Connect and Scan

Start with a direct USB connection and a single ISO14443A tag.

Connect the Reader

1. Set the mode switch to USB. On revisions with a RUN / CONFIG switch, select RUN.

2. Connect a USB data cable. Close other apps or serial monitors using the reader.

3. Identify its serial port. Windows lists it under Ports (COM & LPT); install the matching CH340 driver if necessary.

# Linux
ls /dev/ttyUSB* /dev/ttyACM* 2>/dev/null

# macOS
ls /dev/cu.*

Install PN532 CLI

Install Python 3.9 or later and Git. These commands select the stable branch:

git clone --branch main https://github.com/whywilson/pn532-python.git
cd pn532-python
python3 -m venv .venv

Activate the environment:

# Linux / macOS
source .venv/bin/activate

# Windows PowerShell
.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1

Then install dependencies and start the client:

python -m pip install -r script/requirements.txt
python script/pn532_cli_main.py

Scan a Tag

At the interactive CLI prompt:

hw connect
hw version
hf 14a scan

Select a port explicitly if auto-detection chooses another device:

hw connect -p COM3

Replace COM3 with your actual port, such as /dev/ttyUSB0 on Linux. The scan should return identification information for a compatible tag. A successful connection with no tag detected means the host link is working; reposition the tag and retry.

Connection Troubleshooting

Symptom	Check
No serial device	Use a data cable, select USB, and check the USB serial driver
Port busy	Close MTools, another CLI session, and serial monitors
Linux permission denied	Use your distribution's serial-access group and sign in again after changing membership
CLI detects PN532Killer	Check the connected hardware; use the PN532Killer product guide
No tag detected	Use one supported tag, center it over the antenna, and remove nearby tags

Continue with Mobile Apps and Bluetooth or Host Software and Development.