What is RFID?

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is a technology that uses communication through the use of radio waves to exchange data between a reader and an electronic tag attached to an object, for the purpose of identification and tracking.
It is possible in the near future, RFID technology will continue to proliferate in our daily lives the way that bar code technology did over the forty years leading up to the turn of the 21st century bringing unobtrusive but remarkable changes when it was new.
RFID makes it possible to give each product in a grocery store its own unique identifying number, to provide assets, people, work in process, medical devices etc. all with individual unique identifiers - like the license plate on a car but for every item in the world. This is a vast improvement over paper and pencil tracking or bar code tracking that has been used since the 1970s. With bar codes, it is only possible to identify the brand and type of package in a grocery store, for instance. Furthermore, passive RFID tags (those without a battery) can be read if passed within close enough proximity to an RFID reader. It is not necessary to "show" the tag to the reader device, as with a bar code. In other words it does not require line of sight to "see" an RFID tag, 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 read one at a time.
Some RFID tags can be read from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader. The application of bulk reading enables an almost-parallel reading of tags.
Radio-frequency identification involves the hardware known as interrogators (also known as readers), and tags (also known as labels), as well as RFID software or RFID middleware.
Most 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 other is an antenna for receiving and transmitting the signal.

Can Mifare and Proximity cards be used with UHF Readers and Antennas?

UHF technology works on 867 MHz whereas the Mifare works on 13.56 MHz and the Proximity works on 125 KHz. Hence a UHF reader will not read the either of the cards. In order to have both the technologies in one solution, we offer combo cards, so that a single card can perform multiple functions.

What are the various frequency bands of RFID?

In the passive technology:

• Ultra High Frequency – (860 – 867 MHz)
• High Frequency – (13.56 MHz)

In the Active technology - 2.4 GHz

What is the range of RFID Readers and Antennas?

The read range of RFID readers and antennas varies with the environment. Interferences like Metal reduce the read range. In extremely normal conditions the read range given by passive RFID readers is up to 30 feet and that by Active RFID readers is up to 100 feet.

Are RFID based solutions easily integrated with other existing Third Party Applications?

The third party integration depends on the application development. More often than not, if a web based application is developed for the solution then integration with a third party application is absolutely possible.

Does the RFID technology work on different frequencies in different countries?

Yes, and hence the appropriate readers and antennas have to be selected for them to work in those regions. Availability of same brand readers with different frequency bands has made it possible to deploy solutions all over the world using this technology

What are the various forms of tags that are available in the market?

• Paper Labels
• Plain Inlays
• Credit Cards
• Mount on Metal Tags
• Plastic tags
• Container tags
• Laundry Tags