CHF47.70
ACS Acr122 Mifare/Nfc USB
USB
Question about ACS Acr122 Mifare/Nfc USB
Can I simply connect the reader to a Windows PC and use it like a USB barcode reader to read the tags or do I need additional software? Goal: Read NFC tag, output directly to "keyboard".
NFC is somewhat more flexible and therefore more complicated than barcodes 😊. The reader can be "simply" connected to a Windows computer, but since the NFC tags / cards have the memory divided into sectors (only much smaller) similar to hard disks, special software is needed to write to them.
On the Mac, you can write to the tags with "NFC Ideas" and "NFC Tools for Desktop" (both in the AppStore) in NDEF format and then read them out again / link actions with an Android or current iPhone, for example. For the Mac, there is also an "NFC Tools KBC" with which you can control the keyboard, but I have not tried this out.
In the meantime, you can also read/write tags with NDEF with the iPhone (NFC Tools), and it has been possible with Android for a long time anyway.
For Windows there is similar software to write/read NDEF records on tags. I assume you will also find something here and can install a programme that feeds the data into the system via the keyboard, but the reader itself is not an HID and therefore does not do it without a driver.
** NDEF can do about as much as QR codes can. You can store addresses, telephone numbers, URLs, plain text etc. in a semi-standardised way. The end devices (smartphones) can then typically do something the same with it as with QR codes, i.e. open websites, take over contact information, etc.
For "real" applications, i.e. programming train access systems, unlocking the computer with a smart card (via NFC), etc., special software is needed anyway, as the data typically has to be stored in very special sectors.
At https://www.acs.com.hk/acr122.php there are drivers for all common systems, as well as information from the manufacturer.
The function you are looking for is offered by ACS ACR1281U-C2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch). As it looks, the UID of the card is then simply output. Since this model reports to the system as HID, this should also work without a driver. Depending on the application, this may be enough, but the cards can typically do more 😊.
On the Mac, you can write to the tags with "NFC Ideas" and "NFC Tools for Desktop" (both in the AppStore) in NDEF format and then read them out again / link actions with an Android or current iPhone, for example. For the Mac, there is also an "NFC Tools KBC" with which you can control the keyboard, but I have not tried this out.
In the meantime, you can also read/write tags with NDEF with the iPhone (NFC Tools), and it has been possible with Android for a long time anyway.
For Windows there is similar software to write/read NDEF records on tags. I assume you will also find something here and can install a programme that feeds the data into the system via the keyboard, but the reader itself is not an HID and therefore does not do it without a driver.
** NDEF can do about as much as QR codes can. You can store addresses, telephone numbers, URLs, plain text etc. in a semi-standardised way. The end devices (smartphones) can then typically do something the same with it as with QR codes, i.e. open websites, take over contact information, etc.
For "real" applications, i.e. programming train access systems, unlocking the computer with a smart card (via NFC), etc., special software is needed anyway, as the data typically has to be stored in very special sectors.
At https://www.acs.com.hk/acr122.php there are drivers for all common systems, as well as information from the manufacturer.
The function you are looking for is offered by ACS ACR1281U-C2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch). As it looks, the UID of the card is then simply output. Since this model reports to the system as HID, this should also work without a driver. Depending on the application, this may be enough, but the cards can typically do more 😊.