OT: Debit card with WiFi?

I suppose it's not WiFi in the debit card, but somehow the new debit 
card can be sensed by WiFi from the cash machine. Anybody have and use 
one yet? I have such a card but haven't used that feature/function.

You do not insert the card, they say you "tap" it on the machine.

On 8/11/2020 5:00 AM, John Doe wrote:
> I suppose it's not WiFi in the debit card, but somehow the new debit
> card can be sensed by WiFi from the cash machine. Anybody have and use
> one yet? I have such a card but haven't used that feature/function.
> 
> You do not insert the card, they say you "tap" it on the machine.

Not all things "wireless" are WiFi.

Google "NFC" (hint:  your phone can likely do it, too)

On 11/08/2020 13:00, John Doe wrote:
> I suppose it's not WiFi in the debit card, but somehow the new debit
> card can be sensed by WiFi from the cash machine. Anybody have and use
> one yet? I have such a card but haven't used that feature/function.

Contactless RF induction based communication.

They have been around in the UK and Europe for ages along with peculiar 
adverts for them. I never could see why I would ever want to buy one 
banana whilst on a waterslide but Barclaycard did. URL below - enjoy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WlRcXIO5ik

Since it is set in America I had assumed they were common there too.
Evidently it is not a metallic pipe.
> 
> You do not insert the card, they say you "tap" it on the machine.

Wave it close enough and the thing powers up from near field radiation 
and does a cryptographic exchange with the terminal. They have been 
invaluable during the pandemic and the payment limit in the UK was 
increased for contactless payments shortly after the lockdown began.

Avoids touching any nasty dirty terminal keyboards (except that about 
once in 30 consecutive contactless transactions it demands a PIN). That 
limit has been reached on many people's cards recently confusing the 
hell out of consumers and till operators alike.

-- 
Regards,
Martin Brown

Martin Brown wrote:
> On 11/08/2020 13:00, John Doe wrote:
>> I suppose it's not WiFi in the debit card, but somehow the new debit
>> card can be sensed by WiFi from the cash machine. Anybody have and use
>> one yet? I have such a card but haven't used that feature/function.
> 
> Contactless RF induction based communication.
> 
> They have been around in the UK and Europe for ages along with peculiar 
> adverts for them. I never could see why I would ever want to buy one 
> banana whilst on a waterslide but Barclaycard did. URL below - enjoy:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WlRcXIO5ik
> 
> Since it is set in America I had assumed they were common there too.
> Evidently it is not a metallic pipe.
>>
>> You do not insert the card, they say you "tap" it on the machine.
> 
> Wave it close enough and the thing powers up from near field radiation 
> and does a cryptographic exchange with the terminal. They have been 
> invaluable during the pandemic and the payment limit in the UK was 
> increased for contactless payments shortly after the lockdown began.
> 
> Avoids touching any nasty dirty terminal keyboards (except that about 
> once in 30 consecutive contactless transactions it demands a PIN). That 
> limit has been reached on many people's cards recently confusing the 
> hell out of consumers and till operators alike.
> 
   They have an interesting sequence of ads, worth viewing.
   What follows is even MORE interestng: Tom Scholz: Sound Machine

Martin Brown <'''newspam'''@nonad.co.uk> wrote: 

> John Doe wrote: 

>> I suppose it's not WiFi in the debit card, but somehow the new
>> debit card can be sensed by WiFi from the cash machine. Anybody
>> have and use one yet? I have such a card but haven't used that
>> feature/function. 
> 
> Contactless RF induction based communication. 
> 
> They have been around in the UK and Europe for ages along with
> peculiar adverts for them. I never could see why I would ever want
> to buy one banana whilst on a waterslide but Barclaycard did. URL
> below - enjoy: 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WlRcXIO5ik 
> 
> Since it is set in America I had assumed they were common there
> too. Evidently it is not a metallic pipe. 
>> 
>> You do not insert the card, they say you "tap" it on the machine. 
> 
> Wave it close enough and the thing powers up from near field
> radiation 

It's not tapping, it's the card being close to the machine? That was a 
technical detail I was curious about. 

Must you wave it? :D

> radiation and does a cryptographic exchange with the terminal.
> They have been invaluable during the pandemic and the payment
> limit in the UK was increased for contactless payments shortly
> after the lockdown began. 
> 
> Avoids touching any nasty dirty terminal keyboards (except that
> about once in 30 consecutive contactless transactions it demands a
> PIN). That limit has been reached on many people's cards recently
> confusing the hell out of consumers and till operators alike. 

It also avoids user input. I will use it if I see a compatible
machine. 

Martin Brown <'''newspam'''@nonad.co.uk> wrote: 

> They have been invaluable during the pandemic 

Last I heard there have been no known cases of the coronavirus being 
transmitted via surfaces. 

On Tuesday, August 11, 2020 at 6:58:30 PM UTC-4, John Doe wrote:
> Martin Brown <'''newspam'''@nonad.co.uk> wrote: 
> 
> > They have been invaluable during the pandemic 
> 
> Last I heard there have been no known cases of the coronavirus being 
> transmitted via surfaces.

How would they know? 

-- 

  Rick C.

  - Get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging
  - Tesla referral code - https://ts.la/richard11209

On 2020/08/11 3:58 p.m., John Doe wrote:
> Martin Brown <'''newspam'''@nonad.co.uk> wrote:
> 
>> They have been invaluable during the pandemic
> 
> Last I heard there have been no known cases of the coronavirus being
> transmitted via surfaces.
> 

What, you still believe Trump?

John ;-#)#

John Robertson <spam@flippers.com> wrote:

> John Doe wrote:
>> Martin Brown <'''newspam'''@nonad.co.uk> wrote:

>>> They have been invaluable during the pandemic
>> 
>> Last I heard there have been no known cases of the coronavirus being
>> transmitted via surfaces.

> What, you still believe Trump?

I am a scientist. I don't jump to conclusions...

On 11/08/2020 23:58, John Doe wrote:
> Martin Brown <'''newspam'''@nonad.co.uk> wrote:
> 
>> They have been invaluable during the pandemic
> 
> Last I heard there have been no known cases of the coronavirus being
> transmitted via surfaces.

You are kidding, right?  The main vector for Covid-19 transmission is 
frequently touched surfaces like door handles and stair banisters.

Touch a contaminated surface and then your face and you are likely to be 
infected. That is why there is wash hands carefully and often advice.

Interestingly this strong hygiene advice at the start of the UK pandemic 
squashed the remaining seasonal flu down to nothing in a fortnight.

-- 
Regards,
Martin Brown