I'm looking for help with a situation at my gym. We currently use a water dispenser that works with NFC cards tied to our membership software. Recently, the supplier changed their policy, requiring members to buy a specific bottle that has an NFC chip to activate the dispenser, effectively forcing us to sell these bottles as part of our service. While we're considering switching to a different gym management software, in the meantime, I want to see if I can clone the NFC chip from one of these bottles onto a bunch of blank NFC tags.
I've tried scanning the bottle's NFC tag with my phone, but it looks like there are locked sectors that I can't access. I've only attempted this with my phone so far, but I also have an NFC reader provided by the supplier, which is cloud-connected and powered by USB. I'm thinking I might be able to capture the data it sends to the bottles, but I need advice on how to go about this. I suspect the blank cards we received aren't entirely empty since they don't associate with profiles or execute any actions on their own. I'm not sure what type of tags the cards or bottles use, but I'll update that information soon. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
3 Answers
Do you know where exactly the NFC chip is located on the bottle? If you’re feeling adventurous, you could potentially open up a bottle and find the chip, keeping it near the dispenser. Just be mindful that these bottles are linked to specific users, and their usage is tracked.
You might want to consider a simpler solution. Instead of dealing with all these tech hurdles, why not install a regular sink with a faucet? Sometimes it's better to step back from complex systems that just complicate things for everyone. Your gym could provide a simple, cost-effective way for members to refill their bottles without the extra fees from suppliers.
Exactly! Plus, it's always good to have a backup plan that doesn't rely on third-party tech.
That's a fair point! I guess a no-nonsense approach could really cut down on headaches and costs.
Have you checked out some of the cheap NFC readers on sites like AliExpress? I've found some under $20 that can decode certain card types pretty well. They might help you with copying the tags you need.
Thanks for the tip! I’ll check those out and see if they work for what I need.
Yeah, I get that. Unfortunately, tearing apart a bottle isn't really an option since it's tied to user profiles and we're trying not to charge them extra for something they already have.