Improved tagging technology in tandem with the rising popularity of Near Field Communications mobile technology could greatly enhanced property access control.

The rise in popularity of Near Field Communications (NFC) in the mobile payment market could also have major implications for property security and access control, given the enhanced functionality the technology can provide to such systems.

Market consultancy Frost & Sullivan sees the NFC market reaching a staggering $41.87 billion by 2015, at which time 53 per cent of smartphones on the US market are expected to possess NFC capabilities.

According to the consultancy, the popularity of the technology, in tandem with ease of its adoption because it does not require the modification of devices or the downloading apps, will serve to rapidly expand the scope of its applications.

The technology is particularly well placed to play a greater role in Electronic Visitor Verification (EVV) systems, which can play critical role in property access control. It’s incredibly easy to implement and deploy, with users verifying their identity simply by holding their NFC mobile device adjacent to a small and discrete e-tag, thus dispensing with the need for more expensive authentication technology such as special readers.

The appeal of NFC device for security purposes is further heightened by the development of more advanced tag technology that minimises the risk of fraud or abuse.

Next-generation “trusted tags” change their security and privacy attributes each time they are tapped, thus removing the potential for tampering or forging by creating an audit trail of data that renders the taps impossible to duplicate.

These tamper-proof tags can be embedded in locations or objects within a property in such a way that they cannot be removed or altered without attracting attention.

When visitors to properties need to authenticate their identity or right to access a given local, they tap the tag using their NFC-enabled device, which then communicates with a cloud-based authentication system.

The trust tags also provide the added benefit of providing proof of presence, with a given NFC tag attesting to the presence of an individual at a given physical location by interacting with his or her mobile device.