General

  • What is RFID?
    Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is the use of an object (typically referred to as an RFID tag) applied to or incorporated into a product, animal, or person for the purpose of identification and tracking using radio waves. Some tags can be read from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader. Radio-frequency identification comprises interrogators (also known as readers), and tags (also known as labels).
  • What is Tag?

    Active and Passive RFID tags contain at least two parts. One is an integrated circuit for storing and processing information, modulating and demodulating a radio-frequency (RF) signal, and other specialized functions. The second is an antenna for receiving and transmitting the signal.

    There are generally three types of RFID tags: active RFID tags, which contain a battery and can transmit signals autonomously, passive RFID tags, which have no battery and require an external source to provoke signal transmission, and battery assisted passive (BAP) RFID tags, which require an external source to wake up but have significant higher forward link capability providing greater range.

  • How small it can be?

    RFIDs are easy to conceal or incorporate in other items. For example, in 2009 researchers at Bristol University successfully glued RFID micro transponders to live ants in order to study their behavior. This trend towards increasingly miniaturized RFIDs is likely to continue as technology advances

    Example : Hitachi holds the record for the smallest RFID chip, at 0.05mm x 0.05mm. The Mu chip tags are 64 times smaller than the new RFID tags Manufacture is enabled by using the Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) process. These "dust" sized chips can store 38-digit numbers using 128-bit Read Only Memory (ROM).

  • What is the frequency range?

    Potential alternatives to the radio frequencies (0.125–0.1342, 0.140–0.1485, 13.56, and 840–960 MHz) used are seen in optical RFID (or OPID) at 333 THz (900 nm), 380 THz (788 nm), 750 THz (400 nm)

    Example: Hitachi holds the record for the smallest RFID chip, at 0.05mm x 0.05mm. The Mu chip tags are 64 times smaller than the new RFID tags Manufacture is enabled by using the Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) process. These "dust" sized chips can store 38-digit numbers using 128-bit Read Only Memory (ROM).

    Low-frequency (LF: 125–134.2 kHz and 140–148.5 kHz) (LowFID) High-frequency (HF: 13.56 MHz) (HighFID) Ultra-high-frequency (UHF: 868–928 MHz) (Ultra-HighFID or UHFID)
    • ISO 14223 – Radiofrequency [sic] identification of animals – Advanced transponders
    • ISO/IEC 14443: This standard is a popular HF (13.56 MHz) standard for HighFIDs, RFID-enabled pass ports under ICAO 9303.
    • ISO/IEC 15693: This is also a popular HF (13.56 MHz) standard for HighFIDs, non-contact smart payment and credit cards.
    • ISO/IEC 18000: Information technology — Radio frequency identification for item management:
      • Part 1: Reference architecture and definition of parameters to be standardized
      • Part 2: Parameters for air interface communications below 135 kHz
      • Part 3: Parameters for air interface communications at 13.56& MHz; MODE 1 and MODE 2.
      • Part 4: Parameters for air interface communications at 2.45 GHz
      • Part 5: Parameters for air interface communications at 860-960 MHz
      • Part 6: Parameters for active air interface communications at 433 MHz
    • ISO 18185: Electronic seals or "e-seals" for tracking cargo containers using the 433 MHz and 2.4 GHz frequencies.
    • ASTM D7434, Transponders on Palletized or Unitized Loads
    • ASTM D7435, Transponders on Loaded Containers
    • ASTM D7580 Transponders on Homogenous Palletized or Unitized Loads
  • Minimum Price of tag?
    RFID is becoming increasingly prevalent as the price of the technology decreases. the Volume goes up and price comes down, In great volume tags were shipped even at 5 cents/tag.

    Application uses

    1. Credit cards
    2. Mobile Payments
    3. Article Surveillance
    4. Museum Security
    5. Container and Logistic Management
    6. Fleet Management, Vehicle tracking
    7. Asset Tracking
    8. Stock Tracking
    9. Library
    10. Passport and Visa applications
    11. Retail store inventories
    12. Warehouse
    13. Prisoner Tracking
    14. Animal Tracking
    15. Toll free/Ticketing/E-Toll Free payments
    16. Access Control
    17. Traffic Management
    18. Health Cards
    19. Retail Markets
    20. Campus Cards
    21. Airport Baggage Tracking
    22. Location based services
    23. Telemetry Wireless Identification and Sensing
  • What happens to barcode?

    RFID tags are often a replacement for UPC or EAN barcodes, having a number of important advantages over the older barcode technology. The new EPC are widely available at reasonable cost.

    The storage of data associated with tracking items will require many terabytes. Filtering and categorizing RFID data is needed to create useful information. It is likely that goods will be tracked by the pallet using RFID tags, and at package level with Universal Product Code (UPC) or EAN from unique barcodes.

    The unique identity is a mandatory requirement for RFID tags, despite special choice of the numbering scheme. RFID tag data capacity is large enough that each individual tag will have a unique code, while current bar codes are limited to a single type code for a particular product. The uniqueness of RFID tags means that a product may be tracked as it moves from location to location, finally ending up in the consumer's hands. This may help to combat theft and other forms of product loss. The tracing of products is an important feature that gets well supported with RFID tags containing a unique identity of the tag and also the serial number of the object. This may help companies to cope with quality deficiencies and resulting recall campaigns, but also contributes to concern about tracking and profiling of consumers after the sale.

  • Frequency Standards
    • * USA: FCC (Federal Communications Commission)
    • * Canada: CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission)
    • * Europe: ERO, CEPT, ETSI, and national administrations (note that the national administrations must ratify the usage of a specific frequency before it can be used in that country)
    • * Malaysia: Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC)
    • * Japan: MIC (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications)
    • * China: Ministry of Information Industry
    • * Taiwan: NCC (National Communications Commission)
    • * South Africa: ICASA
    • * South Korea: Ministry of Knowledge Economy
    • * Australia: Australian Communications and Media Authority.
    • * New Zealand: Ministry of Economic Development
    • * Singapore: Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
    • * Brazil: Anatel (Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações)