Best location for NFC sticker on FP2

[LaurieJ]

I’m delighted to have my new FP2 in my hands at last! I’ve got a bpay sticker which I’d like to use for NFC contactless payments. It’s 30mm x 40mm and is like thick paper in thickness, I guess. Ideally I’d like to put it inside the back case of my phone, stuck to the case.

Has anyone else done this and have any suggestions? I was trying to figure out how to arrange it relative to the rubber rectangle battery support…

Of course I could stick it on the outside, but that would ruin the phone aesthetics

[therob]

Are your concerns about the functionality of the NFC or about not to damage the FP2?

For functionality-reasons I would think you just can put it in inside the backcover without using the sticking/glue option and check if it do function properly with the counterpart of the paying system.

Can you tell something more about the sticker and paying system?
Some in the forum are complaining about a missing NFC chip at the FP2…
…but obviuosly it can also work different, as we can see in your case…

[LaurieJ]

I guess I am mostly concerned about not damaging the FP2 (eg squeezing the battery or something) but of course i’d like the NFC to at least function Behind the battery kinda seems like the most obvious location because it’s a large smooth surface on the phone side, that is what I had planned, but I am not sure whether the rubber battery support thing means I should avoid that location and maybe put it above the battery (although that is nearer antenna…)

I’ve not used bpay before, they are a UK group offering stickers, wristbands etc. You link the RFID up to a pre paid account, which you can top up from any credit card. http://bpay.co.uk/

[LaurieJ]

I’ve now fitted the bpay sticker. It’s not stuck but rests, at the top inside the cover, portrait mode, roughly centrally horizontally, with the bottom around the top of the battery. The top edge of the sticker comes just below the antenna section, I think, so hopefully there won’t be an interference issue. It doesn’t overlap the battery rubber seal. The case went back on fine, although you can see a very slight distortion where the back bulges out now.

I’ll test for payment functionality and call/data tomorrow - if there’s a way of doing a proper test of signal strength or similar for comparison I’d love to know, otherwise I’ll just be evaluating compared to the first week of ownership experience!

[LaurieJ]

So, the phone wireless all seem to work well and I can make payments! So that’s all good.

Downside: the slight bulge in the rear cover means the fairphone does not sit quite flat on a surface - you can rock it slightly. Also the bottom edge of the sticker is the most ‘extreme’ bulge and the matt surface on the cover is already becoming slightly shiny there as it gets extra wear. I expect over time with other scratches etc this will not be very noticeable, and on translucent blue it’s not very noticeable anyway, but other people may find this unacceptable.

I’m happy and paying with my phone! yay

[LaurieJ]

Just to follow up on this. Sticker and phone still thriving, but after another week of daily use, the blue translucent case is showing a couple of very fine hairline cracks radiating out from the most-stretched point on the case (a little above and to the right of the “E” in the FAIRPHONE etching). This section is a rigid plastic, not flexible like the edges of the case. Will be interesting to see how the cracks develop, if at all.

[LaurieJ]

An update! The radial cracks seemed to be growing and so I stuck an external regular sticker on my phone to ensure it didn’t fall apart whilst I was away from home. This has been successful in stopping the cracks developing further, but obviously I wasn’t totally happy with my hack

So I bought a second cover for my FP2 to experiment with. My original plan was to file away some of the interior of the case to create more space for my NFC sticker. However, when I took off the cracked case, I found that the sticker had obviously slipped at some point and had managed to wedge itself partly over the two raised strips which I guess are designed to hold in the SIM cards. I am not sure when this happened; I hadn’t stuck the sticker so it could have slipped at any point, although I am pretty sure that when I originally put it in it was in the right place. So maybe regular use and occasional knocks have caused the case to flex and the sticker to move down. Anyway, it is clear that this has caused additional pressure and maybe there isn’t a need to file some of the cover. So, with my second case, I am using the same sticker and am actually sticking it down in the interior of the case, just above the sim card holder strips, and just to the side of the rubber seal around the camera unit. I am hopeful that this will work fine as the sticker cannot move, but will report back! If it fails, my next plan would be the filing.

[fgaine]

Can you give an update on the new location for you Bpay sticker? Also I would like to hear about your experience of using contactless: are you able to use it in most places or is it still a very limited amount of retailers?
Cheers.

[LaurieJ]

Well, I’ve actually been posted overseas for work for the last 2 months and in a location which doesn’t use contactless much if at all, so I’ve not attempted to use my sticker.

Back home in the UK many places take contactless - especially cafes and shops - of course it only works for transactions less than £30 (used to be £20). And so I was able to use it quite a bit.

With the sticker now stuck down in my new FP2 case, just above the two raised strips, I didn’t have much success - payment only sometimes worked. I think the sticker was damaged when it wedged over these strips, probably the antenna bent a bit. So when I am back in the UK I will try a new sticker, stuck down.

I am confident that the placement, just above those two raised strips, is good and the original sticker worked well there until it slipped, so just need it stuck down. No need to adjust case or file material.

Will be doing this as soon as I am back in the land of contactless again!

[fgaine]

Thank you! I am tempted by it(I never have cash on me!) but I’ve just fitted a transparent case on my FP so hesitating as it might affect the looks of the phone…

[drb]

Hi - Any update of NFC success?

[LaurieJ]

Well, I’ve not tested much since being back in the land of contactless payments, but the 2 times i’ve tried with a new sticker it’s failed. i don’t know if that’s because of some subtle change to the way RF is used on the phone (maybe I have bluetooth on, or something, when I didn’t previously), or a broken sticker (although this is a fresh one), or something else. I should probably have checked this sticker was making payments OK before sticking it…