RFID FAQs

RFID FAQs

Asset Tags

Sensor Tags

Readers

Software

RTLS Devices

Antennas

 

Adaptive Asset Awareness.

1. What is RFID?
Radio Frequency Identification. An RFID tag is a device that can be applied to an object for the purpose of identification and tracking using radio waves. Most RFID tags contain two parts: an integrated circuit for storing and processing information, and an antenna for transmitting the signal. In general, there are two types of RFID tags: passive RFID tags and active RFID tags.

2. What is the difference between passive and active RFID?
Passive tags do not have internal power; they are activated by the electromagnetic field generated by the reader, and transmit information back to the reader. Passive tags have practical read distances ranging from about 10 cm, up to a few meters. Active tags have an on-board power source, such as a coin cell battery, and a microprocessor for performing special tasks. Active tag data transmissions have a much longer range than passive tags; an active RFID reader can monitor populations of active tags at distances up to 100 meters.

3. What are the advantages of passive RFID?
If assets are tagged using passive technology, a physical audit can be completed about 4 times faster than a barcode audit. The Auditor can carry a passive RFID reader that does not require line-of-sight between the label and the reader – all that is required is physical proximity. The Auditor still needs to visit each physical location of each tagged asset, but the data collection process is automatic with low error rates.

4. What are the advantages of active RFID?
Once an object is tagged using active RFID technology, the need for routine physical audits is practically eliminated. Active RFID tracking solutions enable automated, real-time, on-demand physical asset inventory for compliance, business and security needs. Readers can be permanently installed in strategic locations (e.g., offices, storage rooms, high traffic areas, exits) to report the presence and status of all tagged assets within defined areas.

5. Where do customers use passive RFID?
The most common use of passive RFID is in retail supply chains, to improve inventory tracking and management. Passive RFID tags serve as an “enhanced barcode”, (printed barcodes can smear, tear, or deteriorate over time, and require line-of-sight between the reader and the barcode). The lack of an onboard power supply means that the passive tag can be quite small and inexpensive; commercially available passive tags can be embedded in a sticker label.

6. Where do customers use active RFID?
Active RFID systems utilize “beacon” tags that periodically broadcast their status. These tag transmissions are processed in real-time to immediately and continuously identify tagged assets. If real-time asset tracking over an extensive area is needed, active RFID solutions are superior to passive solutions. Active technology makes sense for managing critical assets, IT equipment, expensive items, mobile and shared resources.

7. How do active RFID tags provide asset awareness?
Tag messages are encoded 'license plate' IDs communicated through a series of RF pulses; the pulses themselves represent cryptic alphanumeric codes with no inherent meaning. Readers decode and report the tag IDs along with their related status payloads (e.g., motion, temperature, tamper) for all tags operating within their coverage zones. This information becomes useful through the system software, where the tag-to-asset association is made. Tag ID messages let the system know where the asset is physically located; the tag status payloads provide asset awareness for operational decision-making.

8. How is RF Code’s active technology different from WiFi-based active technologies?
RF Code product offerings are competitively positioned in terms of system scaling and overall costs. RF Code systems operate at 433.92 MHz; the tags are one-way, transmit-only communicators; the readers are dedicated to monitoring for RFC tag transmissions. WiFi-based tags are generally more expensive, physically larger, and require more power (shorter battery life). WiFi systems may have greater deployment costs due to the requirements for a high density of WiFi access points. WiFi systems utilize the 2.4 GHz band which can get “crowded”, particularly when there are many tagged assets in a confined area.

9. Do I need to use RF Code software with RF Code hardware?
RF Code is the only active RFID provider that offers fully-open access to readers and software. Link directly to the readers (open API), or select the software interface layer(s) that meet your system needs. Engage one of our partners to develop a totally customized solution, or develop on top of our Zone Manager or Asset Manager platforms.

10. Does active RFID save you money? If so, how?
With RF Code’s active RFID system, physical asset inventories are kept in real-time to quickly locate and identify key assets. This eliminates the need for error-prone and expensive manual inventory processes. This improves corporate governance, regulatory compliance, asset and data security. For example, you can easily locate tagged assets for break/fix service and end-of-lease returns. Automated alerts and reports can be configured for immediate notification of asset location or condition changes, delivering cost- and time-saving benefits.

11. Does RF Code have an active RFID solution for my data center?
RF Code is the only active RFID vendor with a complete product line targeted for IT Assets and Data Centers that delivers 100% accurate inventory, all the time. The system provides instant change notification for asset movement, door opening, tamper detection, temperature and humidity changes. Active RFID technology enables location tracking at the zone-level for distributed IT assets in buildings and rack-level precision for IT assets in data center.