Smartrac Launches New NFC PRO Series

Smartrac Technology Group has launched the new PRO series of its portfolio of NFC tags and inlays. The company’s NFC tag CIRCUS PRO, equipped with NXP’s NTAG 424 DNA IC, will be the first member of the new product series optimized for highly secure product authentication.

By embedding Smartrac’s new CIRCUS PRO – or any other future PRO inlays or tags – into physical products, customers such as brand owners and branded product manufacturers can turn their prod-ucts into secure digital platforms, from point of manufacture, through the supply chain, distribution channels, point of sales, customer usage phase, to reselling and recycling.

Key applications enabled by secure product authentication are counterfeit and diversion protection as well as exclusive content and rewards for consumer engagement and customer loyalty programs.

“As the number of connected objects is expected to reach a record 40 billion by 2022, organizations of all sizes are seeking not just feature-rich, connectivity solutions but ones that can securely protect their brand, their products, and their customers,” said Philippe Dubois, VP and GM of IoT Security, Smart Mobility and Retail at NXP. “Our NTAG 424 DNA sets the bar when it comes to delivering such trusted experiences and Smartrac’s CIRCUS PRO takes full advantage of its cutting-edge security and privacy features to deliver an all new generation of NFC tags that can fight even the most sophisticated of coun-terfeiting attempts.”

Smartrac’s new CIRCUS PRO inlays and tags with NXP’s NTAG 424 DNA IC’s work with all NFC-enabled devices and support real-time tag and message authentication based on AES-128 encryption on attack-resistant certified silicon. The Secure Unique NFC (SUN) authentication feature enables authentic, in-tegrity protected and confidential data exchanges between tags and servers. This high-end security IC option offers enhanced privacy features and a sensitive on-chip data storage, protected by a sophisti-cated three-pass mutual authentication scheme.

Future PRO features and options will also include different security layers, allowing customers to enable secure product authentication for a wide range of needs and applications. Offering a variety of different NFC product designs, form factors and IC options for individual customer demands, Smartrac will soon introduce further PRO versions of its popular NFC inlays and tags such as BULLSEYE and MIDAS.

“Today’s introduction of the new CIRCUS PRO NFC tag with NXP’s NTAG 424 DNA IC is a milestone for us in two respects: As the forerunner of our innovative PRO series, the new tag enables our customers to effectively fight counterfeiting with a variety of highly secure functionalities, and at the same time provides consumers with exclusive, instant digital content through existing devices and channels,” said Hal Hikita, SVP product market development at Smartrac.

Regarding its physical and performance characteristics, the new CIRCUS PRO falls within the highly suc-cessful product line that features CIRCUS DURA, CIRCUS FLEX, CIRCUS ON-METAL and CIRCUS TAMPER LOOP NFC inlays and tags, which all combine small size, cost-effectiveness and superior perfor-mance.