Interoperability certification
NFC Forum certification (CR15)
NFC Forum certification proves an NFC device interoperates with the rest of the ecosystem. CR15 is the current certification release, extending the tested operating range and consolidating the analog, digital and wireless-charging requirements.
Official specification: NFC Forum specifications ↗
What is NFC Forum CR15?
The NFC Forum runs the certification program for NFC devices. A Certification Release (CR) is a versioned bundle of the test specifications a device is certified against. CR15, the current release, broadens the operating volume — the physical range over which a device must work — and aligns the analog, digital, tag and wireless-charging requirements.
Devices are tested in two roles: Poller (the active reader role) and Listener (the responding role), across the analog and digital layers.
What CR15 testing covers
- Analog — field strength across the operating volume, load modulation and waveform
- Digital protocol — polling, activation, LLCP / SNEP / NDEF and error handling
- Tag operations and, where applicable, NFC wireless charging (WLC)
Test it with cilab
Certify and pre-test CR15 — Poller and Listener
The ci230 provides NFC Forum CR15 Poller and Listener test benches in one instrument, covering analog and digital. cilab is an NFC Forum member, and the ci230 reports absolute analog with margin to the limits — so pre-compliance in your lab mirrors the certified result.
Explore the ci230Frequently asked
What changed in NFC Forum CR15?
CR15 extends the operating volume — the range over which a device must perform — and consolidates the current analog, digital, tag and wireless-charging test requirements into one certification release.
What are Poller and Listener?
Poller is the active role that generates the field and starts communication (like a reader); Listener is the role that responds (like a tag or card). NFC devices are certified in both roles as applicable.
Is NFC Forum certification the same as EMVCo?
No. NFC Forum certifies general NFC interoperability; EMVCo certifies contactless payment. Many products need both — the ci230 runs both on one bench.
Related standards
EMV® Level 1 contact & contactless testing
EMV® Level 1 is the physical and protocol layer of payment — the analog and low-level digital behaviour every payment card, terminal and phone must pass before type approval, on both the contact (ISO 7816) and contactless (RF) interfaces.
Wireless chargingNFC Wireless Charging (WLC) testing
NFC Wireless Charging (WLC) lets a device draw power over the same 13.56 MHz NFC link it already uses for data — ideal for small devices like wearables and styluses, with no extra coil.
Contactless standardISO/IEC 14443 proximity card testing
ISO/IEC 14443 is the foundation of contactless — the 13.56 MHz proximity standard behind payment cards, transit, eID and access. Almost every NFC and EMV® contactless product builds on it.
Test smart. Certify easy.
See how cilab runs NFC Forum CR15 on your bench — book a demo with one of our engineers.
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