Understanding RFID Technology: Advantages Over Traditional Identification Techniques

You might have heard about various identification techniques that are practiced more often, such as identification using biometrics, QR codes, barcodes, smart cards, voice recognition, optical character recognition, etc. But today RFID technique has become the buzzword. There’s no doubt that this technology deserves to be heeded because it has the potential to overcome the drawbacks of the identification techniques that were used to date.

What is RFID?

RFID is an acronym for Radio Frequency Identification and is basically a cable elimination technology that is being employed these days to uniquely identify objects, animals, or even humans. As the name suggests the RFID technique uses radio waves to identify objects. This technique does not require the object to be in the line of sight. Thus the object has just to be mounted with a tag in order to get identified.

Types of RFID Tags

Active RFID Tag – These tags have their own power source. Thus the availability of power is continuous. Their range is up to 100m. It is capable of storing data up to 128kb in read/write form. The signal strength required to tag is relatively low. In the case of active RFID tags, multi-tag reading is possible as thousands of tags can be recognized up to 100mph.

Passive RFID Tag – These tags do not have their own power source. Thus the availability of power is not continuous i.e it is only in the field of the reader. Their range is up to 3-5m. It is capable of storing data up to 128kb in read/write form. The signal strength required to tag is relatively high. In the case of passive RFID tags multi-tag reading is not ideal since only a few hundred tags can be recognized up to 3m.

The major components of RFID are as follows ;

• RFID reader (often called an interrogator)

• RFID tags or smart labels(often called as transponders)

• RFID antenna

How does RFID works?

It consists of a host, a reader, and an antenna system. The antenna system broadcasts a radio frequency which then falls on the tag i.e the receiver chip. This tag in return generates its feedback signal which then reaches the reader. The reader identifies this signal and the data is fed into a host computer. If you intend to transmit up to longer distances then a high-power antenna must be used.

Applications of RFID

Healthcare: Medicine and the pharmaceutical industry can be benefited from RFID as it enables them to track inventory. RFID can also be used in hospitals to track patients as well as staff. It is possible to track surgical tools, assets, laundry, etc. to maintain a proper workflow. It can also be used to enhance security in the hospital by controlling access to certain areas.

Supply Chain: Using RFID it is possible to track various stakeholders involved in the supply chain. Let’s say that we went to a supermarket and we bought some products, if this ultimate product is some kind of food then we can actually know where our food came from. Warehouse management and inventory management will surely become simple since RFID technology can automate important tasks.

Livestock: RFID technology can be used to track animals. The animal can be uniquely identified with its ID number. Their distinct locations can also be tracked. With the help of the acquired data from the sensors, it is possible to predict the health of animals. In the case of livestock, the farmers can know which particular animal is expected to fall ill.

School and Universities: The uniforms can be provided with RFID chips so that the school authorities can track children.RFID cards are also being used in some places to track attendance. By making the students use the card at the entrance gate, their attendance can be marked. Thus entrance of unauthorized persons can be prohibited.