RFID – What can you do with it?
RFID is the solution for quickly and efficiently identifying products. The technology improves business processes and reduces errors. Although RFID in its current form was already invented in the 1960s, the technology is becoming increasingly robust due to further technological developments.
RFID is the solution for quickly and efficiently identifying products. The technology improves business processes and reduces errors. Although RFID in its current form was already invented in the 1960s, the technology is becoming increasingly robust due to further technological developments.
There will be more applications in which RFID is used, both in the business market and in applications for consumers. At DatAction, when we think of RFID, we usually think of a logistics application: product identification in warehouses; however, the technology has become indispensable in the consumer market as well. Think, for example, of NFC chips in smartphones and bank cards that allow you to pay contactlessly. Erik van den Belt tells you more about how this technology works and about the advantages and pitfalls.
Can you briefly describe what RFID is?
“RFID stands for ‘Radio Frequency Identification’ and is a technique in which data is stored in an ‘RFID tag’. This tag is physically attached to a product. The goal is simple: identify products and understand the location of your products.”
In which cases is RFID a suitable solution?
“RFID is interesting if you want to read large numbers of tags in a short time. For example, if you want to identify all boxes on a pallet, including their contents. Handy: RFID reads the tags through the box! The tag is also ideal for products that cannot be provided with a barcode. For example, a rental company that rents out tools. Barcodes will quickly be lost, become dirty or damaged, but an RFID tag can be properly attached to or even placed inside the product. This keeps the tag readable.
Another example of an RFID application is store stock inventory. If you want to know exactly which sizes and models of clothing or shoes are still in stock, individual scanning with a barcode is quite a job. With RFID this is a lot easier. If all items are provided with an RFID tag, you can walk along the racks with an RFID reader and identify all products non-stop. An inventory of an entire store can then be completed within an hour. You can also easily find products if they are provided with a tag. Based on the signal strength that the RFID reader receives from a tag, you know whether the product is nearby or not and you determine in which direction it lies.”
What does such an RFID tag look like?
“A tag consists of a tiny computer chip and an antenna in a casing. These tags can be quite small. Even so small that they can be incorporated into a cardboard price tag or a label, for example. There are also tags that are a lot bigger and more robust. These are intended to be placed on a crate, in a product, or on a pallet, for example.
We also distinguish passive and active RFID tags. A passive version does not have its own power supply, an active version has its own battery. The latter can transmit actively itself, so that it has a greater range.”
What are the advantages of RFID compared to other scanning methods?
“First of all: speed; with RFID you can quickly identify a huge number of articles. Much faster than scanning barcodes! Another advantage is that no line of sight is required. With a barcode scanner you must always have a view of the barcode in order to scan it. With RFID this is not necessary because the radio signal is also received when the tag is not placed in sight. Finally, you can also add extra information to RFID. With a traditional barcode you really have to print a new label for that.”
Enough benefits! Are there things you need to take into account when using RFID? Are there also pitfalls?
“Certainly. Remember that an RFID tag can always be received within a certain radius. In principle, the reader will receive any RFID tag within that range. That does not necessarily have to be a tag of the product in front of you, it can just as well be a tag of a product two meters away. That sometimes causes inconvenience.
Furthermore, the RFID signal is weak, especially with the passive RFID tags without their own battery. The signal may be blocked by obstacles such as walls or metal panels. The reading distance of RFID is therefore certainly a point of attention. The type of tag must also match the product to which it is applied.”
Why does DatAction believe in this technology?
“The possibilities of RFID are constantly being developed; tag prices have come down, techniques have gotten better. Today’s mobile computers are also a lot more powerful, allowing them to process a lot of data in a short time. That makes RFID an interesting solution!”
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