RFID offers many advantages over the barcode, particularly the fact that an RFID tag can hold much more data about an item than a barcode can. In addition, RFID tags are not susceptible to the damages that may be incurred by barcode labels, like ripping and smearing. Review the evolution of RFID. Provide, for your approval, onsite test validation results and solution component budgeting costs to verify that our recommendations meet your criteria.
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Need help right away? Notice: JavaScript is required for this content. No Fields Found. What is RFID? The higher the level of customization or the more specialized the tag, the more expensive it will be in comparison to typical off-the-shelf tags. Readers, also called interrogators, are devices that transmit and receive radio waves in order to communicate with RFID tags. Fixed readers stay in one location and are typically mounted on walls, on desks, into portals, or other stationary locations.
A common subset of fixed readers is integrated readers. An integrated RFID reader is a reader with a built-in antenna that typically includes one additional antenna port for the connection of an optional external antenna as well. Integrated readers are usually aesthetically pleasing and designed to be used for indoor applications without a high traffic of tagged items. Mobile readers are handheld devices that allow for flexibility when reading RFID tags while still being able to communicate with a host computer or smart device.
There are two primary categories of Mobile RFID readers — readers with an onboard computer, called Mobile Computing Devices, and readers that use a Bluetooth or Auxiliary connection to a smart device or tablet, called Sleds. Fixed RFID Readers typically have external antenna ports that can connect anywhere from one additional antenna to up to eight different antennas. With the addition of a multiplexer, some readers can connect to up to 32 RFID antennas.
The number of antennas connected to one reader depends on the area of coverage required for the RFID application. Some desktop applications, like checking files in and out, only need a small area of coverage, so one antenna works well.
Other applications with a larger area of coverage, such as a finish line in a race timing application typically require multiple antennas to create the necessary coverage zone. The most common way to categorize readers is to classify them as either fixed or mobile. Other ways to differentiate between RFID readers include categories like connectivity, available utilities, features, processing capabilities, power options, antenna ports, etc.
A reader will usually be the most expensive component in an RFID system. USB readers generally have short read ranges and are used for desktop applications. Handheld readers and fixed readers vary greatly in pricing depending on features and functionality offered.
To put it simply, the higher the gain, the more powerful, and further-reaching RF field an antenna will have. If the RF field is a horizontal plane, is it described as horizontally linear, and the same principle applies to an RFID antenna that creates a vertical plane. If these do not match up, for instance, a vertical linearly-polarized antenna and a tag with a horizontal linearly-polarized antenna, the read range will be severely reduced.
A circularly-polarized antenna transmits waves that continually rotate between horizontal and vertical planes in order to give an application enhanced flexibility by allowing for RFID tags to be read in multiple orientations. Even though antennas are grouped by a few different factors, the most common groupings for RFID Antennas are polarity circular vs linear and ruggedness indoor vs.
These antennas are specialized for applications such as race timing and must be rugged enough to survive and perform well while people, bikes, or even go-carts run over them.
Development Kits are recommended as the best way to start using RFID technology because it allows people to jump right into the technology and start testing their application.
An SDK contains documentation about the reader, as well as API access and code samples, so that a software developer can begin writing software for the application. Without the cable, the reader cannot power and send signals to the tags via the antenna.
When determining the right connectors for either end of the cable, first look at the connectors on the RFID reader and the antenna. The cable length and thickness also called insulation rating will vary depending on your specific solution.
One way to combat that power loss it to use a higher insulation rating. The longer the length of the cable, the better insulated the cable needs to be in order to maximize efficiency and reduce the amount of power lost along the length of the cable.
Of note, as the insulation rating increases, the cable will be thicker and more rigid, which will make it more difficult to bend and work with when turning corners or running through conduit. NFC technology is promising because it presents the next evolution of convenient payment with an added layer of security. Some credit cards have NFC chips embedded in them and can be tapped against NFC payment terminals instead of swiped, which eliminates the possibility that someone could skim your data via the magnetic strip.
This same system works with cellular phones, too: read up on how cellular electronic payments work to dig into the technology. The application stores credit card information under multiple layers of security and allows for quick tap payments at NFC terminals. That means the technology's usefulness is limited by the number of NFC payment terminals available in retail locations and the number of phones that support the technology -- at launch, Google Wallet only works with the Android Nexus S smart phone.
So what does this have to do with RFID? This technology is being used in modern advertising. For example, picture a normal poster advertising a pair of jeans, the kind of paper you'd see plastered on a wall in a shopping mall. Advertisers can make "smart" posters with RFID tags that add a new level of interaction with customers. Passive RFID tags are cheap enough to be used in promotional materials just to engage customers.
Some critics find the idea of merchandisers tracking and recording purchases to be alarming. While many consumers happily -- or obliviously -- buy merchandise tracked with RFID tags, some people are up in arms about the U. On Aug. Department of State began issuing electronic passports, or e-passports. Prompted by the terrorist attacks of Sept. The e-passport's enhanced security features -- a chip identification number, digital signature and photograph that acts as a biometric identifier -- make the passport impossible to forge.
The e-passport will help improve security, but with so much personal information embedded in the document, there have been many concerns raised about the e-passport's potential for identity theft.
Two possible forms of identity theft that could occur with e-passports are:. However, the DHS insists that the e-passport is perfectly safe to use and that proper precautions have been taken to ensure user confidentiality. While the cost may seem steep, the cost of installing RFID readers in airports is even more staggering. The debate over e-passports pales in comparison to debates over human chipping.
From air traffic to road traffic, security is becoming a more pressing issue, and some people feel that they're being monitored more closely than ever before. The Real ID driver's license can be enhanced to give you easy border-crossing access to Canada, and beyond a standard driver's license, it also grants you access to federal facilities, federal aircraft and nuclear power plants [source: Department of Homeland Security].
Animal chipping is nothing new -- farmers have been tracking livestock for years using RFID technology. But companies are turning animal chipping for pets into big business, and some companies are offering options for human chipping. RFID pet recovery systems rely on tiny microchips the size of a grain of rice that contains the pet owner's contact information and sometimes an animal's medical history. Veterinarians scan lost pets with an RFID reader to determine whether or not the pet has a microchip.
But the system can break down here. There are many competing pet recovery systems and consequently, many pet microchips.
The Humane Society of the United States has been campaigning for development of a universal RFID reader that vets could use to read a pet's microchip, no matter its manufacturer or year of manufacture. In November , President George Bush signed a bill for the standardization of pet microchips and a national database of pet owner information [source: RFID Journal ].
Even though the FDA approved the implantation of RFID microchips in animals and humans in , research from as far back as shows that these implants can cause cancerous tumors in lab rats and mice [source: Washington Post ]. Specifically, the implants caused sarcomas, which affect body tissue. No studies have proven yet that cancer can form in animals other than lab rats and mice, and it's still too early to tell what effects the chips can have on humans.
No negative health effects have been linked to the radio waves emanating from RFID chips. Despite this evidence, or lack thereof, other disadvantages of human chipping may outweigh its advantages. VeriChip Corp. The company makes microchips with unique identification numbers that link to a VeriChip medical database.
The VeriChip database contains emergency contact information and medical histories. Patients with serious medical issues like Alzheimer's are ideal candidates for the VeriChip. In addition to a one-time implantation fee, VeriChip charges annual fees based on how much information you want in the database -- you can choose to have just your name and contact information or your full medical history.
Also, doctors might not scan every patient to check for a chip, so depending on the hospital or doctor, your VeriChip could prove useless. If an unauthorized person tries to remove a baby from the hospital, an alarm is sounded at the nurses' station and at exit doors. You can read more about successful infant abduction prevention on the VeriChip Web site. In the next section, we'll hear what RFID critics have to say about tracking devices in our modern world. Under this system, sensors attached to a crib sound an alert if they detect that the baby has stopped breathing, potentially saving young lives.
As with many new technologies, people fear what they don't understand. In the case of RFID, consumers have many fears, some of which may be justified. This debate may be one of the few in which you'll find the American Civil Liberties Union and Christian Coalition on the same side. Human chipping has seemingly higher stakes than merchandise tagging, and RFID critics are concerned that human chipping may one day become mandatory.
When the company CityWatcher. Other employees declined the implants, and their positions with the company were unaffected. Some believe that human chipping is foretelling a biblical prophecy from the Book of Revelation, interpreting the chip as the "Mark of the Beast. While we can choose whether or not to put RFID chips in ourselves or our pets, we have little control over tags being placed on commercial products that we buy.
They describe how RFID tags could be used to gauge your spending habits and bank account to determine how much you should be charged for the products you buy. This may sound paranoid, but hackers have proven that some RFID tags can be tampered with, including disabling their anti-theft features and changing the price that corresponds to their product.
Better encryption is needed to ensure that hackers can't pick up RFID frequencies with super-sensitive antennae. What's more, some critics say that relying on RFID as the primary means of security could make human security checkpoints lazy and ineffective. If security guards rely solely on the RFID anti-theft devices in merchandise and RFID technology of government-issued identification to screen for criminals or terrorists, they might miss the criminal activity happening right in front of their eyes.
In October , California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill making it unlawful for any employer to force an employee to be chipped. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar.
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