RFID
RFID
Labels
JETEC
offers RFID Smart Label stock in various sizes for Printronix
and Zebra printers. These cerified Smart Labels combine the
technology of thermal-transfer, pressure-sensitive labels with
RFID.
What
is RFID?
Radio frequency identification, or RFID, is a
generic term for technologies that use radio waves to automatically
identify people or objects. An RFID system consists of a tag,
which is made up of a microchip with an antenna, and an interrogator
or reader with an antenna. The reader sends out electromagnetic
waves. The tag antenna is tuned to receive these waves. A passive
RFID tag draws power from field created by the reader and uses
it to power the microchip’s circuits. The chip then modulates
the waves that the tag sends back to the reader and the reader
converts the new waves into digital data.
| RFID |
High
Frequency |
Low
Frequency |
| Reading
Range |
3"(passive
tags)
10"-20"(UHF tags)
>300"(active tags) |
<
1" (passive tags) |
| Storage |
<2KB |
<2KB |
What’s
the difference between passive and active tags?
Active RFID tags have a battery, which is used
to run the microchip's circuitry and to broadcast a signal to
a reader (the way a cell phone transmits signals to a base station).
Passive tags have no battery. Instead, they draw power from
the reader, which sends out electromagnetic waves that induce
a current in the tag's antenna. Semi-passive tags use a battery
to run the chip's circuitry, but communicate by drawing power
from the reader. Active and semi-passive tags are useful for
tracking high-value goods that need to be scanned over long
ranges, such as railway cars on a track, but they cost a dollar
or more, making them too expensive to put on low-cost items.
Companies are focusing on passive UHF tags, which cost under
a 50 cents today in volumes of 1 million tags or more. Their
read range isn't as far -- typcially less than 20 feet vs. 100
feet or more for active tags -- but they are far less expensive
than active tags and can be disposed of with the product packaging.
What’s
the difference between read-only and read-write tags?
Microchips in RFID tags can be read-write or
read-only. With read-write chips, you can add information to
the tag or write over existing information when the tag is within
range of a reader, or interrogator. Read-write tags usually
have a serial number that can't be written over. Additional
blocks of data can be used to store additional information about
the items the tag is attached to. Some read-only microchips
have information stored on them during the manufacturing process.
The information on such chips can never been changed. Other
tags can have a serial number written to it once and then that
information can't be overwritten later.
Why
is RFID better than using bar codes?
RFID is not necessarily "better" than
bar codes. The two are different technologies and have different
applications, which sometimes overlap. The big difference between
the two is bar codes are line-of-sight technology. That is,
a scanner has to "see" the bar code to read it, which
means people usually have to orient the bar code towards a scanner
for it to be read. Radio frequency identification, by contrast,
doesn’t require line of sight. RFID tags can be read as
long as they are within range of a reader. Bar codes have other
shortcomings as well. If a label is ripped, soiled or falls
off, there is no way to scan the item. And standard bar codes
identify only the manufacturer and product, not the unique item.
The bar code on one milk carton is the same as every other,
making it impossible to identify which one might pass its expiration
date first.
Are
there any standards for RFID?
Yes. International standards have been adopted
for some very specific applications, such as tracking animals.
Many other standards initiatives are under way. The International
Organization for Standardization (ISO) is working on standards
for tracking goods in the supply chain using high-frequency
tags (ISO 18000-3) and ultra-high frequency tags (ISO 18000-6).
EPCglobal, a joint venture set up to commercialize Electronic
Product Code technologies, has its own standards process, which
was used to create bar code standards. EPCglobal intends to
submit EPC protocols to ISO so that they can become international
standards.
For
more information on our RFID label stock visit our Online
Store or contact the factory directly.
Tel: (949) 477-6161
Fax: (949) 477-6167
