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Review: An NFC reader/writer with USB-C - ACR1252U-MF
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2024/02/review-an-nfc-reader-writer-with-usb-c-acr1252u-mf/I needed to read and write NFC cards on Linux. I only buy USB-C peripherals now, so I found the brilliantly named "ACR1252U-MF" which appears to be the only USB-C reader on the market. Total cost was about £35 on eBay.
It's a cheap and light plastic box with a short USB cord. When you plug it in, there's a flashing light which can't be disabled. When it is powered up, or it detects and NFC chip, it makes this weird and scratchy beep:
On Linux, it shows up as:
072f:223b Advanced Card Systems, Ltd ACR1252 Dual ReaderTo get it working, install PCSC Tools and the PCSC Daemon:
sudo apt install pcsc-tools pcscdTo start the daemon:
service pcscd startRunning
pcsc_scandetected the reader as two readers - PICC and SAMUsing reader plug'n play mechanismScanning present readers...0: ACS ACR1252 1S CL Reader [ACR1252 Dual Reader PICC] 00 001: ACS ACR1252 1S CL Reader [ACR1252 Dual Reader SAM] 01 00Putting tokens on and off the reader showed them being detected and removed.
Despite my best efforts, I was unable to get this working with .
nfc-list uses libnfc 1.8.0No NFC device found.For reading and writing basic NDEF tags, I used Wakdev's NFC tools, I was also able to use various Python scripts like PCSC NDEF
It also worked with a FIDO2 / HID Bridge so I could use an MFA token.
There's lots of documentation about the reader and its API as well as some official ACS Linux tools. In theory it supports firmware update - although none have been released.
It's a cheap and cheerful device. It would be nice if there were a way to stop the flashing LED and crappy buzzer.
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2024/02/review-an-nfc-reader-writer-with-usb-c-acr1252u-mf/
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