4 ms·

Tagstand (YC S11) Greases The Wheels Of NFC Development

86 points by canistr 15y ago

rdl 15y ago
This is one of the coolest and most useful (for hackers) startups out there -- NFC is clearly the future, but is such a pain to deal with now in development (even small deployments; anything less than 50k unit quantities).
- kul 15y ago
  thanks rdl - you're in MV? We've seen some really cool stuff happening, including the MobiSocial guys at Stanford. Eventually we expect the cost of these tags to tend to zero, and then they really will be ubiquitous. We listed a bunch of demos on our about us page: http://www.tagstand.com/pages/about-nfc http://www.tagstand.com/pages/about-nfc
  - rdl 15y ago
    Cool. I'm in MV tomorrow through Wednesday :) After wednesday it might be fun to get some tags and experiment with them -- the main thing I'd like to do is track access to servers, and maybe organize tools and components.
    - kul 15y ago
      ping me if you get a chance - kul@tagstand.com
kul 15y ago
HN folk: The discount code for a free pack is techcrunch4nfc, applicable here: http://www.tagstand.com/collections/all-stickers/products/techcrunch-sample-pack http://www.tagstand.com/collections/all-stickers/products/te... Based on demand/interest I'll set up a discount code for HN, let me know what products seem the most interesting.
- dannyr 15y ago
  I ordered one but I cannot find anywhere I can put the discount code.
  - ajju 15y ago
    It shows up after you checkout, before you put in the credit card details.
- ajju 15y ago
  I'd love to see "all weather" type stickers for outdoor use. Not sure if anyone manufactures those yet, but that would be awesome. It would also be great if the customization (putting a logo or QR code on them) could be done online.
  - kul 15y ago
    We actually have some: http://www.tagstand.com/collections/all-stickers/products/mifare-ultralight-metal-proof-pvc-white-nfc-sticker-square-35mm-x-35mm http://www.tagstand.com/collections/all-stickers/products/mi... I realise it's not clear enough that these are outdoor-proof (i.e. PVC), will change that on the store. We do customise tags right now for folks and putting logos and QR codes on them is our number 1 feature request - so we'll automate this process on the store in the next 2 weeks or so. Thanks for feedback!
    - ajju 15y ago
      Awesome, thanks!
memset 15y ago
This is very cool, congratulations! Just bought a sample pack. I have a few technical questions, if I may (or if you have a good blog post or document that can help, that would be amazing.) I've been playing with RFID for a while. Is NFC different than RFID? On a different frequency than 132 KHz/13.56 MHz that I already have readers for? Also, are there simple readers or breakout boards I can use to play with this (a la Parallax's RFID reader, or anything that could plug into my Arduino?) as opposed to buying a phone? Any suggestions for good readers or what the protocol looks like? Also, out of curiosity (see, I'm a software guy, so often this stuff is a black box to me) did you all design and fab the tags yourselves? Or do you get them in bulk and then do your own customizations? This is extremely cool stuff! I'm really excited about playing around with this!
- kul 15y ago
  Hey memset, thanks! NFC is a subset of RFID which works over closer ranges (hence the term "near-field"). The other difference is it can be passive (i.e. the reader induces a current in the tag/sticker to read it, that's why the tag doesn't need any power). 13.56 MHZ readers should work. We're ordering cheaper reader-writers (~$50) and will put them on the store soon. In terms of sourcing, we get them in bulk. We basically tested all the suppliers for quality, speed, and are working with the best ones. Who knows though, buying a factory may be in our future. Have a read of our About NFC page: http://www.tagstand.com/pages/about-nfc http://www.tagstand.com/pages/about-nfc and our FAQ http://www.tagstand.com/pages/faq http://www.tagstand.com/pages/faq and if you have any other questions, let us know!
- 18pfsmt 15y ago
  If you are curious about protocols, their tags operate utilizing ISO 14443A and/or ISO 18092 (NFCIP-1). edit: Corrected standards versions / this link might help, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_field_communication#Standardization_bodies_and_industry_projects http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_field_communication#Standa...
djb_hackernews 15y ago
I own a Nexus S, kind of feel obligated to take you guys up on the discount. Thanks.
- kul 15y ago
  you should!
w001 15y ago
Great. Is it possible to somehow adapt my existing HTC handset to read the codes, or must I buy a NCF enabled model? If so, any recommendation on handset model would be handy.

86 points by canistr 15y ago

rdl 15y ago

This is one of the coolest and most useful (for hackers) startups out there -- NFC is clearly the future, but is such a pain to deal with now in development (even small deployments; anything less than 50k unit quantities).

kul 15y ago
thanks rdl - you're in MV? We've seen some really cool stuff happening, including the MobiSocial guys at Stanford. Eventually we expect the cost of these tags to tend to zero, and then they really will be ubiquitous. We listed a bunch of demos on our about us page: http://www.tagstand.com/pages/about-nfc http://www.tagstand.com/pages/about-nfc
- rdl 15y ago
  Cool. I'm in MV tomorrow through Wednesday :) After wednesday it might be fun to get some tags and experiment with them -- the main thing I'd like to do is track access to servers, and maybe organize tools and components.
  - kul 15y ago
    ping me if you get a chance - kul@tagstand.com

kul 15y ago

HN folk: The discount code for a free pack is techcrunch4nfc, applicable here: http://www.tagstand.com/collections/all-stickers/products/techcrunch-sample-pack http://www.tagstand.com/collections/all-stickers/products/te... Based on demand/interest I'll set up a discount code for HN, let me know what products seem the most interesting.

dannyr 15y ago
I ordered one but I cannot find anywhere I can put the discount code.
- ajju 15y ago
  It shows up after you checkout, before you put in the credit card details.
ajju 15y ago
I'd love to see "all weather" type stickers for outdoor use. Not sure if anyone manufactures those yet, but that would be awesome. It would also be great if the customization (putting a logo or QR code on them) could be done online.
- kul 15y ago
  We actually have some: http://www.tagstand.com/collections/all-stickers/products/mifare-ultralight-metal-proof-pvc-white-nfc-sticker-square-35mm-x-35mm http://www.tagstand.com/collections/all-stickers/products/mi... I realise it's not clear enough that these are outdoor-proof (i.e. PVC), will change that on the store. We do customise tags right now for folks and putting logos and QR codes on them is our number 1 feature request - so we'll automate this process on the store in the next 2 weeks or so. Thanks for feedback!
  - ajju 15y ago
    Awesome, thanks!

memset 15y ago

This is very cool, congratulations! Just bought a sample pack. I have a few technical questions, if I may (or if you have a good blog post or document that can help, that would be amazing.) I've been playing with RFID for a while. Is NFC different than RFID? On a different frequency than 132 KHz/13.56 MHz that I already have readers for? Also, are there simple readers or breakout boards I can use to play with this (a la Parallax's RFID reader, or anything that could plug into my Arduino?) as opposed to buying a phone? Any suggestions for good readers or what the protocol looks like? Also, out of curiosity (see, I'm a software guy, so often this stuff is a black box to me) did you all design and fab the tags yourselves? Or do you get them in bulk and then do your own customizations? This is extremely cool stuff! I'm really excited about playing around with this!

kul 15y ago
Hey memset, thanks! NFC is a subset of RFID which works over closer ranges (hence the term "near-field"). The other difference is it can be passive (i.e. the reader induces a current in the tag/sticker to read it, that's why the tag doesn't need any power). 13.56 MHZ readers should work. We're ordering cheaper reader-writers (~$50) and will put them on the store soon. In terms of sourcing, we get them in bulk. We basically tested all the suppliers for quality, speed, and are working with the best ones. Who knows though, buying a factory may be in our future. Have a read of our About NFC page: http://www.tagstand.com/pages/about-nfc http://www.tagstand.com/pages/about-nfc and our FAQ http://www.tagstand.com/pages/faq http://www.tagstand.com/pages/faq and if you have any other questions, let us know!
18pfsmt 15y ago
If you are curious about protocols, their tags operate utilizing ISO 14443A and/or ISO 18092 (NFCIP-1). edit: Corrected standards versions / this link might help, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_field_communication#Standardization_bodies_and_industry_projects http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_field_communication#Standa...

djb_hackernews 15y ago

I own a Nexus S, kind of feel obligated to take you guys up on the discount. Thanks.

kul 15y ago
you should!

w001 15y ago

Great. Is it possible to somehow adapt my existing HTC handset to read the codes, or must I buy a NCF enabled model? If so, any recommendation on handset model would be handy.