Question

Difficulty: MediumMobile Device Ports and Accessories

A retail store technician is configuring a new mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) credit card reader accessory for a company tablet. To streamline deployment for floor staff, the technician wants to allow employees to pair the card reader with the tablet instantly by tapping the two devices together, bypassing manual device discovery menus and PIN verification steps. Which wireless technology built into mobile devices and accessories enables this touch-based pairing mechanism?

  1. A
    Thunderbolt protocol pairing
  2. B
    Mobile Device Management (MDM) auto-discovery
  3. Near Field Communication (NFC)Answer
  4. D
    Exchange ActiveSync pairing protocol

Answer

Near Field Communication (NFC) enables short-range, touch-based proximity pairing between mobile devices and compatible accessories.
Near Field Communication (NFC) is a low-power, short-range radio technology operating within a distance of a few centimeters. In mobile device environments, NFC supports out-of-band (OOB) pairing, allowing a mobile device and peripheral (such as an mPOS card reader, speaker, or headset) to exchange encryption keys and configuration settings automatically when tapped together.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the operational requirement in the scenario.
The scenario requires a wireless technology that allows instant pairing between a mobile tablet and an mPOS card reader by physically tapping/touching them together without manual menu navigation.
Identifying the key physical distance and user interaction method isolates short-range proximity technologies.
2
Evaluate wireless mobile accessory pairing technologies against the requirements.
Near Field Communication (NFC) operates at distances of a few centimeters and supports Out-of-Band (OOB) pairing, which automatically bootstraps Bluetooth connections upon physical contact.
NFC is designed specifically for contactless payments, data transfer, and tap-to-pair accessory setup.
3
Differentiate NFC from non-applicable protocols and management frameworks.
Thunderbolt is wired, MDM is centralized software policy management, and Exchange ActiveSync is an email/data synchronization protocol.
Only NFC provides the physical proximity-based hardware handshaking specified in the scenario.

Key Concept

Near Field Communication (NFC) Mobile Accessory Pairing
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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