According to an embodiment, a method can be performed by a first active near-field communication (NFC) device. The method includes assuming a field detection mode, generating an advertisement pulse, and checking whether a predefined condition is fulfilled. If the checking determines that the predefined condition is fulfilled, the method includes assuming an active mode and communicating with an adjacent active NFC device, and, if the checking does not determine that the predefined condition is fulfilled, the method includes staying in the field detection mode and generating another advertisement pulse.