What are the Uses of RFID Devices?

The Uses of RFID Devices

In our previous article we briefly discussed the uses and major advantages of RFID devices. In this article we will be discussion more in-depth applications of RFID technologies.

Commerce

RFID provides a way for organizations to identify and manage tools and equipment (asset tracking), without manual data entry. RFID is being adopted for item level tagging in retail stores. This provides electronic article surveillance (EAS), and a self checkout process for consumers. Automatic identification with RFID can be used for inventory systems. Manufactured products such as automobiles or garments can be tracked through the factory, then through shipping and ultimately to the customer.
Casinos can use RFID to authenticate poker chips, and can selectively invalidate any chips known to be stolen.
Wal-Mart and the United States Department of Defense have published requirements that their vendors place RFID tags on all shipments to improve supply chain management.

Access Control

RFID tags are widely used in identification badges, replacing earlier magnetic stripe cards. These badges need only be held within a certain distance of the reader to authenticate the holder. Tags can also be placed on vehicles, which can be read at a distance, to allow entrance to controlled areas without having to stop the vehicle and present a card or enter an access code.

Animal Identification

RFID tags for animals represent one of the oldest uses of RFID. Originally meant for large ranches and rough terrain, since the outbreak of mad-cow disease, RFID has become crucial in animal identification management. An implantable RFID tag or transponder can also be used for animal identification. The transponders are more well known as passive RFID, or “chips” on animals. The Canadian Cattle Identification Agency began using RFID tags as a replacement for barcode tags. Currently CCIA tags are used in Wisconsin and by United States farmers on a voluntary basis. The USDA is currently developing its own program.
RFID tags are required for all cattle, sheep and goats sold in Australia.

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Implantable RFID chips designed for animal tagging are now being used in humans. An early experiment with RFID implants was conducted by British professor of cybernetics Kevin Warwick, who implanted a chip in his arm in 1998. In 2004 Conrad Chase offered implanted chips in his night clubs in Barcelona and Rotterdam to identify their VIP customers, who in turn use it to pay for drinks.

 

 

Sport

In the early 1990s the first use of RFID for timing pigeon racing began. The technology was introduced by the company Deister Electronics in Germany. RFID can provide race start and end timings for individuals in large races where it is impossible to get accurate stopwatch readings for every entrant.

In athletics, the runners wear tags that are read by antennae placed alongside the track or on mats across the track. UHF tags provide accurate readings with specially designed antennas. Rush error, lap count errors and accidents at start time are avoided since anyone can start and finish any time without being in a batch mode. This is ideal for handicap races.

The design of chip+antenna controls the range from which it can be read. Short range compact chips are twist tied to the shoe or velcro strapped to the ankle. These need to be about 400mm from the mat, giving very good temporal resolution. Alternatively a chip plus a very large (a 125mm square) antenna can be incorporated into the bib number worn on the athlete’s chest at about 1.25m height.

In snow skiing, a number of ski resorts in Europe have adopted RFID tags to provide skiers hands-free access to ski lifts. Skiers do not have to take their passes out of their pockets. Ski jackets have a left pocket into which the chip+card fits.

Upcoming Article:

Look out for our next article in this series – “What is a Biometric Passport?” You will find it informative and fascinating reading. Click HERE to read this article.

Protect your Smartcards and Passport from scammers! This IGOGEER product will provide that protection.

 

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How Does RFID Work?

So, How does RFID Work? You Ask!

An RFID reader transmits an encoded radio signal to read the microchip (tag). The RFID microchip receives the message and then responds with its identification and other information. This may be only a unique microchip serial number, or may be product-related information such as a stock number, lot or batch number, production date, or other specific information. Or in the case of a credit card or bank card the personal information about the card holder and the access details of your accounts.

Readers

RFID systems can be classified by the type of Chip (Tag) and Reader

A Passive Reader Active Tag (PRAT) system has a passive reader which only receives radio signals from active tags (battery operated, transmit only). The reception range of a PRAT system reader can be adjusted from 1–2,000 feet (0.30–609.60 m), allowing flexibility in applications such as asset protection and supervision.
An Active Reader Passive Tag (ARPT) system has an active reader, which transmits interrogator signals and also receives authentication replies from passive tags.
An Active Reader Active Tag (ARAT) system uses active tags awoken with an interrogator signal from the active reader. A variation of this system could also use a Battery-Assisted Passive (BAP) tag has a small battery to power the tag’s return reporting signal.

Uses

The RFID tag can be affixed to an object and used to track and manage inventory, assets, people, etc. For example, it can be affixed to cars, computer equipment, books, mobile phones, consumer products, etc.

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Major Advantages of RFID Devices

RFID offers advantages over manual systems and the use of bar codes. The tag can be read if passed near a reader, even if it is covered by the object or not visible. The tag can be read inside a case, carton, box or other container, and unlike barcodes, RFID tags can be read hundreds at a time. Bar codes can only be read one at a time using current available devices.

RFID can be used in a variety of applications including:
• Access management,
• Asset tracking,
• Tracking of physical goods,
• Tracking of persons and animals,
• Toll collection and contactless payment.
• Machine readable travel documents – passports, etc…,
• Smartdust (for massively distributed sensor networks),
• Tracking sports memorabilia to verify authenticity,
• Airport baggage tracking logistics,
• Timing sporting events,
• Passport authentication,
• Credit Card identification,
• Personal Identification cards.
In recent years three factors have driven a significant increase in RFID usage:
• Decreased cost of equipment and microchips,
• Increased performance to a reliability of 99.9%, and
• A stable international standard around UHF passive RFID.
The use of RFID technologies continues to grow as industries find new ways to utilize this amazing technology.

However, all new technologies have their risks. RFID is no exception.

Upcoming Article:

Again, look out for our next article in this series – “What are the Uses of RFID Devices?” You will find it informative and fascinating reading. Click HERE to read this article.

Protecting your RFID device from scammers is easy! This product is your solution.

 

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So, What is RFID?

Do You Know What RFID is?

Yes, Do you know what RFID is? If your reply was a resounding NO! Then you would not be along. In fact the majority of the population would have had the same response.

When you think about it, the fact that very few people know what RFID is, is quite astounding. Particularly when RFID technologies are used in an enormous number of our daily activities, and disturbingly we have no idea they are even there. Least the effects they may be having on the live of all of us.

What is Radio-frequency Identification?

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is the wireless use of electromagnetic fields to transfer data, for the purposes of automatically identifying and tracking tags (RF tags) attached to objects. The tags (microchips) contain electronically stored information.
Some tags are powered by electromagnetic induction from magnetic fields produced near the reader. Some types collect energy from the interrogating radio waves and act as a passive transponder. Other types have a local power source such as a battery and may operate at hundreds of meters from the reader. Radio frequency identification (RFID) is one method for Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC).

RFID Technology

In layman’s terms RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is a wireless identification system that utilizes radio frequency (RF) waves for identity transmission of a person or object. RFID microchip devices carry embedded information about the person or the objects.

RFID is Similar to Barcodes

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RFID chips are very similar to barcodes in the sense that a certain amount of data is contained within them, and then transmitted to a reading device which then processes and utilizes the information.

The major difference is that barcodes have to be physically visible to the reading device, which is usually only able to scan them at a distance of 12 inches or less. RFID chip, on the other hand, do not have to be visible to the reading device. They can be scanned through clothes, wallets, and even cars. The distance from which they can be read is also much greater than that of a barcode. An RFID chip can be scanned at a distance of hundreds of feet depending on the nature of the microchip.

The most common types of RFID chips are the “passive” type. Passive RFID chips contain no internal power supply. Instead, they contain an internal antenna which is able to have a current induced in it when within range of the RFID reader. The RFID device then uses that electricity to power the internal chip, which bounces its data back out through the antenna, where it will be picked up by the reader.

Upcoming Article:

Look out for our next article in this RFID series – “How does RFID Work?” You will find it informative and fascinating reading. So don’t miss it! Click HERE to read this article.

RFID

Protect yourself from malicious scamming of your micro chip smartcard device.

 

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