PN532 V3 vs V4 - RFID Reader comparsion
Differences between RFID readers PN532. Version V3 that is available on the Aliexpress and V4 that is available only at Elechouse manufacturer including CE and FCC.
PN532 RFID reader is a popular NFC reader operating at 13.56 MHz. It is popular mainly because it exists in the form of a module that is compatible with Arduino or other open-source hardware. The most famous is the V3 version of this reader, which was brought by ELECHOUSE (a manufacturer from Hong Kong) and can currently be found everywhere in e-shops. However, they are non-original ELECHOUSE products, which stopped producing them in 2017, all V3 on the market are fake products, which was confirmed by the manufacturer itself.
ELECHOUSE is currently producing version V4, more precisely under the name PN532 NFC RFID module V4. It is fully compatible with version V3 in terms of dimensions and pin layout, but has CE and FCC certification, which is properly documented on the manufacturer's website. The main advantage over the previous version is the reader's ability to read RFID tags at a distance of 6-8 cm thanks to the antenna design, which charges the RFID tag standard 14443A (Mifare).
I was interested in comparing whether the fake versions on the market have both lower performance in terms of range, but especially whether they are truly fake products in the sense of a fake chip, as is the case with the RC522 RFID reader, where this is known to happen and I have repeatedly come across a counterfeit chip that had firmware version 0x12 and not the original firmware 1.0 or 2.0, i.e. 0x91 or 0x92.
Looking at the PCB of both readers, it is clear that they have an identical layout of components, pins, mounting holes. There are noticeable differences in the mounted components, their size. Changes can also be noticed in the case of the antenna, which is around the entire perimeter of the PN532 RFID reader and in the case of V3 it forms a continuous strip and in the case of V4 it is dotted.
The module itself has up to 3 modes in terms of possible communication, which are set via two DIP switches. Based on the combination, it is possible to use HSU (High-Speed UART), I2C, or SPI. In mode 0 0 (factory setting), the PN532 is set to UART communication, switching ON to 1 changes the state to I2C and if KE is also set to 1, the mode switches to SPI bus.
I set up the I2C bus on all RFID readers via a DIP switch. Then I chose the library from Adafruit, which is multi-platform, so different microcontroller architectures have no problem with its operation. It should be noted that ELECHOUSE also has a library for PN532 directly, but it does not have a ready-to-use program implementation, only the functions that need to be used, so Adafruit was more affordable. The PN532 library from Adafruit also requires their BusIO library for I2C bus abstraction.
I connected the reader to the microcontroller via I2C with 3V3 power supply, I defined the pins for Wire and I uploaded a program that also lists the technical parameters of the PN532 chip used. Amazingly, both RFID readers reported the same firmware version 0x32010607 and chip version 50. This proved that the chip used on the PN532 V3 (fake product) is original, directly from NXP Semiconductor, as in the case of the PN532 V4 directly from ELECHOUSE. These readers (at least the samples I had) do not suffer from what the RFID RC522 suffers from. The V3 version was from Allegro from Poland, but it was just a resale from China with faster delivery.
I also did not see any difference in response. However, I noticed a difference in the maximum distance at which an RFID tag can be detected. Yes, it is 1 to 2 cm in the V4 props and matches what the manufacturer ELECHOUSE states. I used a Mifare 1K RFID card with a 4-byte UID at 13.56 MHz of the ISO/IEC 14443-A standard.
I have not tried other modes, speeds, supported RFID standards, but considering the identical chip and its version, I believe that everything would work identically, I do not see a difference.
Is V4 worth it for me? Where can I buy it?
The V4 version of the PN532 RFID module is only worth it under certain conditions. Do you really require a higher detection distance for applying the card, are you planning CE or FCC certification of your own commercial device, e.g. for an access system. You are sure that the reader would pass EMC testing, where EMI, EMS are tested... V4 would also be worth selling if you bought it from the manufacturer in large quantities, at least 100, where the quantity discount is most effective per piece.
For "diy" and personal use, it is not worth going to V4 for several reasons. First of all, the price, which is two to three times higher than V3. A regular Slovak e-shop sells V3 for half the price of V4, with a surcharge. It has been confirmed that the chip is original in both versions of the reader. So it is not fake in the sense that it has a non-original chip, but it is fake because everyone already produces it in a compatible original V3 design from ELECHOUSE. The benefit of V4 compared to V3 is not worth that much and for normal operation it does not matter whether you insert the card from 6 cm or 8 cm. A regular RFID user inserts the card directly onto the reader, or cover over it and it will cover it anyway.
The manufacturer sells the piece for 21.90 USD, which is about 21€. There are volume discounts for larger orders and it is strange that between 100+ and 1000+ pieces the price difference is only 0.40 USD per piece, but between 1 piece and 100+ pieces the price difference is 7 USD per piece. ELECHOUSE accepts payments up to 1000 USD exclusively via PayPal and bank transfer only above 1000 USD. In addition, you will pay 20% tax (yes, it will pay it to the EU) and a shipping fee.
Shipping can be ordered by mail for 12.90 USD, or by courier for 70 USD. The package took 30 days to arrive by mail. It spent most of its time in China. It took 22 days from the time it was sent to the time it left China by air. On the other hand, even by regular mail, the package had triad tracking throughout the entire journey with detailed information and was also visible in the Slovak Post system, although there was not as much detailed information as on 17track.
When delivered by Slovak Post, it was necessary to pay an additional €2 for customs duty. If the goods exceeded €150, it would also be necessary to pay customs duty. When paying via PayPal, you pay directly in USD and PayPal automatically converts it from your currency to USD using the current exchange rate.
ELECHOUSE is currently producing version V4, more precisely under the name PN532 NFC RFID module V4. It is fully compatible with version V3 in terms of dimensions and pin layout, but has CE and FCC certification, which is properly documented on the manufacturer's website. The main advantage over the previous version is the reader's ability to read RFID tags at a distance of 6-8 cm thanks to the antenna design, which charges the RFID tag standard 14443A (Mifare).
I was interested in comparing whether the fake versions on the market have both lower performance in terms of range, but especially whether they are truly fake products in the sense of a fake chip, as is the case with the RC522 RFID reader, where this is known to happen and I have repeatedly come across a counterfeit chip that had firmware version 0x12 and not the original firmware 1.0 or 2.0, i.e. 0x91 or 0x92.
Looking at the PCB of both readers, it is clear that they have an identical layout of components, pins, mounting holes. There are noticeable differences in the mounted components, their size. Changes can also be noticed in the case of the antenna, which is around the entire perimeter of the PN532 RFID reader and in the case of V3 it forms a continuous strip and in the case of V4 it is dotted.
The module itself has up to 3 modes in terms of possible communication, which are set via two DIP switches. Based on the combination, it is possible to use HSU (High-Speed UART), I2C, or SPI. In mode 0 0 (factory setting), the PN532 is set to UART communication, switching ON to 1 changes the state to I2C and if KE is also set to 1, the mode switches to SPI bus.
I set up the I2C bus on all RFID readers via a DIP switch. Then I chose the library from Adafruit, which is multi-platform, so different microcontroller architectures have no problem with its operation. It should be noted that ELECHOUSE also has a library for PN532 directly, but it does not have a ready-to-use program implementation, only the functions that need to be used, so Adafruit was more affordable. The PN532 library from Adafruit also requires their BusIO library for I2C bus abstraction.
I connected the reader to the microcontroller via I2C with 3V3 power supply, I defined the pins for Wire and I uploaded a program that also lists the technical parameters of the PN532 chip used. Amazingly, both RFID readers reported the same firmware version 0x32010607 and chip version 50. This proved that the chip used on the PN532 V3 (fake product) is original, directly from NXP Semiconductor, as in the case of the PN532 V4 directly from ELECHOUSE. These readers (at least the samples I had) do not suffer from what the RFID RC522 suffers from. The V3 version was from Allegro from Poland, but it was just a resale from China with faster delivery.
I also did not see any difference in response. However, I noticed a difference in the maximum distance at which an RFID tag can be detected. Yes, it is 1 to 2 cm in the V4 props and matches what the manufacturer ELECHOUSE states. I used a Mifare 1K RFID card with a 4-byte UID at 13.56 MHz of the ISO/IEC 14443-A standard.
I have not tried other modes, speeds, supported RFID standards, but considering the identical chip and its version, I believe that everything would work identically, I do not see a difference.
Is V4 worth it for me? Where can I buy it?
The V4 version of the PN532 RFID module is only worth it under certain conditions. Do you really require a higher detection distance for applying the card, are you planning CE or FCC certification of your own commercial device, e.g. for an access system. You are sure that the reader would pass EMC testing, where EMI, EMS are tested... V4 would also be worth selling if you bought it from the manufacturer in large quantities, at least 100, where the quantity discount is most effective per piece.
For "diy" and personal use, it is not worth going to V4 for several reasons. First of all, the price, which is two to three times higher than V3. A regular Slovak e-shop sells V3 for half the price of V4, with a surcharge. It has been confirmed that the chip is original in both versions of the reader. So it is not fake in the sense that it has a non-original chip, but it is fake because everyone already produces it in a compatible original V3 design from ELECHOUSE. The benefit of V4 compared to V3 is not worth that much and for normal operation it does not matter whether you insert the card from 6 cm or 8 cm. A regular RFID user inserts the card directly onto the reader, or cover over it and it will cover it anyway.
The manufacturer sells the piece for 21.90 USD, which is about 21€. There are volume discounts for larger orders and it is strange that between 100+ and 1000+ pieces the price difference is only 0.40 USD per piece, but between 1 piece and 100+ pieces the price difference is 7 USD per piece. ELECHOUSE accepts payments up to 1000 USD exclusively via PayPal and bank transfer only above 1000 USD. In addition, you will pay 20% tax (yes, it will pay it to the EU) and a shipping fee.
Shipping can be ordered by mail for 12.90 USD, or by courier for 70 USD. The package took 30 days to arrive by mail. It spent most of its time in China. It took 22 days from the time it was sent to the time it left China by air. On the other hand, even by regular mail, the package had triad tracking throughout the entire journey with detailed information and was also visible in the Slovak Post system, although there was not as much detailed information as on 17track.
When delivered by Slovak Post, it was necessary to pay an additional €2 for customs duty. If the goods exceeded €150, it would also be necessary to pay customs duty. When paying via PayPal, you pay directly in USD and PayPal automatically converts it from your currency to USD using the current exchange rate.
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