Are "NFC TAG type2 - NTAG213" compatible with X-NUCLEO-NFC03A1? Is this dev shield able tomanage NTAG213 password?

[SDel.19]

Hi, I am using X-NUCLEO-NFC03A1 and NXP NTAG213 Mifare Ultralight. I chose this kind of TAG because they can be protected by password. I downloaded all files like user manual, etc... about NFC03A1 but I couldn't find any informtion about password writing and reading a tag using a password so I suspect that maybe this shield is not totally compatible with NTAG213....

Also, I used the bin file "STM32F401RE_NUCLEO_PollingTagDetectNdef" but alwasy I get this response from serial:

1. Tap a tag to read its content

ISO14443A/NFC-A card found. UID: 044153A26F5E81

NDEF NOT DETECTED (ndefPollerNdefDetect returns 5)

Operation completed

Tag can be removed from the field

but my tag should support NDEF.

p.s. I am using a NUCLEO-F401RE board

[Brian TIDAL]

Hi,

X-CUBE-NFC3 2.1.0 supports NFC Type 2 tag.

Password protection is not an NFC Type 2 feature but a proprietary feature. See table 22 in the datasheet of this tag: PWD_AUTH (1Bh) is neither an ISO/IEC 14443 command nor a NFC Forum command. This proprietary command is not implemented in X-CUBE-NFC3 2.1.0. Anyway if you want to use it, you just need to format the PWD_AUTH message into a buffer and send it through rfalTransceiveBlockingTxRx(). See rfal_t2t.c for some example of rfalTransceiveBlockingTxRx usage for type 2 tags.

Regarding the NDEF detection issue: this tag has a default Lock Control TLV in block 4 (see Table 5 in the tag datasheet). X-CUBE-NFC3 2.1.0 does not implement the support of DynLock_Area and therefore, returns an error during NDEF detection procedure when encountering a Lock Control TLV .

This can be solved in different ways:

• solution #1 remove the Lock Control TLV in block 4 of the tag (just write 03 00 FE 00 in block 4, you can use for example an Android phone with an NFC app)
• solution #2: comment the line 363 in ndef_t2t.c (i.e. do not return ERR_REQUEST when a Lock Control TLV is found)

Rgds

BT

[SDel.19]

Hi,

thanks to your answer I solved the NDEF detection issue using an Android APP.

Now I'm trying to figure out how to write some data in a password protected NTAG213. I can set the password and set AUTH0 to 0x04 using the Android APP that is able to set automaticaly AUTH0 = 4 after a password setting.

I have also created a function (under your guidelines) in "rfal_t2t.c" using function  "rfalTransceiveBlockingTxRx()". Here the code:

ReturnCode rfalT2TPollerPWD_AUTH(const uint8_t* PWD )
{
	platformLog("_______INIZIO POLLER PWD_AUTH______\r\n");
   ReturnCode         ret;
   rfalT2TAuthReq    req;
   uint8_t            res;
   uint16_t           rxLen;
 
   req.code = (uint8_t)RFAL_T2T_CMD_PWD_AUTH;
   ST_MEMCPY(req.data, PWD, RFAL_T2T_WRITE_DATA_LEN);
 
   /* Transceive WRITE Command */
   ret = rfalTransceiveBlockingTxRx( (uint8_t*)&req, sizeof(rfalT2TAuthReq), &res, sizeof(uint8_t), &rxLen, RFAL_TXRX_FLAGS_DEFAULT, RFAL_FDT_POLL_PWD_AUTH_MAX );
    
//TODO    /* Check for a valid PACK */
   
    ret = ERR_NONE;  //TEMPORARY.  remove it after validation PACK function
    
   platformLog("_______FINE POLLER PWD_AUTH______\r\n");
   return ret;
}

I believe I should set the rfalTransceiveBlockingTxRx() like the following

ret = rfalTransceiveBlockingTxRx( (uint8_t*)&req, sizeof(rfalT2TReadReq), rxBuf, rxBufLen, rcvLen, RFAL_TXRX_FLAGS_DEFAULT, RFAL_FDT_POLL_READ_MAX );

in order to check the PACK consequently and maybe you can help me for that....

Anyway, my bigger dubt actually is: in order to use the password protection, and PWD_AUTH command of course, to read and write the TAG, should I use NDEF formatted TAG also for the authentication message?

How should I treat the authentication message? Should I append write or read record after it? Or maybe the authentication remains valid until the TAG is removed from the reader field so that I can write and read in messages separated from the authentication one?

BR

Simone

[SDel.19]

maybe I should have post an answer instead of a reply...

[Brian TIDAL · Accepted solution]

Hi,

this is more a question for the tag manufacturer than for the reader manufacturer. I believe the password is valid until the field is removed andpassword verification t should be done before the read/write accesses. Feel free to contact the tag manufacturer or check inside the datasheet of the tag.

your rfalT2TPollerPWD_AUTH looks in good shape.You need a local buffer large enough for command response (PACK) and pass it in the rfalTransceiveBlockingTxRx as the rxBuff. I would suggest

uint8_t res[PACK_SIZE];

and

ret = rfalTransceiveBlockingTxRx( (uint8_t*)&req, sizeof(rfalT2TAuthReq), &res, sizeof(res), &rxLen, RFAL_TXRX_FLAGS_DEFAULT, RFAL_FDT_POLL_PWD_AUTH_MAX );

Rgds

BT