ST Developers Conference 2016 - Dynamic NFC Tags to Simplify the Set-Up and Use of IoT Devices

1. October 4, 2016
Santa Clara Convention Center
Mission City Ballroom
Smart Home:
NFC Dynamic Tags to Simplify the
Set Up and Use of IoT Devices
Gianmarco Ferrari

2. Topics
• IoT devices promise – The Challenge
• Simplifying IoT with NFC
• Commissioning
• Connecting
• Controlling
• Conclusion
• ST NFC Comprehensive Portfolio
2

3. IoT Devices Promise
The challenge
• IoT devices in smart homes promise increased safety, comfort, and
efficiency
• Connectivity is the enabler, with IoT devices seamlessly
communicating with each end in the cloud
• Many challenges of connecting, commissioning, and controlling IoT
devices are limiting the adoption in smart homes
• Let’s se how NFC can help…
3

4. Simplifying IoT – NFC Commissioning

5. IoT Devices Commissioning
The challenge
• There is no defined standard or protocol or framework for IoT
devices commissioning
• There are many proprietary, protocol-specific and multistep, solutions
for scanning QR-codes or typing in long passwords
• Multiple commissioning flows, device related, may results in a bad
user experience - risk to slow down IoT adoption
• Confusion results, especially for devices without a UI
5

6. Introducing a
New Device
Retiring an
Existing Device
Copy/Replace a
Device
NFC Contribution to Commissioning
• NFC requires an explicit interaction,
• NFC is independent of underlying wireless communication technology
• NFC provides a standard secure mechanism for :
6

7. IoT Gateway
D - Tag
Node
Profile
WRLS
Module
Network
Key
Write Network Key
Read Node Profile
Loaded at Manufacturing
I2C
How NFC Commissioning works 1/2
Smart Bulb example - Connection to the IoT Gateway
7

8. IoT Gateway
D - Tag
Node
Profile
WRLS
Module Network
Key
Node Added to
Network
I2C
Power On
Reads
Network
Credential
How NFC Commissioning Works 2/2 8

9. IoT Gateway
D - Tag
WRLS
Module
Memory
Block
I2C
ST NFC Ecosystem
ST NFC
Readers
ST NFC
Controller+SE+ALM
ST NFC
Dynamic Tags
9

10. Simplifying IoT – NFC Connecting

11. Connecting IoT Devices
The Challenge
• Many IoT devices use different networking technologies for
connectivity – two of the most popular being BT and Wi-Fi
• In a smart home environment, it is critical for all networking
technologies to work together seamlessly
• Connecting IoT devices could result in a bad user experience
• BT: device discovery and device pairing.
• WiFi: open Wi-Fi settings, select the network name (SSID), enter the passcode.
11

12. NFC Contribution to Connecting IoT
• Connection Handover information encoded into a NFC tag enable an
instant, secure connection with a single touch
• NFC provides a STD secure mechanism for connecting:
• BT: device name and passcode encoded into NFC tag in the device.
• Wi-Fi: network name (SSID) and passcode encode into NFC tag in the device or
externally.
12

13. Simplified BT Pairing 13
Tap & Connect & Stream / Phone to Speaker
D - Tag
BT
Module
Device
Name &
Password
I2C
Reads Dev
Name/Pswd
Connect to BT

14. Simplified Wi-Fi Connection 14
Tap & Connect / Phone to Router
D - Tag
WiFi
Module
Mac ID &
Password
I2C
Reads Mac ID &
Password
Connect to WiFi

15. ST NFC Ecosystem
Complete Portfolio
15
D - Tag
WRLS
Module
Memory
Block
I2C
ST NFC
Controller+SE+ALM
ST NFC
Dynamic Tags

16. Simplifying IoT – NFC Controlling

17. • Today, many IoT devices are lacking a UI
• In some cases, long range always-on connections like BT and Wi-Fi
can provide interactivity with IoT devices lacking a UI
• However, for first-time setup and explicit configuration of specific smart
home devices, it requires some user interface
NFC Controlling 17
%

18. NFC Contribution
to Controlling IoT Devices
• NFC provides an easy-to-use, broadly compatible, bidirectional,
and secure method for controlling IoT devices without a UI allowing
interaction such as:
• Provisioning smart devices to a network
• Setting Device Configuration
• Retrieving data (when an ‘always-on’ technology’ is not used or possible)
• Retrieving Maintenance logs, even in absence of power.
• The Near Field range also provide protection from snooping and
selectivity of the IoT device target.
18

19. NFC Controlling
D - Tag
MCUSensor
Data Out
I2C Humidity
Sensor
In-Wall Humidity Sensor – Output Data
EH
19

20. NFC Controlling
D - Tag
MCUSensor
Settings
I2C
Presence
Detect
Sensor
In-Wall Presence Detect Sensor – Input Setting
EH
20

21. ST NFC Ecosystem
D - Tag
MCUMemory
Block
I2C
Sensor
EH
ST NFC
Controller+SE+ALM
ST NFC
Dynamic Tags
21

22. Simplifying IoT – Conclusion

23. NFC Technology Benefits to IoT
• Ease of use  single tap executes a user’s intention
• Explicit Interaction – by requiring close proximity interaction
• Read and write capability – for interactive data exchange
• Communication with powered down devices
• Low cost – compared to other connectivity technologies
• Low energy – Tag powered by the reader
23

24. Simplifying IoT
The NFC Promise
• One of their biggest challenges of IoT adoption is easing the process
of connectivity while securing network access for the increasing
number of IoT headless devices
• NFC provides easy commissioning of IoT devices that may
communicate with each other using a wide range of protocols.
• NFC is widely used for simplified Wi-Fi and BT pairing
• NFC is ideal for controlling headless IoT devices
24

25. ST NFC Comprehensive Portfolio 25

26. Feature-rich
• 13.56MHz interface
• I2C interface
• Energy harvesting
• 20-bit Counter
• Field Detect GPO
• Up to 200 year retention
• 1M erase-write cycles
• From 512bit to 64-Kbit
• 128-bit password
Best-In-Class memory
High volume & quality
• In-house manufacturing
• Leveraging Automotive EEPROM quality
• Leveraging Consumer EEPROM volume
Standard
compliant
• NFC Forum
• ISO14443
• ISO15693
Front-End
& Back-End
Manufacturing
ST25 Tags and Dynamic Tags 26

27. High performing HF Readers
• 13.56 MHz frequency
• Very High Bit Rate (6.8Mbit/s)
• Automatic Antenna Tuning
• Multi Antenna support
• High and Dynamic power output (1.4W)
• Capacitive / Inductive wake up
• Operating temperature -40°C to +125°C
• EMVco
• PBOC
• AECQ100
Certification
Standard
Compliant
• NFC Forum
• ISO14443
• ISO15693
• ISO18092
• ISO18000
High performing UHF Readers
• 840-960 MHz frequency range
• High Receive Sensitivity (-90dBm)
• Low noise Voltage Controlled Oscillator
• Integrated Dense Reader Mode filters
• Tag movement detection
ST25 High Performance Readers 27

28. Thank You