NFC tags in smart home

NFC tags in smart home

Hardware

Phone/tablet with Android

NFC tag

Software

OpenHAB 3

NFC (Near Field Communication) tags are small plastic or paper stickers that can be used to automate various functions in the household.

Example

    • as an exit button: simply place your phone on an NFC tag to automatically turn off lights and sockets and turn on the alarm
    • as a way to turn off lights before going to bed: simply place your phone on an NFC tag in the bedroom and all lights will automatically turn off
    • easy garage or gate opening from a car
    • more tips on usage can be found, for example, in this YouTube video here

Safety

You can use programmed NFC tags only on a phone with the OpenHAB app and connected to a VPN (outside of the house) or to WiFi (at home), which increases security and prevents unauthorized use, for example, compared to a classic wireless garage opener in a car. It also eliminates the need to code the house with a PIN. So, if you have NFC tags, for example, in the garden or in the car, anyone else can read the tag, but they won't be able to perform any action.

How to do it

Download the openHAB app from the Play Store:

OpenHAB Aplikace Android

Install, open and go to the settings Settings -> Add server and fill in the server name, for example, openHAB. In the Local tab, set the address of your OpenHAB server, beware, port 8443 is used here!

OpenHAB Aplikace Nastaveni OpenHAB Aplikace Add Server OpenHAB Aplikace Local Server

Once you've added the following, you should have access to your OpenHAB. Click on the menu in the upper left corner and select NFC, and choose what action should be performed. For example, let's choose to unlock the alarm. Click on the Alarm and it will ask us for a value. In our case, we'll write the value 0 (0=Home mode, see OpenHAB model smart home). However, you can choose anything else, such as lights or a group of lights, etc.

OpenHAB Aplikace NFC OpenHAB Aplikace NFC pravidlo

Finally, when you see the large NFC icon, hold your phone close to the NFC tag to write to it.

OpenHAB Aplikace Zápis NFC    NFC příklad odkódování alarmu

Done! Now all you need to do is stick the NFC tag in the desired location - an example in this case could be the sun shade in a car above the driver. To disarm the alarm, simply hold your phone to the NFC, the alarm will disarm, and the house will be put into "Home" mode.

Examples of use

NFC Tag Example in Smart Home  NFC Tag Example in Smart Home  NFC Tag Example in Smart Home

Any other uses for NFC tags? Share with us in the comments under the article.

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