mainstream brands don’t make them with nfc readers in anymore so i’d stop looking if i were you and begin looking for a good laptop you could modify to add the kbr1 motherboard and antenna into.
If you use Linux, you can connect your cellphone to a USB port and use it as an NFC reader to log in with SiRFIDaL. Since most people keep their cellphones around them, this may be an option for you.
The feature exploits USB debugging. So it needs to happen over USB. I think Android can only do debugging over BT on wearables (smartwatches and such).
And yeah, the cellphone needs to be unlocked. Android turns off the NFC chip when it’s locked. That’s just the nature of the beast. But in the developer settings, there’s an option to keep the device awake while it’s charging. How convenient!
So if you set that and enable USB debugging, whenever you want to turn your cellphone into an improvised tabletop NFC reader, all you have to do is connect it to your PC with a USB cable, set it face down on the table, and voila! you got yourself a login reader that’ll keep working as long as it’s plugged in.