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How to use the NFC Sticker on Mojave


Nancy10

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Hey !

 

I know that the NFC sticker on my Latitude 7480 is supposed to be used to unlock the PC by passing an NFC card or my phone, Is there anyway of using that with my Mojave installation ? 

I can't find anything about it online.

 

Is it bundled in the Security chip that handles fingerprint and SC cards ? 

 

I do have the chip visible in my system info .
 

Screen Shot 2019-04-09 at 13.24.05.png

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By NFC sticker, do you mean the NFC/RFID logo that is engraved on the laptop's casing when it is fitted with an optional finger scanner and Contactless SmartCard Reader?

dell_rfid_palmrest.jpg

That would indeed be the Broadcom BCM5880 chip but that's not supported under OS X/macOS. You can read more about that chip here:

https://ridrix.wordpress.com/2009/06/30/dell-embedded-contactless-smartcard-reader/

 

Those chips and associated security devices are normally directly supported by applications, not through OS drivers. For example, this was the case for the finger scanners of fitted to old Latitude D4x0 or other models of that generation. There were Mac applications that could use those to provide authentication under Snow Leopard, Lion or Mountain Lion. Subsequent chips/scanners/readers were dropped and I'm not sure the apps were updated over time.

 

If, by NFC sticker, you meant an actual NFC tag, I don't think that can unlock your computer, no. Unless you have a NFC reader of some sort installed in the laptop that can read/scan that tag and decode it. But it would not make any sense... By definition, an NFC sticker/tag's purpose is to be approached by an NFC-enabled device in order to trigger an action/execute a task on that device through a specifically NFC-tuned application. Most common NFC-enabled devices would be SmartPhones...

 

Or does your 7480 actually have an NFC radio/reader that, when presented with an NFC tag or an NFC card could then automatically enter the password that will unlock it? This would require an NFC-tuned app on the PC too. But as far as I know, it's just another Contactless Smart Card Reader that Delll handle through their ControlVault2 security driver/package.

https://lifehacker.com/use-nfc-tags-to-unlock-your-computer-1561695242

 

The two (NFC tag and NFC reader) are not the same at all...

 

If your 7480 is NFC-enabled, it'll carry a logo on the case (not a sticker/tag):

https://www.dell.com/support/article/fr/fr/frbsdt1/sln292603/how-do-i-use-near-field-communication-nfc-on-dell-systems?lang=en

 

You can read here about Apple's own NFC adoption (for Payment through iPhone or Apple Watch); and that's about it!

 

If you have an NFC reader, I expect support to be a matter for NFC applications. Eg: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nfc-tools-for-desktop/id1392471092?mt=12

 

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