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androidsecuritynfcmifare

Mifare Plus vs Mifare DESfire (Android)

Apart from what is shown in the NXP websites regarding mifare plus and mifare desfire, considering the following factors:

  1. Security
  2. Speed of Readability
  3. When stuck with a ferrite layer so that it can be stuck on a phone, which is better?
  4. In the future if we want to get into payments, what is preferred?
  5. The size of the nfc tag stickers are going to be 35mm diameter, does it make a difference what is the tag that is used?
  6. The tags are going to be interacting with an nfc reader which is plugged in to an Android device. From an android POV, which is better? For ease of development and for more functionality which is more appropriate?

Thanks

Solution

  • You seem to have an awful lot of questions here, some of which may not actually be relevant, but here goes:

    1. Security - the DESFire has greater security functionality, gaining Common Criteria EAL 4+
    2. Speed of Readability - They both can handle 848 kbit/sec
    3. When stuck with a ferrite layer so that it can be stuck on a phone, which is better? - not really a question. They both cope with it, but I'd recommend glue as it is a better physical solution to prevent accidental loss.
    4. In the future if we want to get into payments, what is preferred? - the DESFire has greater security functionality, so I would recommend it over the Plus
    5. The size of the nfc tag stickers are going to be 35mm diameter, does it make a difference what is the tag that is used? - Form factor looks identical, so no.
    6. The tags are going to be interacting with an nfc reader which is plugged in to an Android device. From an android POV, which is better? For ease of development and for more functionality which is more appropriate? - The command sets are similar, with the DESFire having an extra set of commands and the capability to run more applications, so based on your comment regarding functionality the DESFire offers more options.