Active RFID technology is used to track high-value assets either in motion or at a specific location. Because active RFID tags have their own power source (vs passive RFID does not), there are unlimited applications to include near-real time tracking, security monitoring, temperature monitoring, querying the status of assets simultaneously, manipulating data residing on the RFID tag, and so on.
Because active RFID tags and its associated interrogation network are scalable only by buying more RFID hardware, it is very important to pick the right type of RFID tag and associated interrogators to fit your current and future requirements. Key considerations in picking the right type of active RFID technology include:
Active RFID Evaluation Criteria
- Use standards-based or proprietary communication protocol? Open protocol like Wi-Fi (802.11) offer more opportunities, but what about unique functionality?
- Determine frequency and method of tag communications. Does the tag need to send a signal periodically or does the network interrogate the tag. If you need the tag to communicate with the network very frequently, this is a drain on the RFID tag battery.
- What tracking and location capabilities are needed? Do you need the exact location or just how close the RFID tag is to a given interrogator?
- Determine type of batteries. You need to understand the RFID tag battery technology and how long the batteries will last based on your requirements. You need to have a battery maintenance plan and how proactive you need to be in replacing batteries.
- Determine sensor sensibility. What do you need to monitor? Location, motion, temperature, and so on?
- What other RFID factors are important for project? Factors such as ease of configuration, In-the-field implementations, range of accessories, total cost of ownership, tag to interrogator range, environmental factors, are the tags actionable to your business needs, scalability, and security.
See SDCExec.com’s article The Active RFID Tag Guide for more information on active RFID technology.
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Tags: RFID