RFID & Beyond!!

What is RFID?

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is an automatic way to collect asset data (identification, location, transaction, time) quickly and easily without human intervention, line-of-sight or error. A basic RFID system consists of three components:

• Tag or Transponder:

  An RFID tag can be categorised as either passive or active;

  Passive tags- Operate without a separate external power source and obtain operating power from the reader. These are typically short-range.

  Active tags- Are powered by an internal battery. These are typically long-range.

• Reader or Interrogator:

  The device that extracts/reads the tag information. Can be either fixed (stationary) or mobile.

• Antenna:

  A conduit between a tag and the reader that emits radio signals to activate and communicate with a tag.

RFID systems carry data in tags affixed to assets, and when required by the demands of the application, the asset data on the tag is retrieved via antennas and readers and harvested by an information management system. The data can be as simple as an identifier or as complex as instructions, manifest for shipments, trauma reports, and temperature history.
The significant advantage of RFID is the non-contact, non-line-of-sight nature of the technology. Some tags can be read through a variety of substances such as concrete, snow, fog, ice, paint, and other environmentally challenging conditions which cannot be achieved with barcodes or other optically read technologies. RFID tags can also be read in these circumstances at amazing speed (< 10 milliseconds). The opportunity of RFID is still being realised and continues to yield new applications where traditional data collection methods are not effective.