Tap the tag. That's the patrol.
NFC tags are stickers a phone reads with a tap. Write each checkpoint's link to one and stick it inside a door frame, on a gate post or behind a sign. Officers tap it with their phone, the checkpoint opens in the browser and the visit logs, with nothing to install.
NFC guard tours
Why NFC instead of a printed code.
QR stickers are the quickest start, and every phone's camera reads them. NFC tags earn their place where a printed code isn't enough.
Tapping a tag opens the checkpoint's page, so it needs signal. In a dead zone, use a QR code there and patrol mode, which keeps scanning offline.
- Codes someone might photograph
- A tag has to be tapped where it is. There's no picture to scan later from the break room.
- Outdoors and rough places
- Tags work behind a thin plastic sign, inside a gate post or under a cover, out of the weather and away from vandals.
- Dark corners
- No lining up a camera in a dim stairwell or garage: tap and move on.
- Replacing a wand system
- Officers tap the tag the way they touched a wand to a button, with the phone they already carry.
- A mix of both
- NFC where it matters and QR everywhere else, on the same route.
How it works
Set up in minutes, from your phone.
No readers, no wands and no app to roll out. If your people can take a photo, they can scan a checkpoint.
- 01
Get NTAG213 or NTAG215 stickers
They cost well under a dollar each. Use on-metal tags on metal doors and frames, where ordinary tags won't read.
- 02
Write each checkpoint's link
Copy the NFC link from the checkpoint's sticker dialog and write it with a free NFC app, then lock the tag so it can't be rewritten.
- 03
Officers tap as they walk
The phone opens the checkpoint in the browser and logs the visit, marked as an NFC scan.
An example route
What a night patrol route looks like.
Any of these could be a QR sticker instead. Mix them however suits each spot.
Checkpoints
In walking order- GP01Gate post
- Gate locked?
- GE02Generator
- No alarms?
- Enclosure locked?
- ER03Electrical room
- Door locked?
- No smell or heat?
- RD04Roof door Photo required
- Closed and latched?
- LO05Lobby
- Doors locked?
Night patrol
Every day · 10 PM – 6 AM · every 2 hours
Missed checkpoints are emailed as each round ends, by name.
A round not started is emailed 30 minutes in, while there's time to act.
A Problem on any checklist needs a note, and is emailed to you as an incident.
What you get
Everything the record needs. Nothing to learn.
Any NTAG213 or NTAG215 tag
No proprietary buttons. Buy tags anywhere, write them with a free app, and replace one in minutes.
Visits marked NFC
Each tap is logged as an NFC visit, time- and GPS-stamped, so the report shows how every checkpoint was reached.
Missed-round alerts
An email naming every checkpoint nobody tapped, as the round ends.
Incidents from the tag
After the tap, report a problem with photos from the same page.
SOS for lone officers
One tap on the checkpoint page sends an urgent alert with the officer's location.
A daily patrol report
Every round and visit by day. Print it, export a CSV, or email it to a client each morning.
Plus everything else in PatrolBadges: NFC tags, PINs, incident reports, offline scanning, CSV export and four sticker layouts. See all features
Pricing
Free to start. Priced by the checkpoint after that.
NFC costs nothing extra: up to 5 checkpoints are free, and Pro is $9 a month for 10, then $1 each. You buy the tags, at well under a dollar apiece.
Free for up to 5 checkpoints. Pro is $9 a month for your first 10 checkpoints, plus $1 a month for each one after that. Officers, routes and scans are unlimited on both. No per-user fees, hardware, contracts or setup costs.
$9 for your first 10 checkpoints, plus 10 × $1.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
The quickest answer is to try it: add your checkpoints and scan one from your phone in about two minutes. No card. Or ask us.
What NFC tags work for guard tours?
Any NTAG213 or NTAG215 tag. An NTAG213 holds 144 bytes, plenty for a checkpoint's link. Buy stickers, key fobs or cards from any supplier, and use on-metal tags on metal surfaces, where ordinary tags won't read.
Do officers need an NFC app?
Not to tap. Phones that read NFC open the tag's link on their own, and the checkpoint loads in the browser. Only whoever sets up the tags needs a free NFC app, once, to write each link.
Which phones can tap NFC tags?
iPhone XS and later read NFC tags without an app, per Apple, as long as the phone has been unlocked since it restarted and the camera isn't open. Many Android phones have NFC too, sometimes switched off in settings. If someone's phone can't read NFC, put a QR sticker beside the tag for them.
Are NFC tags more secure than QR codes?
Harder to fake, yes. There's no code to photograph and scan elsewhere, so a tap means the phone was at the tag. Lock each tag after writing it so it can't be changed, and location stamps and too-fast flags still apply on top.
Do NFC taps work without signal?
No. A tap opens the checkpoint's page, which needs a connection. In basements and stairwells with no signal, use a QR code there with patrol mode, which saves scans on the phone and sends them later with the real times.
How much does an NFC guard tour cost?
Free for up to 5 checkpoints. Pro is $9 a month for your first 10 checkpoints, plus $1 a month for each one after that. Officers, routes and scans are unlimited on both. NFC tags cost well under a dollar each, and there are no readers or wands to buy.
Tap your first checkpoint tonight.
Add your checkpoints and scan them from your phone, right off your screen. No card, and sign up only when you're ready to keep it.
- QR Code vs NFC Guard Tour: Which Checkpoints Should You Use?Cost, phones, faking, durability and offline use: which checkpoint to put where.
- Guard Tour Wand Alternative: Replace Wands With PhonesWands, buttons and download stations vs QR stickers and the phone in their pocket.
- Guard Tour App With No Download: Officers Scan in the BrowserOfficers scan with the phone's camera and it logs in the browser. No download, no account.
- How to Know Your Security Guards Are Really Doing Their RoundsCheckpoints, schedules and alerts: how to prove rounds happened, and the tricks to watch for.
More ways to use PatrolBadges
- Guard toursSecurity patrols with a QR code at every checkpoint and alerts when one's missed.
- Fire watchRounds every 30 minutes while the alarm or sprinklers are down, logged for the fire marshal.
- HOA & apartmentsNightly rounds of gates, garages and amenities, with a report the board can read.
- Construction sitesAfter-hours rounds of the gate, containers, fuel and equipment, proven with a scan at each.
- WarehousesAfter-hours rounds of dock doors, yards and fence lines, with a checklist at each stop.
- Church safety teamsDoor and building checks by a volunteer safety team, before, during and after services.
- Vacant propertyInspections of empty buildings on the schedule your insurer sets, with photos at every stop.
- Facility roundsDaily walks of the boiler room, risers, generator and roof, with a checklist at each stop.
- Night checksOvernight hall and door checks in group homes, shelters and dorms, with safety for staff working alone.
- Restroom cleaningA QR code in place of the clipboard on the door, with a checklist and a photo at every clean.