and open the app drawer to open maps. Makes driving that much safer. Also, I don't always use GPS, so having a separate tag for it from my keychain saves battery by using it only when needed.
Trying to set up a tag to enable WiFi tether for root users and stick it to my laptop/pc for quick swiping and enabling. But that has been tricky as you either have to use tasker or a custom activity in NFC task launcher.
Can't think of any others relevant to my interests. I don't see the need in making 38583983 tags. I definitely use the ones in the car tho.
I may order a wristband and think up something creative for it. Assigning a "sync all" activity would rock for it as I keep auto-syncing on my phone off and only sync email and such when I see fit.
Phew.
Sent from my EVO using XDA
For the two of you who permanent contact?
For example, I have a car dock in my car. My thought was to put the NFC Tag sticker on the back of the dock so when I put my phone in the dock, it would obviously hit the tag and trigger my car settings (wifi off, bluetooth on, etc). Then when I removed the phone from the dock, I'd want it to trigger other settings (bluetooth off, etc).
Since the phone would be constantly against the tag, though, would it be continually triggering switches back and forth? Or would the initial switch trigger upon putting it in the dock, but in order to trigger the 2nd switch upon removal I'd need to move it away from the tag, then tap it back on the tag to initiate another trigger?
Thanks for your help. Trying to fully grasp how the NFC tags work.
hollywoodfrodo said:
For the two of you who permanent contact?
For example, I have a car dock in my car. My thought was to put the NFC Tag sticker on the back of the dock so when I put my phone in the dock, it would obviously hit the tag and trigger my car settings (wifi off, bluetooth on, etc). Then when I removed the phone from the dock, I'd want it to trigger other settings (bluetooth off, etc).
Since the phone would be constantly against the tag, though, would it be continually triggering switches back and forth? Or would the initial switch trigger upon putting it in the dock, but in order to trigger the 2nd switch upon removal I'd need to move it away from the tag, then tap it back on the tag to initiate another trigger?
Thanks for your help. Trying to fully grasp how the NFC tags work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With android there's no indication that a tag has gone out of "range" broadcast to the system. Essentially to get the tag to re-fire you'd need to either move out of range and then back in or turn the screen off (disables NFC) and then back on and unlock the device (restarts NfC and re-reads the tag).
hollywoodfrodo said:
For the two of you who permanent contact?
For example, I have a car dock in my car. My thought was to put the NFC Tag sticker on the back of the dock so when I put my phone in the dock, it would obviously hit the tag and trigger my car settings (wifi off, bluetooth on, etc). Then when I removed the phone from the dock, I'd want it to trigger other settings (bluetooth off, etc).
Since the phone would be constantly against the tag, though, would it be continually triggering switches back and forth? Or would the initial switch trigger upon putting it in the dock, but in order to trigger the 2nd switch upon removal I'd need to move it away from the tag, then tap it back on the tag to initiate another trigger?
Thanks for your help. Trying to fully grasp how the NFC tags work.
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Click to collapse
Two important points
1) NFC doesn't usually work with screen off, so you either need to patched NFC.apk (for example AOKP b40 has this feature) - otherwise, everytime you switch on screen, it would trigger the tag again
2) there really is no way to trigger action on tag removal
I solved this (sort of) by having two tags - one in dock and other one that resets to "default" settings that I swipe after I leave. Not pretty but working...
Or you can set the actions as toggles, so one touch - set for dock mode, and second touch - revert back. But it obviously doesn't work for everything.
Simple solution to that, get an app that detects other hardware features so it can detect when its being moved, ie proximity detection, orientation.
You could also get a fabric nfc tag and sew it into your pocket?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
I created a tag that does the following:
->Turns WiFi on
->Waits until I'm connected to my home WiFi connection.
->Sends a WOL packet to my desktop at home
->Wait 20 seconds
->Turn Wifi Off
So when I get home from work I can put my phone down on the tag and my PC will automagically begin booting
For the obvious uses, don't forget night mode - turn ringer off (or on, depending) turn off mobile data, connect to home wifi, etc.
If you just want to mess with tags, go to your local tmo or bestbuy store and pick up a pack of the samsung tectiles. They aren't as cheap as you get online ($15 for 5 vs $1-$2 each) but they are decently large and work just fine. Once you run out you know its time to order a bunch, and you'll probably have a better idea which ones you want to order.
As an old-school embedded hacker, does anyone know of a vendor that sells the DESfire E2V tags with a tag dev kit? I've got a bunch of ideas for cool apps, but I need to be able to modify the OS on the tag. (Take a look at the specs, its pretty neat. up to 32k of storage, with security etc, all running on an old Intel embedded CPU from the 80s.) The only ones I've found so far have the firmware distinctly read-only. I suspect it is using the on-chip ROM, which means it would take impossibly delicate surgery to replace. (There is a pin that toggles between booting on-chip and external.) In theory a dev kit would be set to external and come with a jig or other tool to write it, as well as OS binaries for the standard NFC OS..
As a random easy example of stuff you could do, think of a write-only tag that took vcards for a mailing list (or a roll call) but didn't let anyone but the authorized user read them out again. Right now you'd need to put a full embedded computer behind an active NFC module to do that - a lot more expensive and more failure-prone than a custom tag..
The command IF
neevz said:
Put a tag on my car dock to turn off wifi, turn up ringer and media volume, and start pandora
Have one on my valet at home to turn on wifi and set ringer to vibrate
Sent from my Galaxy Note using xda premium
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Click to collapse
I think that without the command "IF" and "SWITCH" the use of this tags is too easy and useless.
Are these two commands available?
hollywoodfrodo said:
For the two of you who permanent contact?
For example, I have a car dock in my car. My thought was to put the NFC Tag sticker on the back of the dock so when I put my phone in the dock, it would obviously hit the tag and trigger my car settings (wifi off, bluetooth on, etc). Then when I removed the phone from the dock, I'd want it to trigger other settings (bluetooth off, etc).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had problems with double-reading when I'd fumble putting the phone in the car dock. It snaps into place the dock, and it would sometimes read when it got close to the dock, then again when it snapped into the cradle.
I put the tag on my sun visor instead. Sit down, touch the phone to the visor, put it in the car dock. Arrive at work, pull the phone from the dock, touch the visor, and go.
Same thing with my at work tag - I put it on the side of my desk so it wouldn't re-trigger if I removed the phone from my work dock to answer it.
Anything is possible with Tasker
mmameli said:
I think that without the command "IF" and "SWITCH" the use of this tags is too easy and useless.
Are these two commands available?
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Click to collapse
You can definitely do "IF" commands if you use Tasker along with NFC Tags. Since Tasker doesn't natively support NFC, switch isn't a possibility, but since switch is built into many NFC apps, that's an easy one.
I programed my vcard on a tag and put it in my wallet.. Instead of exchanging info if they have an android or blackberry with nfc I just hold my wallet to their phone for a second and it will open the vcard on their phone and ask if they want to save it.
The tag is always in my wallet ready to go.
Surprisingly I've used it more then I thought I would already.. It's kind of fun also and people get a kick out of it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
I have Googled this to death. Some sources say it can be done, some say not without root, some say not at all. I don't know what to think. I've tried so many things. I'm not a total noob, but I am certainly not as educated as you guys are about Android. I'm just learning. Please go easy on me. Also, I put this here because it seems, from my research, to be an issue with S2 and S3 phones, not Tasker itself. Please let me know, however, if you feel I should move it, Mods.
What I want to do is to disable the PIN lock on my phone when I'm at home on our wifi and in the car. No reason to unlock my phone every time I want to use it at home and I can't get voice commands to work consistently when it's locked in the van. With a teen driver watching my every move, I don't want to touch the phone.
Here are the details:
*I'm stock, unrooted
*I'd rather not root, because (unlike my Vibrant!) this phone works fine the way it is. That being said, I'd do it if it finally. Makes. This. Work!
*I've tried this with NFC tags and NFC Task Launcher
*I'm using Tasker
*I've tried it with and without Secure Settings
For the van, I always have it plugged in, so I think I can accomplish this by just setting the screen to not time out.
Home is the real issue. Sometimes I can get it to work, but it never *stays* working. I've tried turning my PIN Lock and all lockscreens off via my device settings and setting a task that triggers when I leave "HomeWifiName" to 1. Secure settings, configuration, set PIN 2. Secure Settings, configuration, keyguard enabled. It doesn't work at all. I've tried so many other variations of this I can't list them.
I wonder if I'm getting confused between the PIN and the keyguard. Is there a difference between the lockscreen and keyguard?
I'd really appreciate any advice you guys have for me.
If using the pin lockscreen, that is key guard in Tasker.
So key guard off = no lock screen at all. You don't need Secure Settings for this anymore. But you may need root.
Now, regarding your wifi near context, that doesn't work for me either. It's unreliable at best. Instead, use if connected to X wifi network as your context.
Let me know if you need any more help.
Aerowinder said:
If using the pin lockscreen, that is key guard in Tasker.
So key guard off = no lock screen at all. You don't need Secure Settings for this anymore. But you may need root.
Now, regarding your wifi near context, that doesn't work for me either. It's unreliable at best. Instead, use if connected to X wifi network as your context.
Let me know if you need any more help.
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Click to collapse
Thank you very much for this. I'd rather use connected not just near, so if I leave the house I'm protected.
If I do that, set it to keyguard off in Tasker while connected to our wifi, it works once or twice, but not consistently. I have the exit task to enable keyguard when I disconnect.
Am I missing something? Honestly the challenge of figuring this out has now become more important to me than actually getting it to work.
I had a profile that did this for a while, but I felt like it was a security risk. I just don't feel comfortable with that level of automation. But to each his/her own. When I typed the first post I was on my phone. On PC now so I can elaborate a bit.
New Profile > State > Net > Wifi Connected. I entered all 3 details; SSID, MAC, and IP. You can get it all right from the little scan applet that is already on your screen.
It's entry task will be Keyguard > Off
It's exit task will be Keyguard > On
So when you are connected to your home wifi, keyguard will be off. And when it disconnects, keyguard is turned back on. If this doesn't always work in this configuration, then it should be considered unreliable and not used. If this is the case, it's an issue with the app, not with your Tasker-fu. But with Tasker 4.0, you no longer need Secure Settings for a lot of things. Keyguard being one, GPS control being another big one.
Aerowinder said:
I had a profile that did this for a while, but I felt like it was a security risk. I just don't feel comfortable with that level of automation. But to each his/her own. When I typed the first post I was on my phone. On PC now so I can elaborate a bit.
New Profile > State > Net > Wifi Connected. I entered all 3 details; SSID, MAC, and IP. You can get it all right from the little scan applet that is already on your screen.
It's entry task will be Keyguard > Off
It's exit task will be Keyguard > On
So when you are connected to your home wifi, keyguard will be off. And when it disconnects, keyguard is turned back on. If this doesn't always work in this configuration, then it should be considered unreliable and not used. If this is the case, it's an issue with the app, not with your Tasker-fu. But with Tasker 4.0, you no longer need Secure Settings for a lot of things. Keyguard being one, GPS control being another big one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really appreciate the information, the concern, and your patience. I do think this is something I'm going to have to admit defeat on. I've tried everything I can think of and the lockscreen will not stay off. It's not really a big deal to hit a few numbers when I want to get into my phone or tablet. It also keeps small, curious people out. :laugh:
I've solved the issue for in the van. I just use an NFC tag on phone cradle in the van. Since my phone is always plugged in while I'm in the van, I just set the screen timeout for 30 minutes. Problem solved.
Good to know my Tasker-fu isn't in question. I have to admit that made me laugh.
Is there an NFC tag writer that will allow a tag to work in proximity? What I'm looking to do is to mount a peel and stick tag to my car's windshield mount. Then when the phone is in the mount, it will trigger the tasks I've programmed. When i remove the phone from the mount, I'd like the phone to toggle back to the way it was before it was placed into the mount.
I thought i had an app a while ago that would allow this, but i can no longer find it.
I personally haven't tried it, but I did a quick search in the play store for " tasker nfc" and this sounds like it may do the trick for you:
NFC Retag freehttps://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.widgapp.NFC_ReTAG_FREE
Sent from my Optimus G Pro using xda app-developers app
CapnPez said:
I personally haven't tried it, but I did a quick search in the play store for " tasker nfc" and this sounds like it may do the trick for you:
NFC Retag freehttps://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.widgapp.NFC_ReTAG_FREE
Sent from my Optimus G Pro using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have that app and i don't see a proximity setting. BTW, that app allows you to set what i would call macros on your phone. Unlike other NFC apps that write directly to the tag, this one stores the tag's ID on your phone, and then you associate a bunch of commands with that tag ID. So when the phone "sees" the tag, it then executes the stored commands that were stored on the phone, without anything having to be stored on the tag itself.
andygold said:
I have that app and i don't see a proximity setting. BTW, that app allows you to set what i would call macros on your phone. Unlike other NFC apps that write directly to the tag, this one stores the tag's ID on your phone, and then you associate a bunch of commands with that tag ID. So when the phone "sees" the tag, it then executes the stored commands that were stored on the phone, without anything having to be stored on the tag itself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, I see what you mean. I hadn't understood what you meant by the "proximity setting" (I've never used NFC tags). Just to be clear, is the difference in that the profile is changed depending on whether the tag is either in contact or not, i.e. car mode when in contact and then detects the loss of connection when removed and restores to previous profile?
Again, I'm not sure if this helps, but I found this thread from a GS3 forum:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2171952
It sounds more like what you were asking, but I'm not sure if it's only for the GS3.
CapnPez said:
Oh, I see what you mean. I hadn't understood what you meant by the "proximity setting" (I've never used NFC tags). Just to be clear, is the difference in that the profile is changed depending on whether the tag is either in contact or not, i.e. car mode when in contact and then detects the loss of connection when removed and restores to previous profile?
Again, I'm not sure if this helps, but I found this thread from a GS3 forum:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2171952
It sounds more like what you were asking, but I'm not sure if it's only for the GS3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I saw that when I searched. That is basically what I'm looking for. The thing is, I could have sworn that at one point I had an app that had proximity built in as standard. Maybe it was just for rooted phones, I don't remember...
I hadn't actually used it back then for proximity, but I thought it was there to be used.
To answer your question, Yes! With proximity, you could set your phone for the normal day to day operation. Then for example, at bed time, you could place your phone into a charging dock that has a peel and stick NFC tag on it's face, and when the phone gets near enough, the tag would activate the tasks you have programmed into the tag. For example, you could turn off WiFi, turn off the ringer, Turn the brightness down to minimum, set a wake alarm/volume/tone, etc... Then, in the morning, when you remove the phone from the dock and it loses proximity with the NFC tag, the tasks will revert to their "daytime" mode, and the brightness will come back up, the WiFi will turn back on, etc...
I realize that all of this can be done by setting the tag to "toggle" functions in that the first swipe of the tag could turn WiFi off, and the next swipe of the same tag would turn it back off, but obviously I don't want to "toggle" by using multiple swipes. I want proximity. (another way would be to use two separate tags near each other and one would be the daytime tag and the other would be for nighttime...)
for the car, I want to turn brightness down a bit (I do most of my driving at night), turn on bluetooth (to sync with my handsfree device), turn WiFi off while driving, start my music app and play a specific playlist, turn the volume up to max (my cassette adapter has very low volume, and the phone automatically lowers the volume when the headphone jack is plugged in), and announce each thing as it is happening (yes that's currently an option)....
i dont use NFC
phamtung8xhd said:
i dont use NFC
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Click to collapse
Thanks for posting your helpful and insightful comments. They truly add to this thread!!
Anyone else have any thoughts as to whether or not an app exists that allows NFC to work with a proximity setting?
Might this help you?
I understand that what you're probably looking for is an app to "program the NFC tag" itself but I hope you find this helpful until you find what you are looking for.
You can try using an app like Llama (the location aware Brazilian camel ...) to set different profiles (with settings and all) for home, work, CAR,etc. Have Llama identify the Areas first (Don't worry about car at this point just tweak the settings for the car profile). In the events tap you can define a condition (NFC tag detected) to an action (activate profile A: Car).
For when you arrive to your destination and want your phone settings to change to suite your new location i.e. activate a different profile, you can create an event -also in the events tab- triggered when the condition (Enter/In Area)is met. Llama will then alter your settings to the ones you have set for the new area you arrived to i.e. change Car profile to Home or Work. The reason why you have to create another event to change profiles after you get out of the car, after NFC tag disconnected, is that Llama can't detect when a certain NFC tag is disconnected -my understanding- so you have to create a new trigger to bring about a new event.
Keep us informed of your progress as I am really interested in Automation myself. Cheers.
In the last two updates of his ROM Auras76 removed the ability to use NFC while the screen is off, has anyone found a way or any software that specifically enables that function?
I am not sure if someone can post the NFC apk file that has that function and is compatible/unchanged to work with MM v6.0.1.
I am rather desperate to find a manner in which that can be achieved as I tend to keep my phone in my pocket and used to simply tap a NFC tag against my phone without removing it, but now I have the tedious task of removing it from my pocket and unlocking it to initiate a programmed tag sequence. Annoying!
Sent from my E6853 using Tapatalk