RFID Technology - Making The Right Choices
The use of RFID is very quickly becoming an accepted standard allowing a fast, reliable solution in industries where bar code technology could not previously provide a satisfactory result. With the technology moving forward at such a rapid rate, there are more and more vendors claiming to be experts in the field, leaving the end user with the difficult choice of selecting the optimum hardware and suitably qualified solution provider.
Choosing The Right Technology
The first and very important part of choosing your solution is to correctly select the right technology.
Some things to consider:
A number of RFID manufacturers have become well-recognized throughout the world. The technology was originally pioneered by these manufacturers to provide reliable and robust proximity card solutions, now widely accepted and used extensively for secure access control applications. A number of these early pioneers, such as Impro Technologies, continued to develop the technology, producing readers with extended and faster read and write capabilities. With the increase in consumer demand for proximity access control, production was raised worldwide and the cost of the units and specifically the tags has seen some dramatic reductions. This has allowed the manufacturers to concentrate their efforts on developing systems that will fulfill the RFID needs evident in industry today.
Each RFID manufacturer has developed its own product range offering specific characteristics, such as read ranges and times. A suitably qualified manufacturer should be able to offer a diversity of systems, each developed to cater to a specific requirement. These requirements can range from time and attendance through to the tagging of cattle in agricultural applications, and even the tracking of miners in the deepest mines. This diversity of systems is an indication that the manufacturer is willing to work closely with the consumer to customize a solution to meet specific requirements.
Choosing The Right Distributor Or System Integrator
A good starting point is to find a company that has a sound track record in the automatic identification market. For Dynasys Technologies, it has been a natural progression to incorporate into its existing bar code range, a complete line of RFID products.
RFID technology operates on radio frequency signals and for this reason, changes in the environment can alter its performance significantly. It is important that the supplier understands these complex technical aspects and is able to provide professional advise to the end user. A company such as Dynasys Technologies, which is already well-known as an engineered solution provider, will ensure that the prospective user understands the benefits and limitations of certain RFID products, thereby supplying the best equipment for the specific application. In many instances, it is important for the success of the project that the supplier is able to work with the manufacturer to supply customized tags and antennae.
Choosing The Right Products
It is important that the supplier you select to provide your solution is able to offer active and passive tagging systems, among other related options. Selecting products from a supplier that offers a diverse range of products and services will enable you to maintain an RFID standard throughout your operation. This will ensure that systems are expandable and that the tags used will be read by all readers, whether they are intended for access control or asset management purposes.
Make certain your supplier provides you with information about the various frequencies at which tags can operate. The different frequencies display different characteristics in a variety of environments and can ultimately affect the success of the solution. In an application for which the environment is constantly changing, such as on a production line where conveyers are moving products, it is vitally important that the readers have the ability to automatically adjust their tuned frequency to always give the best possible read range. Impro's Xtnd-Scan has been specifically designed to meet this requirement is being used successfully in many applications around the world.
By following these guidelines, the right combination of product range, technical knowledge, system integration, and local support and backup will ensure your transition into the exciting and rapidly developing world of RFID will be a painless and successful one.
Choosing The Right Technology
The first and very important part of choosing your solution is to correctly select the right technology.
Some things to consider:
- Choosing the right frequency system
RFID transponder systems commonly have operating frequencies as low as 60 kHz and as high as 5.8Ghz a factor of nearly 1 million times. It is therefore necessary to understand why there is such frequency diversity so that the correct operating frequency system is chosen for the operating conditions of the desired application.
Electromagnetic propagation, by which energy is transferred radio frequencies, has a magnetic field mode and an electric field mode. The magnetic mode is generally preferred for a system operating below 100 MHz this allows the use of antenna systems that compromise of small coils. The electric field mode is preferred for frequencies above 100 MHz, which typically use much smaller antennas. Both systems have their various advantages and disadvantages. In general, the lower frequency magnetic coupled systems can withstand a more metal and moisture interference than the higher frequency systems, however ranges of more than 1.5 meters are not easily achieved using passive tags. Also as a general rule the larger the antenna (tag coil) and reader antenna (reader coil) the better the read range. As an example, the Impro Xtend-Scan reader can have large reader antennas installed in the road surface to read tags mounted on vehicles at a height of up to one meter.
Although the higher frequency tags can offer greater read range, these systems typically use powered tags (Active) to achieve the extended range. The downside of using a powered tag is that it has a limited life span due to the limited battery life. In some cases – such as the Impro Dyna Range of tags – the tag can be powered by an external power source, such as the battery of a vehicle for vehicle identification and therefore overcome this shortfall.
Passive tags in the higher frequency electric field ranges can normally demonstrate impressive read ranges, but can be very directional and susceptible to interference from moisture and metal presence.
- Choosing The Right Tag
With the abovementioned information in mind, you should identify the read range you require. This will help you to select products that operate at the suitable frequency, whether active or passive. In most cases, the cost of the tag is an important consideration. Active tags provide impressive read ranges, but come at a much higher price and are normally large in size when compared to passive tags. Typically, for most production line and asset management applications, companies select passive tags due to their relatively low cost and small sizes.
These passive tags are available in many different forms and materials, such as the Impro Security label tag or a robust 100 mm disk tag. Many manufactures such as Impro have adopted 125Khz as the standard operating frequency for their passive systems. These tags been relatively inexpensive and offer good, all-around performance to most applications. Once you have identified whether you need an active tag or a passive tag, you need to consider the following:
- If you choose ACTIVE tags, you need to identify the life span of the tag. Many active tags have a limited life span of a few years, which once expired, you have to replace the tag. However, active tags are available with external power supplies, rendering them an indefinite life span.
- If you choose PASSIVE tags, you need to consider how robust the tags need to be. This will affect the size, material, and cost of the tag. Generally, the greater the read range required the large the physical size of the passive tag.
- Choosing The Right Reader
The most important consideration for choosing a tag reader is the reading distance required. In active tags, this normally means a choice of antennae. In 125 kHz passive systems, this becomes a more complex decision because the greater the read range required, the higher the power of the reader required, and the larger the antennae (scanning coil) required. This has an affect on both the size and the cost of the reader.
In many cases, a handheld or portable reader is required. These are typically used for reading passive tags. Handheld readers can be mounted as adapters directly to handheld computers, such as Impro's Psi-Scan units, providing a compact handheld solution. Other handhelds require a cable connection to the handheld computer or PC, making them better suited to fixed reading points or desktop applications. Units such as Impro's Uni-Scan readers are good examples of this type of reader.
- Choosing The Installer
This is a vitally important part of a successful RFID solution. It is critical that the installer understands RFID technology completely and the products to be installed. High-quality readers, if installed incorrectly or positioned incorrectly, can produce disappointing performances.
A number of RFID manufacturers have become well-recognized throughout the world. The technology was originally pioneered by these manufacturers to provide reliable and robust proximity card solutions, now widely accepted and used extensively for secure access control applications. A number of these early pioneers, such as Impro Technologies, continued to develop the technology, producing readers with extended and faster read and write capabilities. With the increase in consumer demand for proximity access control, production was raised worldwide and the cost of the units and specifically the tags has seen some dramatic reductions. This has allowed the manufacturers to concentrate their efforts on developing systems that will fulfill the RFID needs evident in industry today.
Each RFID manufacturer has developed its own product range offering specific characteristics, such as read ranges and times. A suitably qualified manufacturer should be able to offer a diversity of systems, each developed to cater to a specific requirement. These requirements can range from time and attendance through to the tagging of cattle in agricultural applications, and even the tracking of miners in the deepest mines. This diversity of systems is an indication that the manufacturer is willing to work closely with the consumer to customize a solution to meet specific requirements.
Choosing The Right Distributor Or System Integrator
A good starting point is to find a company that has a sound track record in the automatic identification market. For Dynasys Technologies, it has been a natural progression to incorporate into its existing bar code range, a complete line of RFID products.
RFID technology operates on radio frequency signals and for this reason, changes in the environment can alter its performance significantly. It is important that the supplier understands these complex technical aspects and is able to provide professional advise to the end user. A company such as Dynasys Technologies, which is already well-known as an engineered solution provider, will ensure that the prospective user understands the benefits and limitations of certain RFID products, thereby supplying the best equipment for the specific application. In many instances, it is important for the success of the project that the supplier is able to work with the manufacturer to supply customized tags and antennae.
Choosing The Right Products
It is important that the supplier you select to provide your solution is able to offer active and passive tagging systems, among other related options. Selecting products from a supplier that offers a diverse range of products and services will enable you to maintain an RFID standard throughout your operation. This will ensure that systems are expandable and that the tags used will be read by all readers, whether they are intended for access control or asset management purposes.
Make certain your supplier provides you with information about the various frequencies at which tags can operate. The different frequencies display different characteristics in a variety of environments and can ultimately affect the success of the solution. In an application for which the environment is constantly changing, such as on a production line where conveyers are moving products, it is vitally important that the readers have the ability to automatically adjust their tuned frequency to always give the best possible read range. Impro's Xtnd-Scan has been specifically designed to meet this requirement is being used successfully in many applications around the world.
By following these guidelines, the right combination of product range, technical knowledge, system integration, and local support and backup will ensure your transition into the exciting and rapidly developing world of RFID will be a painless and successful one.
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