It’s time for a deep dive into all things RFID! In the world of asset tracking, this is an extremely powerful, reliable and cost-effective technology. When people think about tracking tools, a lot of people go straight to GPS.
This is probably because GPS crops up a lot in our day-to-day lives. However, GPS does not make a lot of sense for all assets and will not be the most indispensable tracking technology used in lots of industries. That’s where RFID asset tracking comes in.
If you are running a warehouse (or multiple warehouses) then you will likely already be convinced of the virtues of RFID. If you work in medical care, pharmaceuticals, retail, agriculture, healthcare, construction or manufacturing (the list goes on), and are not convinced of the benefits of RFID, then read on, this article might just change your mind.
What is RFID Technology?
Simply stated, RFID (radio frequency identification) is a means of communication. They are a bit like bar codes 2.0. In that, they have read and write capabilities. Traditional bar codes rely solely on scanners and are read-only. That means they cannot send out new information, just share the information that the code represents.
A Short History of RFID
Early forms of the tech have been around since 1970. So, if they’re so great, why haven’t they been a part of our daily lives for decades? Well, like any emerging tech, it takes a long time before it becomes cost-effective for it to be widely deployed. In the early days, RFID technology was used for tracking large expensive items, like rail coaches and livestock. 50 years later, and we are starting to see RFID all over the place.
In fact, supermarkets and highstreet retailers may replace barcodes with RFID in the future. If this ever becomes a reality, it would mean that we would simply load up our trolleys and leave the supermarket. Each item would be tagged and the readers at the entrance to the shop would receive signals which would update a central database. Therefore, the data would be available to simply have the money deducted from your bank account without having to queue at the checkout!
But that could be a little way off yet. Right here and now, RFID is at the stage where the read and write technology can give you seriously powerful insights into your assets. Asset tracking has never been more versatile or cost effective.
How Does RFID Tracking Work
It’s probably not all that helpful to have an in-depth understanding of all the technical ins and outs of how RFID tracking works. However, a basic overview may help you to get an understanding of how the tech can be implemented in your business.
So, here we go! Each system has three key components. A transponder, a transceiver and antenna.
The tag itself contains the transponder. Data is stored on the tag which is attached to an asset. An antenna identifies the signal of any nearby tag. The RFID reader is wirelessly hooked up to the antenna, which receives the data being transmitted by the tag. The reader will then send the data to a central asset tracking database. The database is updated, which allows the manager to easily access real-time information on all their assets.
The range of the signal will depend on the implementation. Tags with a longer range are generally more expensive. If you are working with an experienced asset tracking provider, they’ll be able to ensure you are using the most cost-effective, fit-for-purpose solution.
The other thing to consider is whether a tag is active or passive. Once implemented, this won’t be something that you need to be aware of, but if you are researching RFID systems then the differences are well worth knowing.
Active and Passive RFID
Active tags have batteries that power the tag itself. These tags are always broadcasting a radio wave and they generally have a much larger range. These are less commonly used in RFID asset tracking as they are more expensive and generally seen as overkill! However, they do have some applications. Often it makes sense to use active RFID tracking for high value assets.
Passive RFID tags have a lower range and, ultimately, less potential functionality. Having said that, they have fewer components and are therefore smaller and cheaper to produce, which means they are better suited for most sorts of asset tracking. These tags don’t have an inbuilt battery, so they rely on an external powersource. That means they are only using power when the tag is triggered, which means less power is consumed. Also, because they are smaller, they can be adhered to most assets.
