A system including a wireless communication device and a peripheral device communicate with each other using radio frequency (RF) waves that are propagated using a user's own body as a transmission medium. The wireless communication device selectively controls the transmit output power of the peripheral device to cause the peripheral device to transmit data and information in a low-power transmission mode. This minimizes the amount of RF waves that are received at the wireless communication device as reflected RF waves, but helps to ensure that the RF waves that do reach the wireless communication device are transmitted as surface waves along the user's skin. Responsive to the receipt of the surface waves, and based on a validity of the information carried by those surface waves, the wireless communication device transitions from a locked state to an unlocked state.