RFIDTags.com is in position #2 when searching for “RFID tags” using Google.  We are also #2 and #3 for Yahoo and Bing respectively.  As expected we are capturing significant portions of this traffic and hopefully in the near future achieve the #1 position for the search term “RFID tags” on all search engines.

What we have learned and the software we have developed should allow for us to duplicate this success across our other RFID related domains.  Hopefully the RFID ocean will keep rising and our boat will still ride high on that ocean.

Confidex SteelWING – RFID label for metal surfaces

Avery Dennison AD-843 Metal RFID Tag – excellent direct-attach to metal performance

Here is a general link to Metal RFID Tags

- UHF RFID Tags
- UHF RFID Labels and Cards
- HF RFID Tags
- HF RFID Labels and Cards
- LF RFID Tags, Key FOBs and Cards
- Active RFID Tags

“To learn more about RFIDTags.com please download the value proposition – www.rfidtags.com/documents/RFIDTagsValueProposition.EXE.”

Contrary to Tina Turner, frequency like love has everything to do with it.  RFID technologies operate at many frequencies, but I will only cover the most common passive ones here:  low-frequency (125 MHz), high-frequency (13.56 MHz) and ultra high-frequency (860-960 MHz).

Low-frequency (LF) passive solutions operate around 125 MHz, use less power and are less susceptible to liquids.  Read ranges are in inches.

High-frequency (HF) passive RFID solutions operate around 13.56 MHz, use more power and are less susceptible to metals.  Read ranges are at most a few feet.

Ultra-high-frequency (UHF) passive RFID solutions operate between 860-960 MHz (depending on the country), uses the most power of the three and are less likely to pass through materials.  The data transfer rate is faster than LF and HF and the read ranges can be as high as 30 feet or more.

As you can see, frequency plays a role in determining the read range of a solution.  Next time I will continue with the role the reader and antennas play.

Passive UHF RFID readers can affect the read range depending on the manufacturer and the power level.  In the US, FCC regulations cap the output power at 4 watts, whereas in Europe it is only 1 watt.  There are studies available for purchase that detail the testing results of readers and antennas in a controlled, RF-friendly environment.  These are appropriate for general guidelines, but each environment is different and a reader that did not test at #1 in the study may be the better one in your environment.

Passive UHF RFID antennas can also affect the read range depending on the manufacturer, the type of polarization and the gain.  Antennas can be either linearly polarized or circularly polarized.  When the direction of the electric field is in one plane, it is called “linear polarization”.  When the direction of the electric field is rotated around the axis of propagation, it is called “circular polarization”.  Linear polarized antennas will provide a longer read range as compared to circular.  Also, an improvement in antenna gain is achieved by focusing the radiated RF into narrower patterns for the purpose of increasing the power in a specific direction.  In general, the higher the gain the longer the read range.

My next post will cover how RFID tags affect the read range.

According to RFIDUpdate, The newest mobile RFID reader is more than six feet wide, 17 feet long, weighs a few thousand pounds, and is known more for its horsepower than its MHz. Ford’s popular F-150 pickup trucks are now available with an RFID reader integrated in the bed to monitor cargo. …Ford Work Solutions is a series of software and services for vehicle, worker, and asset management. It is targeted to contractors and other customers who use their vehicles for work. The applications rely on an in-dash computer now offered as an option for 2009 model year F-150 and F-Series Super Duty pickups and E-Series vans….Customers receive a supply of specially designed Gen2 RFID tags to apply to the tools, toolboxes, containers, or other items they want to track.

So, how cool is that?  Your truck can actually track your assets for you and before you leave a site you can check to make sure you have everything you came with!

If this is a little out of your price range, remember that flowers, cards and chocolate work well too!  Happy Valentine’s Day.

I was chatting online with one of my fellow bloggers the other day.  He was telling me that the warehouse he works in is going to be receiving and processing RFID-tagged items in the near future.  Being somewhat of a non-techie himself, especially where RFID is concerned, he asked me if I knew how this might work and if I could explain it in non-techie terms.  Well, the first thing I told him was that I had to sit down because no one had ever asked ME for RFID advice before!  But seriously, I did know of a great RFID solution for his company…The BlueBean EasyInbound.

The EasyInbound is a RFID case receiving line, specifically designed and engineered to efficiently and accurately process both RFID labeled and non-RFID labeled cases.  As the boxes move down the BlueBean EasyInbound RFID case receiving line, the conveyor’s zones control spacing between boxes which allows for proper separation.  The box then passes through a lightweight RFID conveyor portal that is framed with RF-reflective mesh screens and over RF-transparent conveyor rollers to ensure bottom read capability.  These components provide highly accurate RFID receiving read rates.

Once the box goes through the portal on the EasyInbound RFID case receiving line, the status lights will indicate whether or not the box had an RFID read.  If the RFID tag on the box was successfully read, the green status light illuminates and it continues down the line. If the RFID tag was not successfully read, the red status light illuminates and it is automatically pushed off the line and down a conveyor specifically for non-RFID labeled cases or RFID labeled cases that failed to read.

So, now, I tell my friend, his warehouse can process both RFID-tagged and non-RFID shipments.   Awesome and, dare I say it, Easy(Inbound)!

So, there you have it, my first bit of RFID advice.  Keep those questions coming, fellow bloggers.  And, if I don’t know the answer, I’ll check in with one of my fellow RFID techies and attempt to translate to something us non-techies can understand!  Looking forward to hearing from you.

A critical component is the antenna design.  Unfortunately, there is no one best antenna design.  The optimal design is dependent on the application which includes form factor, size limitations, dielectric characteristics of the material to which it is being attached, frequency optimization, etc.

Another general rule of thumb is that a single dipole tag properly lined up with a linear antenna will have a longer read range than a dual dipole tag with a circular antenna.  In my earlier post about RFID antennas, I discussed the difference betwen linear and circular antennas.

Although this is a high-level view, the basic RFID tag factors which affect read range are:
1.  size
2.  antenna design
3.  type

The next in this series will discuss how the item itself affects the read range.

Check it out. Kraft foods has started a pilot program where they reward people for recycling! According to RFID Journal, “Kraft is the “official food sponsor” of RecycleBank, which has been expanding its offering across the United States with technology to weigh recycling bins as they are lifted into the recycling truck, while also recording whose recyclables are being weighed. The consumer can then use that record to download a variety of coupons and other rewards, based on the amount of recycling they did.” Read the article.

So how does RFID play a role? Each bin has a RFID tag and each customer has a unique ID code on their bin and to use when they log in online.

How awesome is that?!? Let’s hope some other manufacturers join in the program too.