PN532 NFC / RFID Module, 13.56 MHz, I²C / SPI / UART (Development Board)

Reader, tag or peer

Where the RC522 module only reads ISO 14443A cards, the PN532 is a full NFC controller: it reads ISO 14443A and B cards and FeliCa, it can emulate a tag so that a phone reads the prototype, and it can exchange data peer-to-peer with another NFC device. Three interfaces, I²C, SPI and UART, are selected by a switch on the board, so it connects to an Arduino-compatible board, an ESP32 or a Raspberry Pi with the bus you prefer. Open-source libraries cover all three.

Choosing it over the RC522

Choose the PN532 when the prototype must interact with phones as a tag, read non-A card types, or when you want one board that covers the whole 13.56 MHz family during development. Choose the RC522 for the cheapest possible card reader. Neither reads 125 kHz cards (see the 125 kHz UART module), ISO 15693 library labels or UHF tags (see the UHF development module). For test cards use our NFC cards in NTAG or MIFARE Classic versions; the NFC tag guide explains the tag types.

From prototype to product

Development modules are for proving a design. The production step is a finished reader such as the HRD20 desktop reader or another of our HF and NFC readers, which come housed and ready to connect. Modules are quoted from one unit: request a quote.