NFC Manager

To display only the features present on a particular device, select one or more filters from the SmartDocs bar below.

Input fields accept ENGLISH ONLY.

Queries from MX are not supported on Zebra devices running Android 11 or later. See alternative method.

Overview

The NFC Manager (NfcMgr) controls near field communications options on the device, including power supplied to the NFC radio and the state and behavior of features to improve performance and/or to avoid interoperability issues. NFC is a short-range wireless specification that enables two devices that are touching or within close proximity to communicate using magnetic field induction.

Some NFC functionality is supported only on Zebra devices.

Supported Devices

NFC Manager is supported only on NFC-equipped Zebra devices, including (but not limited to):

  • All Zebra 2290-platform devices
  • All Zebra 4490-platform devices
  • All Zebra 5430-platform devices*
  • Some 6375-platform devices, including:
    • ET40/ET45
  • All Zebra 6490-platform devices
  • Some SDM660-platform devices, including:
    • CC600/CC6000
    • EC50/EC55
    • MC20
    • MC3300X
    • MC9300
    • TC21X/TC26X
    • TC52X/TC57X
    • TC77
    • TC72X
    • TC8300
    • WT6000

* Not all KC50 SKUs are equipped with NFC.

See all Zebra device models by platform

To inquire about NFC suport on a Zebra device not listed above, please contact Zebra support or search the Zebra Knowledge Center.

Main Functionality

  • Enable/Disable:
    • NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF)
    • Tap-to-pair functionality
    • NFC radio and its ability to communicate
    • Polling mode
    • Card Emulation mode
    • Low-power Card Detection (LPCD)
  • Select type A, B, F, or V tags for use
  • Select communication speed for Types A and B cards
  • Reset device to default NFC settings
  • Supports the following card technologies:
    • ISO 14443 Types A and B (ISO/IEC 14443A, 14443B)
    • ISO 15693
    • FeliCA (JIS X6319-4)
    • Type V (all that comply with ISO/IEC 15693)

NFC Enable/Disable

This is the On/Off switch for the NFC radio on the device, which controls the ability to use near field communications to exchange information with other devices.

Parm Name: EnabledNFC

Option Name Description Note Status Requires
86 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) causes no change to device settings; any previously selected setting is retained.

MX: 8.3+

1 Enable Turns on the NFC radio.

MX: 8.3+

0 Disable Turns off the NFC radio.

MX: 8.3+

Low-power Card Detection Turn On/Off

This is the On/Off switch for NFC Low-power Card Detection (LPCD), which manages NFC tag detection and power consumption for NFC polling. When "Turn On" is selected, LPCD helps conserve battery power by establishing an RF field only when an NFC card is detected nearby. When "Turn Off" is selected, the NFC field is always on, which might be preferable for high-traffic applications or those requiring immediate response. Limited device support. See Note, below.

Note: Supported only on ET401X, TC501X, TC701X devices.

Shown if: Enabled NFC is NOT set to "Disable"

Parm Name: LPCD

Option Name Description Note Status Requires
86 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) causes no change to device settings; any previously selected setting is retained.

MX: 15.2+

1 Turn On Activates LPCD on the device, which creates an RF field only when an NFC card is detected nearby.

MX: 15.2+

0 Turn Off Deactivates LPCD on the device, which maintains an RF field at all times.

MX: 15.2+

Tap-to-pair Enable/Disable

This is the On/Off switch for NFC tap-to-pair, which controls the ability of the device to automatically establish a near-field connection with a compatible device by physically tapping one to another.

Enabling this feature on a Zebra mobile device allows it to pair with the Zebra ZEC500 and establish a wireless casting connection.

Parm Name: EnableTPP

Option Name Description Note Status Requires
86 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) causes no change to device settings; any previously selected setting is retained.

MX: 15.0+

1 Enable Allows the device to connect via NFC by tapping a compatible device.

MX: 15.0+

0 Disable Prevents NFC connections by tapping.

MX: 15.0+

Reset To Defaults (checkbox)

Controls whether to reset all NFC settings to system-defined default values. This feature can be used to return a device with unknown NFC settings to a known state.

Parm Name: ResetToDefaults

Option Name Description Note Status Requires
1 (checked) Resets all NFC settings to system-defined default values.

MX: 8.3+

0 (unchecked) Leaves NFC settings unchanged.

MX: 8.3+

Card Emulation Mode Enable/Disable

This is the On/Off switch for Card Emulation (CE) mode. When CE is enabled, the device behaves like a contactless smart card and can be used in place of credit/debit card, transit card, access card, etc. In this mode, the device does not generate its own RF field but relies on the NFC reader to do so. When disabled, the device acts only as a reader.

NFC-equipped Zebra devices by default repeat the RF discovery sequence defined by the NFC Forum, which alternates between reader/writer (polling) and card emulation (listening) modes to detect other NFC devices or tags.

Parm Name: enableCE

Option Name Description Note Status Requires
86 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) causes no change to device settings; any previously selected setting is retained.

MX: 8.3+

1 Enable Enables Card Emulation mode on the device.

MX: 8.3+

0 Disable Disables Card Emulation on the device.

MX: 8.3+

NFC Data Exchange Format Usage

Controls whether to use NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF) when exchanging information between two NFC devices. NDEF is a binary format that can exchange application-defined payloads between devices or store payloads in an NFC tag.

Parm Name: skipNdef

Option Name Description Note Status Requires
86 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) causes no change to device settings; any previously selected setting is retained.

MX: 8.3+

1 use Enables the device to exchange data using NDEF.

MX: 8.3+

0 don't use Prevents the device from using NDEF to exchange data.

MX: 8.3+

Polling Mode

Used to select the Polling mode, which is invoked when the device is attempting to detect a nearby NFC tag or a device seeking to communicate in peer-to-peer mode. Use this parameter to find the best balance between detection speed and power consumption.

Note: This feature cannot be configured remotely on TC501X or TC701X devices; accessible only through on-device UI.

Parm Name: pollingMode

Option Name Description Note Status Requires
86 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) causes no change to device settings; any previously selected setting is retained.

MX: 8.3+

2 Hybrid Enables Hybrid polling, which attempts to balance detection speed and power consumption.

MX: 8.3+

1 Standard Enables Standard polling, which is fastest and consumes the most power.

MX: 8.3+

0 Low Power Enables Low Power polling, which is slowest and consumes the least device power.

MX: 8.3+

Logging Enable/Disable

This is the On/Off switch for logging of NFC events on the device.

Shown if: Enable NFC is NOT set to "Disable"

Parm Name: Logging

Option Name Description Note Status Requires
86 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) causes no change to device settings; any previously selected setting is retained.

MX: 10.3+

1 Enable Turns on logging of NFC events on the device.

MX: 10.3+

0 Disable Turns off logging of NFC events on the device.

MX: 10.3+

Use Type A Tags

Controls whether the device reads NFC "Type A" tags, which are based on ISO/IEC 14443A specifications.

Input value rules:

  • An integer greater than 0

Shown if: Enable NFC is NOT set to "Disable"

Parm Name: techTypeA

Requires:

  • MX: 8.3+

Use Type B Tags

Controls whether the device reads NFC "Type B" tags, which are based on ISO/IEC 14443B specifications.

Input value rules:

  • An integer greater than 0

Shown if: Enable NFC is NOT set to "Disable"

Parm Name: techTypeB

Requires:

  • MX: 8.3+

Use Type F Tags

Controls whether the device reads NFC "Type F" tags, which are based on FeliCA JIS X6319-4 specifications most commonly used in Japan.

Input value rules:

  • An integer greater than 0

Shown if: Enable NFC is NOT set to "Disable"

Parm Name: techTypeF

Requires:

  • MX: 8.3+

Use Type V Tags

Controls whether the device reads NFC "Type V" tags, a single mode that recognizes all tag types implemented to the ISO/IEC 15693 standard.

Input value rules:

  • An integer greater than 0

Shown if: Enable NFC is NOT set to "Disable"

Parm Name: techTypeV

Requires:

  • MX: 8.3+

Baud Rate A

Controls the NFC communication speed for Type A tags. Greater speeds improve transaction times but are more prone to errors.

Parm Name: baudRateA

Option Name Description Note Status Requires
86 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) causes no change to device settings; any previously selected setting is retained.

MX: 8.3+

1 106 kbps Sets a 106 kbps communication rate for Type A tags.

MX: 8.3+

16 212 kbps Sets a 212 kbps communication rate for Type A tags.

MX: 8.3+

32 424 kbps Sets a 424 kbps communication rate for Type A tags.

MX: 8.3+

2 No restriction Allows NFC communication for Type A tags at any speed.

MX: 8.3+

Baud Rate B

Controls the NFC communication speed for Type B tags. Greater speeds improve transaction times but are more prone to errors.

Parm Name: baudRateB

Option Name Description Note Status Requires
86 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) causes no change to device settings; any previously selected setting is retained.

MX: 8.3+

4 106 kbps Sets a 106 kbps communication rate for Type B tags.

MX: 8.3+

64 212 kbps Sets a 212 kbps communication rate for Type B tags.

MX: 8.3+

128 424 kbps Sets a 424 kbps communication rate for Type B tags.

MX: 8.3+

2 No restriction Allows NFC communication for Type A tags at any speed.

MX: 8.3+