Walk the space first
The strongest habit in a good installation is dry-placing. Before anything is peeled, carry the Markers around the building and hold each one exactly where you think it goes, at the height a visitor will actually use, and try tapping it with a phone while somebody stands where a visitor would stand.
This catches, in about ten minutes, the things that are expensive later: the spot that is unreachable behind a rope line, the panel that turns out to be metal, the height that works for a standing adult and nobody else, and the place where two Markers end up close enough to confuse each other. Where to place a Marker covers the placement decisions themselves.
Mount it
- 1
Register and name the Marker before it goes up.
The PIN is on the back, and the back is about to become the side facing the wall.
- 2
Clean the surface.
Isopropyl alcohol on a lint-free cloth, then let it dry completely. Dust, polish and cleaning-product residue are what adhesive actually fails against, not weight.
- 3
Check the temperature.
Pressure-sensitive adhesive keys poorly in the cold. A surface below about 10°C or 50°F should be warmed, or the job moved to a warmer part of the day.
- 4
Peel and position in one go.
The Marker is rigid and three inches square, so its whole back has to meet the surface at once. Line it up before it touches anything.
- 5
Press firmly for thirty seconds.
Real pressure across the whole face, not a tap. Bond strength climbs for the next day, so do not test it by trying to pull the Marker off an hour later.
- 6
Tap it with a phone.
Confirm it opens the right Experience, from where a visitor would stand. Then check the tap appears in stats, which proves the whole chain rather than just the chip.
When adhesive is not right
- Textured or porous surfaces
- Brick, rough stone, unsealed wood. Adhesive needs continuous contact. Bond the Marker to a flat rigid plate and fix the plate mechanically.
- Metal
- Metal directly behind the Marker can stop NFC from reading. Test with two phones in place before committing, and if it is unreliable, stand the Marker off the metal on a rigid non-metallic spacer.
- Outdoors
- The Marker is UV-resistant; the adhesive is the part weather defeats. Prefer a mechanical fixing, choose a spot under an overhang, and avoid anywhere water runs across the face.
- Anywhere it will move
- If a Marker is going to be repositioned (a stand, a pop-up, a seasonal display), mount it to a plate or a sign holder once and move the holder instead.
- Screw-fixed mounts
- NearField ships adhesive, not a bracket. If a Marker needs to be screwed down against removal, use a third-party sign holder sized for a three-inch Marker. Do not overtighten a plastic holder, and do not drive fixings home fully until the Marker is aligned.
Moving and removing
Adhesive is a one-way trip on paint and paper. Assume a removal will need touching up, and plan for it in a hotel corridor or a gallery wall by using a plate from the start. To take a Marker down, warm it gently, work a thin flexible blade under one corner and lift steadily rather than prying. The Marker itself is unharmed by removal and can be relinked and remounted anywhere: the code inside it has not changed.
Example
Marigold & Vine, eighteen tables
Marigold & Vine mounts every table Marker on the vertical face of the table edge, aisle side, two inches in from the corner. Wiping down never touches it, plates never sit on it, and a diner reaching for a phone finds it without looking. The rule took one afternoon to settle and has survived two menu redesigns and a relink of all eighteen Markers.
Can I mount a Marker on glass?
Yes. Radio passes through glass and acrylic without trouble. Clean it properly first. Glass is the surface adhesive most often lets go of, and it lets go days later rather than immediately.
Will the QR still scan through a laminate or a case?
A clear laminate is usually fine. A case is not, because the visitor also has to be able to touch the Marker for NFC, and glass at a distance defeats a small printed code.
How high should it go?
Between about 36 and 48 inches unless you have a reason. That band is reachable standing, seated and by most children.
Do I need to test every Marker after mounting?
Yes, and it costs a minute per floor. Testing after mounting is the only check that covers the surface, the link and the placement at the same time.