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RFID - Is there room inside the iPhone's shell?

ipedro

ipedro

macrumors 603
Original poster
Nov 30, 2004
6,472
9,254
Toronto, ON
I've never opened up my iPhone so I'm wondering if those who have, ever noticed if there would be enough room to place an RFID tag inside the phone.

It would be great if I could stick my VISA, ZipCar and house keys' RFID tags inside the shell of the phone so that I could use iPhone as my VISA, car and house keys.

Further, I'm aware that blocking the inner shell of the phone could interfere with reception. How large are the antennae and where are they placed on the phone?
 
Is it a thin RFID tag like these kind in video game cases?:

rfid.jpg


If so, then I'd assume it would be able to fit.
 
Rfid

RFID is very small and thin, There is plenty of space for several if they wanted to. Notice the speck on the finger it's an RFID.
 

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Wow.. those are tiny! The one in my house key fob is about the size of a postage stamp. The ones in the VISA and Zipcar cards aren't visible so I assumed they were the same as the house keys.

If they're really the size of that spec, I could very easily put several in there. Thanks for the info.
 
Even Smaller

ipedro said:
Wow.. those are tiny! The one in my house key fob is about the size of a postage stamp. The ones in the VISA and Zipcar cards aren't visible so I assumed they were the same as the house keys.

If they're really the size of that spec, I could very easily put several in there. Thanks for the info.
Click to expand...

Hitachi is the maker of the one I showed and it is very big in comparison to the latest ones made by Hitachi. The black line in the picture is a human hair the black specks are RFID, and these are the smallest in existence.
 

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Nfc

This is an interesting concept... I had heard (though I'm not sure) that the next gen iPhone is coming with NFC (Near Field Communication) which is the next step on from RFID (and backwards compatible)... can anyone comment on this?
 
Nfc

scarrab666 said:
This is an interesting concept... I had heard (though I'm not sure) that the next gen iPhone is coming with NFC (Near Field Communication) which is the next step on from RFID (and backwards compatible)... can anyone comment on this?
Click to expand...

I don' know anything about an iPhone implementation but NFC has a range of about 4 inches, so I'm not sure what it would be used for since Bluetooth seems to be a better solution for close range communications IMO.
 
4 inches is enough

hamlinspahn said:
I don' know anything about an iPhone implementation but NFC has a range of about 4 inches, so I'm not sure what it would be used for since Bluetooth seems to be a better solution for close range communications IMO.
Click to expand...

NFC is designed for payment systems/ RFID entry systems so that's kinda why its only designed to be used at short range... it also can be powered by the RFID device meaning that even if you are out of battery it can still be used to open doors or pay for things.
 
Things I didn't consider

scarrab666 said:
NFC is designed for payment systems/ RFID entry systems so that's kinda why its only designed to be used at short range... it also can be powered by the RFID device meaning that even if you are out of battery it can still be used to open doors or pay for things.
Click to expand...

All of those things would be beneficial I simply didn't consider them, so I retract some of my previous statement.
 
NFC would be incredible because it's embedded in the electronics of the phone and can interface with it.

This allows you to swipe your phone over the payment terminal, at which point you'll get a pin entry pad on the screen so you can confirm your payment.
 
So I'm going to try adding my house key's RFID tag. It's about the size of a postage stamp and paper thin.

From what I see on iFixIt, it's not easy to reach the back shell of the iPhone3G. You need to pretty much disassemble all the components to reach the back. I'm going to try gluing it to the back of the screen which is the first part to come off by just removing the bottom screws. Wish me luck!
 
ipedro said:
So I'm going to try adding my house key's RFID tag. It's about the size of a postage stamp and paper thin.

From what I see on iFixIt, it's not easy to reach the back shell of the iPhone3G. You need to pretty much disassemble all the components to reach the back. I'm going to try gluing it to the back of the screen which is the first part to come off by just removing the bottom screws. Wish me luck!
Click to expand...

I assume you don't use a case? I would try just slipping it between the phone and the case at first. It sounds like a really cool plan. Just don't lose your phone/keys :p
 
Might I add the future of NFC and RFID in my opinionare huge!!!

Bluetooth and wifi are way too overkill and too expensive for most applications that FDIC could be used.

If everything had rdif we could idenify/invetory & keep track of everything so much easyier. Stuff like this makes me excited for the future.
 
doubleatheman said:
I assume you don't use a case? I would try just slipping it between the phone and the case at first. It sounds like a really cool plan. Just don't lose your phone/keys :p
Click to expand...

Yeah. Never used a case. Jonny Ive put so much creative efforts to make this beautiful phone, I ain't gonna cover it up :)

Good point though. For those with cases, it's a lot easier to just slip the RFID tags into the case.

I'm not a fan of carrying around keys. I've reduced my keys to just 2 and with this, I'll get it down to just one for the mailbox. I always have my phone on me, even more so than my wallet... oh, I'm working on that too ;)
 
Was reading this on Apple Insider - they are bringing out a case for the 3G and 3GS to enable Visa Wireless payments

Could this mean that the new iPhone may have an RFID tag build in??
 
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