1. Android, NFC, QR & EPC
Ready to Tag the World?
Dominique Guinard, PhD.
CTO @ EVRYTHNG Ltd. London / Zurich
348 / J12.2

2. Your World is Being Tagged Today!

3. EVRYTHNG: A Facebook for Things
Think of a Facebook for things − individual things with unique
digital profiles, like we have, to update, share and add to…
Applications
EVRYTHNG
APIs & Services
Tags
Objects
An Active Digital Identity profile for every thing.

4. Android
• Mobile phones as
bootloaders of the IoT
• Android as the
Tricorder:
– Massive penetration world-
wide!
– Great QR support (open-
source libs)
– NFC support in the SDK
(iPhone? Hello?)

5. Level 1: QR Codes
• Golden rule:
• QRs only you shall use!
• Royality-free encoding
algorithm (Toyota’s
Denso Wave)
• 40 different levels
• 4 error correction levels
• Add a logo!
• Standardized content:
URLs, v-card, etc.

6. Android Loves QRs!
• Zxing open-source
library:
• Great scanning of 1D + 2D
QR codes.
• Supported on a very wide
range of (Android) devices.
• Embedded in your app or
called via Intent.
• code.google.com/p/zxing/

7. Level 2: NFC: Near Field Communication
• 13.56 MHz, “Touch”
technology
• Driven by NFC Forum
(Nokia, Intel, Visa, etc.)
• NDEF: Data standard
(URLs, Text, Poster,
etc.)
[Image courtesy of Timo Arnall www.elasticspaces.com]

8. Android Loves NFC!
• Decent NFC support since
2.3.3 (API v10,
Gingerbread)
• Wake up applications on
tag discovery (w/fiters)
[http://www.mobiletor.com]
• Relatively complex but
powerful API
• Nice tutorial:
netmagazine.com/tutorials/
getting-started-nfc-android

9. Level 3: EPC: Electronic Product Code
• 96 bits world-wide unique
product identifier &
standards
• Commercial attribution of
codes (GS1)
• EPC can be written to NFC
tags
• EPC Gen2 tags enable
distant reading (5x meters)
• Fosstrak EPCIS Web
Adapter for EPC to URL
• EPC loves Java:
• fosstrak.org
9

10. Java Loves EPC!
• Java open-source
implementation of EPC
standards (Auto-ID Labs)
• Modules:
• Low-level reader protocol (LLRP)
[http://www.fosstrak.org
• Tag Data Translation (TDT)
• EPC Information Service (EPCIS)
• EPCIS Web Adapter (REST)
• Etc.
• slideshare.net/misterdom/restifying-
ws-services-case-study-in-rfid

11. Useful Links
• REST library for Android and EVRYTHNG API wrapper:
• https://github.com/domguinard/ThngDroid/
• FreezeMe sample app:
• https://github.com/domguinard/FreezeMe
• Nice NFC/Android tutorial:
• http://netmagazine.com/tutorials/getting-started-nfc-android
• Web of Things community blog:
• http://www.webofthings.org
• Web of Things Thesis:
• http://www.webofthings.org/dom/phd/thesis.pdf
• Fosstrak EPC open-source stack:
• http://www.fosstrak.org
• Jazoon presentation on EPCIS Web (REST) Adapter:
• http://slideshare.net/misterdom/restifying-ws-services-case-study-in-rfid
• Signup for EVRYTHNG account (for your next IoT / WoT projects):
• http://evrythng.net
11

12. Dominique Guinard evrythng.com
EVRYTHNG webofthings.org
contact: guinard.org

13. Level 3: EPC: Electronic Product Code
• 96 bits world-wide
unique product identifier
& standards
• Commercial attribution
of codes (GS1)
• EPC can be written to
NFC tags
• EPC Gen2 tags enable
distant reading (~ 10th
of meters)
13

14. Level 1: Barcodes
1D: No item identification
2D: (to) many standards!
Some insanely
proprietary!
QR codes:
> Supported by 99% of the
readers
> Good readability
> Several levels

15. The EPC Network in a Nutshell