Glossary Of Rfid Terms -- N

NanoBlock

The term Alien Technology uses to describe its tiny microchips, which are about the width of three human hairs.

National Institute for Standards and Technology

An American standards body that establishes standards for information-processing technology, particularly IT used by the Federal government.

Near-field communication

RFID reader antennas emit electromagnetic radiation (radio waves). If an RFID tag is within full wavelength of the reader, it is sometimes said to be in the "near field" (as with many RFID terms, definitions are not precise). If it is more than the distance of one full wavelength away, it is said to be in the "far field." The near field signal decays as the cube of distance from the antenna, while the far field signal decays as the square of the distance from the antenna. So passive RFID systems that rely on near-field communication (typically low- and high-frequency systems) have a shorter read range than those that use far field communication (UHF and microwave systems)

NFC

See near-field communication

Noise

Unwanted ambient electrical signals or electromagnetic energy found in the operating environment of RFID equipment. Other RF devices, robots, electric motors and other machines can cause noise.

Nominal range

The read range at which the tag can be read reliably.

Non-volatile memory

A generic term for the memory that holds its contents after power has been removed. EPROM, EEPROM and FLASH are examples of non-volatile memory.

Null spot

Area in the reader field that doesn't receive radio waves. This is essentially the reader's blind spot. It is a phenomenon common to UHF systems.