I recently created my first new field communication (NFC) tags, and I’m amazed at how easy it was and how much it can do. This advanced technology is actually affordable and easy.

What’s an NFC tag? Basically, it’s a sticker, or card, that you can scan with a NFC reader, like your phone, and it then completes a task or set of tasks. It’s an easy way to automate your smart home, or you can program it to do a bunch of different things. Chance are, you have a credit card with an NFC card built in that you can scan at the checkout. That same technology can help power your life in other ways.

I started out by buying 11 NCF stickers from Amazon for about $9. NFC stickers, or cards, are pretty cheap. Just don’t buy 40 of them unless you have a use for 40. I have 11 and have used three so far.

I started with this NFC iPhone tutorial. As it turns out, if you’re on an iOS device, Apple has made it extremely simple to program NFC tags. Don’t worry, programming isn’t really involved, it’s really just selecting what you want the tag to do.

My first NFC tag turns on a smart outlet that turns on my laptop charger, turns on a grow light, a WLED light strip, and tells my phone to play music from a specific playlist and send it to my HomePod. All of that happens when I scan my NFC tag with my phone. To make it even better, if the smart outlet is already on, then my automation turns everythign back off. I scan that little NFC tag each morning when I start work and each evening when I’m done with work.

With my second and third NFC tags, I decided to create a few Amiibos to use with my Nintendo Switch. I followed this NFC Amiibo video tutorial and once again, it was easier than I thought it would be. Once completed, I tested my new Amiibo with Mario Kart, and it worked as advertised unlocking a special racing suit and I have the second one setup for Super Mario™ 3D World + Bowser’s Fury.

I have 8 NFC tags left, and I’m wondering what to do with them. This technology is great, but you really do need quite a few smart devices to work with. I can always create more Amiibos and, if I ever run out of NFC tags, they’re re-programmable, so I can just erase them and use them over again.

If you’re curious about NFC tags, now’s a great time to check them out. They’re affordable and chances are you have all the technology you need to make them work.