RFID Technology

RFID Introduction:

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID):

RFID is an Automatic Data Capture (ADC) technology that uses radio-frequency waves to read a movable item to identify, categorize & track… RFID is fast, reliable, and does not require physical line of sight or contact between reader/scanner and the RFID tagged item.

How does RFID operate?
RFID tags are affixed to objects and stored information may be written and rewritten to an embedded chip in the tag Tags can be read remotely when they detect a radio frequency signal from a reader over a range of distances Readers then either send tag information over the enterprise network to back-end.

RFID system components: (Basic)

RFID Tag

RF Antenna

RFID Reader

PC (APP)

Network

RFID vs. Barcode

	RFID	Barcode
	Communicates through radio waves, line of sight not required RFID tags store significantly more information RFID is dynamic and information can be added or deleted at every step in the supply chain Increased functionality: covert and difficult to counterfeit Read multiple tags at once	Low Cost Widespread utilization Human readable
	Higher costs but dropping Uncertain “universality” of systems Tag reading currently too dependent on environmental conditions Tightly linked to the infrastructure	Transmission of data is performed optically--clear line of sight required. Information storage is limited Read only one tag at a time Read capability can be affected by dirt, water and scuffing. Reduced security.