The Ultimate Guide to NFC Keyfobs

NFC keyfobs can be used in many ways. They help with access control, sharing contacts, managing keys, and charging electric cars. In this article, we are going to look at the different options and why you might choose them.

Before we start, it's important to understand that many 'traditional' access control keyfobs don't always use NFC. If you want to replace or reorder RFID keyfobs for your access control system, check which chip you are using. If you aren't sure, then contact us and we can walk you through how to find out.

Choosing NFC Keyfobs

Most decisions for NFC products come down to two parts - which chip do you need and which format of product will work best for you. Some of the factors to consider :

• Do you need full colour logos? 
• Do you need unique elements such as a visual ID per fob or unique QR code?
• How durable does the fob need to be - long term use or short term marketing?
• What are your price considerations?

The choice of chip is usually quite simple so let's tackle the format first.

NFC Keyfob Types

As with all NFC products, there's a wide choice but each type of keyfob generally serves a use case. We'll break this down into three categories : Traditional, Full Colour and Premium.

Traditional ABS NFC keyfobs

Manufacturers typically make the first type, Traditional, from ABS plastic, and it features a fairly standard pear shape.

The design can change, but they are usually made of one color plastic. They have a hollow center for a coil antenna and chip. Almost always waterproof, they are durable, reliable and cost effective. We typically stock these in a few standard colours for immediate delivery.

This type of keyfob is usually 'pad' or 'screen' printed which is best for one, two or three colours. Durable and long lasting, but not full colour, this option is best for flat/spot colour logos. This tag can have ID's or QR codes printed or etched with lasers.

However, we usually do not recommend this type of keyfob for that purpose. The Full Colour options below tend to work better. 

There are some variants of the ABS type including our popular 'pear' keyfob. These are often thinner and made from more durable or even eco-plastics. For example, we have an option made from recycled ocean plastic.

Again, these are typically one, two or three colour screen/pad printed for long term print durability.  Reasons for choosing the traditional style fob : 

• Price
• Durability
• Familier design

Production times on this type of keyfob is usually within 3-4 weeks and can often be even quicker.

Full Colour Keyfobs

This type of keyfob is usually made from PVC or very occasionally PET plastic. It's durable, cost-effective, lightweight and waterproof. The main benefit for this type of fob is the ability to have full colour, double sided print.

Also, adding special features like a unique visual ID or QR Code is affordable. These can be easily included in the design.

These PVC based keyfobs can be made into different shapes and are available in a variety of styles and options.

Depending on the design, size and shape, Seritag make these keyfobs in different PVC thicknesses - ranging from 0.88mm to 1.5mm. An epoxy 'bubble' coating to the surface enhances durability by protecting the print.

Seritag has a few plain types in stock for quick shipping. Most of their products are made to order with full color print. Minimum quantities start at just 100 units and production times are usually fast. 

Reasons for choosing this type of fob : 

• Strong branding and marketing options
• Unique elements such as QR codes and visual ID
• Range of shapes and sizes

These keyfobs can also be made into a 'hang tag' type of keyfob like this :

People usually use these for marketing or contact sharing, and they feature an elastic strap instead of a keyring. For this design we recommend using the elastic, as the hole is not strong enough to withstand potential damage of the ring.

Their design is much more interesting than a regular key fob and are great for marketing projects. However many customers also use them for access control and charging stations.

Premium NFC Keyfobs

These premium keyfob types tend to look and feel more like normal keyfobs. You can make them from alternative materials such as leather, wood, or even stone. The options here are varied and we've supplied a wide range to customers.

They work the same way as normal keyfobs and are often durable and long lasting. However, the pricing is typically higher for a good quality item and therefore the use cases are limited.

NFC Keyfob Chips

Seritag offers a variety of NFC chips. This includes the standard NXP NTAG213 and NTAG215 models. They also provide the authentication grade NTAG424. Other options include MIFARE Classic, MIFARE Ultralight, and DESFire.

Additional chips are available upon request. Seritag only use genuine NXP, STMicro or EM chips unless specifically requested otherwise.

Which chip you need will depend on your application. For marketing or even general access control using the chip UID, the NTAG213 chip is usually an ideal choice. It's cost effective and readily available. 

For advanced used cases including authentication, then the NTAG424 or DESFire are usually the choices. We can help to supply these.

However we do not recommend using the MIFARE Classic for new projects. This is a chip we only supply to legacy projects. If you aren't sure which chip you need or don't have a specific request, then contact us to discuss your project. Seritag have worked on hundreds of keyfob based projects and we have have the experience to make sure you get what you need.