# \[HOW TO\] Prepare and use NFC stickers to start a flow **URL:** \ **Category:** Tutorials\ **Tags:** flow, homey-pro\ **Created:** [October 11, 2023, 11:06am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/how-to-prepare-and-use-nfc-stickers-to-start-a-flow/91505 "2023-10-11T11:06:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mrPilloft](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/mrpilloft/32/87781_2.png) [@mrPilloft](https://community.homey.app/u/mrPilloft)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2023, 11:06am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/how-to-prepare-and-use-nfc-stickers-to-start-a-flow/91505/1 "2023-10-11T11:06:35Z")
NFC stickers are cheap and can replace for instance a button. This tutorial demonstrates how I was able to write a string to a NFC sticker, read it with my android phone, and start a flow in Homey Pro. This is my setup: -I have an android phone/Google Pixel 6 -I have “Use NFC” enabled on the phone -I have [NFC stickers](https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005908519762.html) (NTAG 213, type 2) -I have Homey Pro 2019 -URL I’ll use: http://\/api/manager/logic/webhook/\ **UPDATE:** After I created this how-to, I’ve since updated it [here](https://community.homey.app/t/how-to-prepare-and-use-nfc-stickers-to-start-a-flow/91505/8)… …or just read on… **Step 1:** Write something unique to the tag Tags might come with an unique ID on them. In that case you can skip this step. My tags were empty, so I went through many NFC writers/readers but ended up with “[MacroDroid](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.arlosoft.macrodroid)” from ArloSoft. This app lets you write, read and automate the steps needed. Ok, start MacroDroid \> Add macro \> {give it a name eg ‘Livingroom\_music’} \> +Trigger (search for and select NFC) \> Write tag ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/athom/original/3X/c/c/cc23cadbdafbb0fe351db249997f9d328887e0df.png) \> {name the tag eg ‘livingroom\_music’}… ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/athom/original/3X/d/4/d4e402f5550c2f90e152892b1cb46b037bac1e6e.png) **Step 2:** Automate what to do when tag is scanned Well, MacroDroid bakes all this together, so let’s just continue from the steps above. You just wrote a string to the tag. Let’s add an action: +Action \> Web interactions \> HTTP request \> {insert URL but replace \ with ‘livingroom\_music’ (make sure it’s a **GET** request)} ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/athom/original/3X/1/5/15a8ad642e2b6c2c2690a0b30373eeddf4f8a783.png) Lastly, open the “…” menu and select “Save changes”. That’s it for the tag! **Step 3:** In Homey Pro, set up the listener flow ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/athom/original/3X/f/e/fed3d1007552871f91734aa07e36ce3d37aece5f.png) That’s it! The ‘Cast text to Google’ gets old fast, but is fine for verbal debugging in the beginning. I removed it after this was made 🙂 👍 This is a poor man’s implementation of [this dream](https://community.homey.app/t/the-music-follows-you-presence-sensors-multiroom-speakers/90271)… **PROS:** This works, Only I can use the tag for this (everyone else need to associate the tag ‘livingroom\_music’ with their own actions) **CONS:** Flipside of the PRO: If you want to share the action with everyone, it might work to store the webhook URL in the tag. Haven’t tried. **Update:** I was lying: I have tried it. See [here](https://community.homey.app/t/how-to-prepare-and-use-nfc-stickers-to-start-a-flow/91505/8)… ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Kawa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/peter_kawa/32/173848_2.png) [@Peter\_Kawa](https://community.homey.app/u/Peter_Kawa)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2023, 2:40pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/how-to-prepare-and-use-nfc-stickers-to-start-a-flow/91505/2 "2023-10-11T14:40:57Z")
> [@mrPilloft](#): > > If you want to share the action with everyone, it might work to store the webhook URL in the tag Didn’t think of this idea! This should work, but: -After hitting the nfc popup which presents the webhook , it probably opens a browser screen with ‘OK’, but it’ll start the flow. An opening browser each time can be annoying to certain people -Make sure to convince people it is safe to hit the link 😁 ---
**Author:** ![mrPilloft](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/mrpilloft/32/87781_2.png) [@mrPilloft](https://community.homey.app/u/mrPilloft)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2023, 5:48pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/how-to-prepare-and-use-nfc-stickers-to-start-a-flow/91505/3 "2023-10-11T17:48:09Z")
> [@Peter\_Kawa](#): > > An opening browser each time can be annoying Nothing pops up on my phone… ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Kawa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/peter_kawa/32/173848_2.png) [@Peter\_Kawa](https://community.homey.app/u/Peter_Kawa)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2023, 9:09pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/how-to-prepare-and-use-nfc-stickers-to-start-a-flow/91505/4 "2023-10-11T21:09:30Z")
Do you test with a ‘clean’ phone, or with one which triggers Macrodroid? ---
**Author:** ![mrPilloft](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/mrpilloft/32/87781_2.png) [@mrPilloft](https://community.homey.app/u/mrPilloft)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2023, 10:32pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/how-to-prepare-and-use-nfc-stickers-to-start-a-flow/91505/5 "2023-10-11T22:32:28Z")
> [@Peter\_Kawa](#): > > one which triggers Macrodroid So, this solution needs MacroDroid to be installed to work. If someone can: 1. Name another NFC reader that can send a GET HTTP request on LAN or to webhook.homey.app 2. Name another NFC writer that can write the URL on to the NFC tag so that it fires a GET request when scanned… …I would be very interested in that. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Kawa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/peter_kawa/32/173848_2.png) [@Peter\_Kawa](https://community.homey.app/u/Peter_Kawa)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 4:53pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/how-to-prepare-and-use-nfc-stickers-to-start-a-flow/91505/6 "2023-10-12T16:53:02Z")
> [@mrPilloft](#): > > So, this solution needs MacroDroid to be installed to work. If someone can: No, did I say that? You don’t need Macrodriod, when you program the NFC with a webhook. I tried to say when you want to use this on general phones, like ‘everyone’ has (and no Macrodroid with your NFC macro’s), those people probably will find a browser popping up reporting “OK” when opening the webhook through the NFC tag. That can be annoying. That’s all. And if you don’t care about the browser popups, I don’t care. It’s true on YOUR phone with macrodroid and the NFC macro’s, no browser gets opened on-screen by macrodroid. ---
**Author:** ![mrPilloft](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/mrpilloft/32/87781_2.png) [@mrPilloft](https://community.homey.app/u/mrPilloft)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 5:55pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/how-to-prepare-and-use-nfc-stickers-to-start-a-flow/91505/7 "2023-10-12T17:55:58Z")
You might be right, but this is not the way I understand it. They way I see it, the tag only contains the string “livingroom\_music”. The connection to fire a GET request is in MacroDroid in the macro named “Livingroom\_music” (with a capitol “L” (why didn’t I call i “livingroom\_music\_macro” just to be clearer :- )). But we talked about PROS and CONS of writing URLs VS. just and ID/string. Inside my house, it would make sense to write the URL and hoping that each phone is capable of scanning the tag and firing it off… Outside the house/in public it would not be smart to embed and URL to trigger functionality inside your house… When I find a way to write the URL to the tag, I will try to remove MacroDroid and test… untill then, I’m too dependent on firing up the speakers every time I enter a room the way it currently works :- ) ---
**Author:** ![mrPilloft](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/mrpilloft/32/87781_2.png) [@mrPilloft](https://community.homey.app/u/mrPilloft)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 5:56pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/how-to-prepare-and-use-nfc-stickers-to-start-a-flow/91505/8 "2023-10-31T17:56:51Z")
I was in a trial period with **MacroDroid** (was unaware of that at the time) and has since uninstalled it. Am currently using **[NFC tools](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wakdev.wdnfc)** to write the URL to the NFC tags. In short I write the following URL by selecting Write \> URL / URI \> ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/athom/original/3X/d/5/d5dd8821b0c6dc3e56acfca74b3bbd1bcd039cdc.png) …using: http://\/api/manager/logic/webhook/\ **Remember:** Substitute **Homey-LAN-IP** with Homey’s IP on your LAN and **kword** /keyword with the ones you want to look out for in flows. E.g.: **livingroom\_music** **Homey:** Look out for the keyword like this: ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/athom/original/3X/5/c/5c3396219e43fe09fb1c3e583d9560d27964099f.png) **Pro:** Everyone can read and fire off the http requests **Con:** As others alude to, a new browser window with the return value “ok” pops up every time a tag is read. A small price to pay, but if anyone knows of a way to circumvent this, I want to know!!! 👍 Tested & worx on Android. Currently testing reading with IPhone…