Air Interface ISO/IEC 14443 Type A/B | ISO/IEC 15693 | NFC Forum Type 2/4/5

ISO 14443A, ISO 15693 & NFC NDEF Protocols

HF RFID operates at 13.56 MHz via inductive near-field magnetic coupling. ISO 14443A (Proximity, up to 10cm) powers payments and smartphone NFC taps. ISO 15693 (Vicinity, up to 1.5m) powers open-aisle library security gates and ski-pass turnstiles.

Layer / Stack
Physical & Data Link (13.56 MHz HF)
Default Port / Freq
13.56 MHz High Frequency (HF)
Throughput / Speed
106 to 848 kbps transmission rate (Sub-100ms smartphone scan)
Standard Body
ISO

Core Protocol Architecture & Specifications

  • ✓ Inductive coupling physics immune to water and human body interference (unlike raw UHF)
  • ✓ NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF) standardized record formatting for URLs, Wi-Fi credentials, and MIME payloads
  • ✓ ISO 15693 Vicinity 1.5-meter open gate detection using high-Q tuned loop antennas
  • ✓ MIFARE Classic & DESFire EV2/EV3 multi-application cryptographic security
  • ✓ Native tap-and-verify scanning on 100% of modern Apple iOS and Android smartphones
NDEF URI Record Binary Frame Encoder (TypeScript / JavaScript)
typescript
// Encodes a standard NFC Forum NDEF URI Record for NTAG213 chips
export function encodeNdefUri(url: string): Uint8Array {
  const uriPrefixMap: Record<string, number> = {
    'http://www.': 0x01,
    'https://www.': 0x02,
    'http://': 0x03,
    'https://': 0x04,
    'tel:': 0x05,
    'mailto:': 0x06
  };

  let prefixCode = 0x00;
  let trimmedUrl = url;

  for (const [prefix, code] of Object.entries(uriPrefixMap)) {
    if (url.startsWith(prefix)) {
      prefixCode = code;
      trimmedUrl = url.slice(prefix.length);
      break;
    }
  }

  const urlBytes = new TextEncoder().encode(trimmedUrl);
  const payloadLength = 1 + urlBytes.length;

  // NDEF Record Header: MB=1, ME=1, CF=0, SR=1, IL=0, TNF=0x01 (NFC Well Known)
  const header = 0xD1; 
  const typeLength = 0x01; // 'U' for URI
  const typeByte = 0x55;   // ASCII 'U'

  const ndefMessage = new Uint8Array([
    0x03, // NDEF Message TLV Tag
    payloadLength + 4, // TLV Length
    header,
    typeLength,
    payloadLength,
    typeByte,
    prefixCode,
    ...urlBytes,
    0xFE // Terminator TLV
  ]);

  return ndefMessage;
}

Verified Hardware Implementations

Our engineering team has thoroughly tested and validated ISO 14443 / ISO 15693 (NFC) across the following reader models, embedded modules, and smart transponders:

NXP NTAG213 / NTAG215 / NTAG216 NXP ICODE SLIX (Library) MIFARE Classic 1K / DESFire HF Library Kiosks & Staff Pads

Target Deployments

  • Smart brand packaging & anti-counterfeit authentication
  • Library book check-in & EAS theft detection
  • Hospital patient wristbands
  • Contactless cashless canteen payments

Deploy with OpenRFID

Integrate ISO 14443 / ISO 15693 (NFC) into your ERP, warehouse software, or custom mobile app with pre-built C# / C++ drivers.

Why do libraries use 13.56 MHz ISO 15693 instead of UHF Gen2?
ISO 15693 magnetic field boundaries are sharp and well-defined (1.0 to 1.5m), preventing false alarms on books sitting on nearby study desks. Additionally, ISO 15693 reads cleanly through dense paper and book bindings without shadowing.
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