Adafruit PN532 NFC/RFID Controller Shield for Arduino + Extras

The Adafruit NFC/RFID PN532 Shield is a powerful tool for 13.56MHz NFC and RFID applications, designed to work with a wide range of tags and devices. Built around the popular PN532 chipset—the same one embedded in many phones and NFC devices—this shield can read and write to tags and cards, communicate with phones for tasks like payment processing, and even act as an NFC tag itself. While the current Arduino library only supports reading and writing tags, the PN532 chip offers a wide array of additional features such as phone-to-shield communication and tag emulation, though these are not currently supported.

NFC (Near Field Communication) is a short-range communication technology, similar to RFID, that allows devices in close proximity to exchange data without the need for authentication. With the Adafruit NFC Shield, you can easily work with RFID and NFC tags (Type 1 through 4) for projects like access control, inventory tracking, and more.

The shield is engineered with a 10cm (4 inch) range using a tuned 13.56MHz stripline antenna, offering the maximum read range possible with 13.56MHz technology. You can even mount the shield behind a plastic plate and still read cards through a non-metallic barrier.

The shield supports both I2C and SPI communication protocols, with I2C being the default for easy wiring. Digital pin #2 serves as an interrupt notification, so you don’t need to constantly poll the chip to check for nearby tags—when a card, phone, or tag is detected, the pin will pull low. You can switch to SPI mode by adjusting two solder jumpers on the PCB, providing flexibility in how you connect the shield.

Compatible with most classic Arduino boards (UNO, Mega, and others), the shield includes a 36-pin 0.1" header for easy attachment. It also comes with a 13.56MHz RFID/NFC 1K card to get you started right away, with additional tags available for purchase. The shield is also compatible with stacking headers for adding more shields if needed.

This is the perfect solution for any NFC or RFID project that requires a reliable and easy-to-use interface.