Skip to content

Scan an NFC tag

Use NFC to jump straight from a physical piece of equipment to the task point that lives on it.

Required role

Technician, Mapper, Supervisor, Admin, PegotecUser — any role with mobile.nfc.scan.

Overview

Every task point in your plant can have a physical NFC tag attached to it. Scanning the tag with your phone opens the matching task point in the app — no menu browsing, no hierarchy tree navigation.

It's the fastest way to get to a task. Walk up to the asset, hold the phone to the tag, work begins.

NFC tags are written by Mappers during commissioning. If a task point doesn't have a tag yet, tell your Mapper. See Writing NFC tags.

Prerequisites

  • Your device has NFC hardware (check Settings on your phone if you're unsure).
  • NFC is enabled at the OS level.
  • The task point has a written tag on it.

Enable NFC on your phone

Settings → Connected devices → NFC — toggle on.

Some manufacturers bury NFC under Connections, Wireless, or More connections — search settings for "NFC" if you can't find it.

NFC is permanently on in the hardware; the app prompts for permission the first time it wants to scan. Grant Camera and NFC when asked.

Scan a tag

1. Open the app

The app doesn't need to be on any particular screen, though the Dashboard or Tasks list are easiest.

2. Tap the scan icon

Top-right of the main screens. Usually a small NFC / wave icon.

3. Hold the phone against the tag

  • Back of the phone against the tag, not the front.
  • Stay still for ~1 second. Don't wave or swipe.
  • The phone's NFC antenna is in a specific spot — see Phone antenna position below.

The app opens the task point detail screen. If there's one task queued on it, that opens too. If there are multiple, a selector appears — tap the one you want.

The app opens the asset's detail screen. From there you can browse to task points underneath.

The app shows an error: Unknown tag. Report the tag to your Mapper — it probably needs writing or is broken.

Tag not found. Either a tag from a different tenant got on this equipment by mistake, or the asset it references has been deleted.

Phone antenna position

NFC antennas are in different places on different phones:

Phone family Antenna location
Most Android phones Upper back, near the camera
Samsung (recent) Middle of the back
iPhone Top edge, near the notch / Dynamic Island
iPad Top edge (iPads with NFC are rare)

If you're unsure, sweep the phone slowly across the tag, back-to-tag, until it catches.

Multiple tags in close proximity

If two or more tags are within a few centimetres of each other (which should be rare if your Mapper is careful with placement), the phone might read the wrong one. Move the phone closer to the one you want until only one is read.

Scan history

Some installations log every scan you make. Menu → Scan history shows:

  • Timestamp.
  • Tag / task point opened.
  • Whether the scan was followed by a completed task.

This feeds the NFC skip report that Supervisors see — if a technician repeatedly scans but doesn't complete the following task, it's a coaching signal.

When to use NFC vs the tree

  • NFC — you're physically at the asset. One second to open the task.
  • Tree — you're not at the asset, or the tag is damaged / missing. Navigate via the hierarchy browser.
  • Barcode — older sites without NFC infrastructure. See Scanning barcodes.

Offline scanning

NFC scanning works fully offline. The tag data on the physical tag is the identifier; the app resolves it to the matching task point in the local cache. You don't need network.

Common issues

Phone doesn't detect the tag

  • Check NFC is enabled (Android) or the app has NFC permission (iOS).
  • Try removing the phone case — some thick cases block NFC.
  • Try the phone at different angles. The antenna may not be where you think.
  • The tag may be damaged. Report to the Mapper.

Tag reads, but wrong task point opens

  • Another tag may have taken the same identifier during writing. Report to your Mapper; the tag needs re-writing.

"Unknown tag" on a tag that should work

  • The tag is blank. A Mapper needs to write it.
  • Or the task point it pointed to has been deleted. Check with your Mapper.

See NFC is not working for more.

Things to watch for

NFC is the fastest way

If your site has tags, scanning them should become muscle memory. You save several seconds per task, which adds up over a shift.

Don't force it

If a tag won't scan after two attempts, don't keep trying. Either the tag is damaged, your device's NFC is off, or the phone is positioned wrong. Troubleshoot rather than keep tapping.

NFC on metal needs special tags

Metal surfaces interfere with NFC. If a specific area of the plant has scanning issues, the tags may not be "NFC on-metal" variants. That's a Mapper-level fix.

Troubleshooting

Problem See
NFC detect fails entirely NFC is not working
Wrong task point opens Tag misconfigured; report to Mapper
Scan count skyrockets (skip report) Train in proper phone antenna positioning; or tags need repositioning
Tag is physically damaged Mapper writes a replacement — Writing NFC tags