Smart home automation is usually framed as something that starts with a shopping list. A hub, a smart speaker, a couple of bulbs, one or two sensorsmaybe a subscription somewhere in the block, and then it goes from a simple upgrade to a full add-on. home improvement project.
One of the most useful automations I’ve ever built went in the opposite direction. It didn’t need a hub, it didn’t need a monthly fee, and it didn’t even need its own power source. The NFC tags cost me less than a dollar each, and they’ve been more practical than many more expensive smart home devices I’ve tried in everyday use.
It’s absurdly cheap for how useful it can be
NFC tags can cost less than a dollar each
Price is the main thing that makes NFC tags so easy to recommend. Most smart home devices are rated on whether they do enough to justify their price. With NFC tags, this calculation is almost non-existent because the cost of entry is so low. They’re offered in big packs, so it’s as easy as buying a bunch, sticking them where they make sense, and building a few different moves for the price of what a smart accessory often costs.
An NFC tag is usually a small sticker, card, or plastic tag with a small chip inside and a small antenna coil. When your phone’s NFC reader comes within a few centimeters of the tag, it creates a small electromagnetic field. An antenna inside the tag collects enough of this energy to power the chip for a short period of time, allowing various types of data to be transmitted. This can be a web connection, plain text, contact information, Wi-Fi credentials, and more.
They feel great when placed reasonably
They are perfect for items in their wheelhouse
NFC tags are great when you’re trying to convert multiple repetitive actions into one physical touch. The bedside NFC tag is a good example and is something I put together for my fiance. With one click, it can turn off the lights, activate Do Not Disturb, set an alarm, and launch a sleep playlist or white noise app. None of these moves are difficult on their own, but doing them one at a time every night creates enough friction to be frustrating. A sticker reduces this mode to something you can do without much thought, a quick tap and your bedtime routine is basically complete. I did something similar on the front door: I set a tag to leave the house that turns off the lights and adjusts the thermostat, but if your house supports it, you could easily add a garage door open alarm or something similar.
They’re not really automatic, and that’s an obvious drawback
They don’t give up
The biggest weakness of the automation of NFC tags is that they are not automatic. You still have to physically touch your phone to trigger a gesture, which means they’re closer to smart shortcuts than the systems people usually imagine when they hear the words smart home. If your idea of automation is lights that react to occupancy, blinds that open on a schedule, or devices that passively respond to your presence, NFC tags are no substitute for any of that. They are not sensors and do not make independent decisions in the background. Their usefulness also depends on how well your phone supports it and how willing you are to build routines around it.
That’s one of the reasons they’re so good
The reason I like NFC tags so much is that they avoid a lot of the over-complexity that comes with more ambitious automation. Obviously, you can do a lot more with more complicated stuff, but sometimes it’s too complicated for that. That’s where NFC tags are interesting, because they’re smart enough to avoid false triggers, simple enough to be reliable, and cheap enough that experimenting with them is never a risky financial decision. They are literally on a dime.
NFC tags replaced my more expensive home automation devices
What NFC tags changed for me wasn’t my view of smart homes as an umbrella of products, but it raised the question of what. useful automation it looked like the original. Complex automations based on sensors and several different devices can be fun and really effective, but some the best smart home automations are the ones that save you a little friction. In many cases, one touch is enough to perform small actions.
