We are currently testing the use of RFID/NFC in our contextual smart home and plan to use it to enable and track access to things like our garden store. This allows unique tags to be used to gain access and also enables our smarthome to track who has accessed things. This also includes NFC enabled iPhones and Android smartphones.
RFID is an incredibly convenient technology but isn't the most secure technology. For this reason the physical installation and the applications for which is being used need to be careful thought through. In all of our applications we have currently enabled our contextual smart home to send a notification each time the technology is used in and around our home, along with triggering cameras to capture the user.
Our primary use case for now is to enable unlocking of smart locks and to enable/disable features in our contextual smart home (e.g. the alarm).
For applications where a higher level of security is required (e.g. a front door lock), we can also use a keypad to collect a PIN from the user.
Long range (this should really be longer range) RFID uses active readers and tags to extend the detection range to about 15m or more but come at a much higher cost. They extend the range of possible application though, to include things like detecting vehicles arriving home, etc.
