Scan to Learn with NFC – The Invisible QR Code Alternative

QR codes are an amazing, square-shaped piece of technology. They have the ability to store masses of information and deliver it, in the language of the user, to a smartphone screen.

Pretty much anything you need to know can be accessed with a scan of a QR code. Convenient, easy to use and a paper-saving champion, the QR code is revolutionising information sharing. And it’s saving money, clawing back valuable time, and improving accessibility too.

So we can all agree that QR codes are the next best thing to the love of your life. The only thing is, unlike the love of your life, they’re not all that in the looks department.

What’s not to love about a QR code? Nothing, other than it doesn’t look that great.

There’s only so much you can do to make a black and white square look visually appealing. And this is why, from time to time, even though they’re so hard not to love, they sometimes suffer rejection.

Who would do such a thing? Well, listed buildings for one. Stately homes. UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

You have to agree it would be hard to imagine the walls of the Palace State Rooms of Blenheim Palace adorned with little QR code stickers amongst all the grand portraiture and glorious Baroque architecture. And no doubt the listed building and conservation police would have something to say about it too.

It’s something of a shame that visitors to an attraction like this can’t simply scan a code to learn more about a particular artefact or discover the rich heritage of the building. But you can understand the problem.

And it’s not just visitors who are missing out. Contractors who would benefit hugely from scannable instant access to care and safety instructions for any treasured relic they are charged with cleaning or maintaining are too.

Thankfully though, technology has provided a solution. And that solution comes in the shape of NFC, or Near-Field Communication.

So everyone still gets to scan and learn, but without you having to make a blot on the landscape.

NFC is something that has come to form part of our everyday lives in recent years. When we make contactless payments, unlock doors with digital keys, or touch in and out with our Oyster cards, we’re making use of NFC technology.

NFC works without WiFi, data or Bluetooth. It allows two devices, namely an NFC chip and a phone, card or fob for example, to communicate wirelessly when they’re close together. When we say close, we’re talking 3-4cm.

The great thing about NFC chips is that they are tiny. Miniscule in fact. Which means they can be hidden from view so they don’t blemish the aesthetic.

When there is no choice but to stay faithful to the fabric of a building, or when it’s just not practical to stick a QR code on something, like flooring, NFC chips come to the rescue. And talking of flooring…

Bangl NFC technology – a top solution for flooring contractors

With any type of flooring, it is the responsibility of the contractor who lays it to provide vital health and safety documentation such as COSHH and RAMS. They might also want to provide re-order information, installation data, recycling instructions and plenty more besides. But these days, handing over reams of paper isn’t considered the done thing. It’s not practical when it needs to be updated either.

QR codes would of course provide a way to present this information digitally via a simple smartphone scan. However, sticking a code to a piece of flooring is never going to be an option. So we came up with a solution.

Using Bangl with NFC chips is a contactless way for information to be combined on the underside of any floor covering. Placed in known locations, our Bangl QR NFC chips allow a contactless lookup of every piece of vital information, all with a simple scan of a smartphone. And all in the language of the user.

Looking for a QR code alternative that delivers the same information, minus the big black and white sticker?

With Bangl, you get two for one: one QR code, and one NFC chip. So you get all the rich, dynamic information that’s available via the Bangl QR code platform, pushed into a tiny, invisible microchip.

It’s the perfect solution for when a QR code won’t work in an aesthetic sense, but you still want to deliver vital or helpful information via a simple smartphone scan.

NFC QR codes from Bangl are customisable and offer the benefit of simple, no-nonsense pricing. Need to know more? Contact us.