Copying NFC tags

Author
Discussion

ManFromDelmonte

Original Poster:

2,742 posts

180 months

Monday 5th October 2015
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Hello,

I have a slightly unusual requirement that probably sounds dodgier than it is.

I recently bought a commercially available set of NFC tags that are custom made to perform a certain role in a certain activity. Unfortunately it seems that as an early adopter there are a tremendous amount of issues with the companion Android app to the point that the tags (almost £100 for the set) are essentially useless (the app is where the magic happens, the tags are just to provide a trigger for the action and the identity of the tag being used).

I am going to return the tags whilst I still can but I still have hope that the team behind the product will get the app sorted and working as intended, the trouble is I am not prepared to wait and see as there is a distinct possibility it will never work.

That's the background.

Basically my question is, can I clone a couple of the tags and keep them to test future versions of the app? I know nothing about NFC but I got as far as downloading a tag cloner tool and taking a copy of one of them (it told me the tag types are Mifare Ultralight if that helps). If the cloned tags prove to me that an updated version of the companion app works, I will re-buy the proper set (they are custom made for their purpose so a cloned sticker or whatever would not do the proper job).

So to summarise:
Do I need to buy blank tags that are the same Mifare Ultralight type, or will any do?
Is this likely to even work at all or is there going to be some kind of protection on the tags?

DervVW

2,223 posts

139 months

Tuesday 6th October 2015
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I had a tag for a sony smart band that I was able to copy with an app from the google play store, this worked exactly as you'd expect... but I can see that I can scan debit/credit cards but copying them does not work.. thankfully I suppose. I guess it depends on the security type, and that is as far as I can figure out.

LordGrover

33,539 posts

212 months

Tuesday 6th October 2015
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The NFC tags I bought cost beans, something like these: amazon.

ManFromDelmonte

Original Poster:

2,742 posts

180 months

Tuesday 6th October 2015
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Thanks, I just got hold of a random NFC tag from someone at work and my phone seemed to copy the source tag successfully onto the new tag. Mission accomplished.

DervVW

2,223 posts

139 months

Friday 9th October 2015
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Great news - I had a grang plan for programming them so that I could connect to the bluetooth in my car and start the audio when I scanned getting in, then the opposite when getting out - never really managed to get it to work properly. Sadly.

thescamper

920 posts

226 months

Friday 9th October 2015
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DervVW said:
Great news - I had a grang plan for programming them so that I could connect to the bluetooth in my car and start the audio when I scanned getting in, then the opposite when getting out - never really managed to get it to work properly. Sadly.
Could you not use something like Tasker to detect the car Bluetooth and then do stuff from there.

That's how I did it anyway.

LordGrover

33,539 posts

212 months

Friday 9th October 2015
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Yep. I do the same with Llama.

DervVW

2,223 posts

139 months

Friday 9th October 2015
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That is another plan I suppose. I will have a look thanks guys

silentbrown

8,827 posts

116 months

Friday 9th October 2015
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ManFromDelmonte said:
...custom made to perform a certain role in a certain activity...
Oh, you mean these? http://www.gamegolf.com/products/en-us/tags?v=b0e7...