Instant NFC setup

The customer uses an extremely compact tracking device that can be discreetly attached to valuable assets. The device has to be extremely small, deliver long battery life and provide location information without relying on power-hungry positioning technologies. The device is smaller than a one-euro coin and uses nearby devices to help send data and estimate its location, enabling effective tracking while keeping power consumption to a minimum.

 The device was made to specifications without any external connectors. The customer configured and powered the devices by soldering wires directly to exposed I/O pads on the PCB. While this approach worked for small batches at first, it quickly became impractical as volumes increased.

 To streamline production and deployment, we supplied a custom NFC-interface board into which the PCBA can be inserted. Spring-loaded pogo pins make contact with the device’s I/O pads, while a USB-C connection provides power. This eliminated the need to solder wires to each individual unit during setup and significantly reduced handling time. The interface board enabled convenient wireless configuration using a smartphone with NFC capabilities. The result is a faster, more scalable provisioning process while maintaining the ultra-small size and low-power operation of the tracking device.