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RFID is an abbreviation for Radio Frequency Identification.
The technology is based on radio-frequency communication between a tag (card, keyring, sticker or another) and a reader. The tag has a chip with a unique number, and an antenna. Depending on the configuration of the system, reading the number activates a door, a barrier or another device, and information may be sent to a computer. Some RFID devices allow multiple savings of information, which further broadens the application options. The distance from which the tag is “read” depends on a myriad of factors - frequency, antenna shape and size and environment, to mention but a few - and can reach dozens of meters with active RFID tags.
RFID has many advantages as compared with the manual and automatic identification methods such as the barcode-based. The RFID tags are often called “the bar codes of the 21st century” but they are far more than that:
- the information can be “read” from a distance without direct visibility (when goods enter a warehouse, are directly placed on shelves or conveyor belts);
- large numbers of items are identified simultaneously;
- the tags can contain a lot of information;
- tag reading does not require human interference;
- the tags are stable in hostile environment (temperature, humidity, chemicals, etc.);
- the tags allow multiple saving of information through the life of the device.
One of the global initiatives in this area is EPC Global which brings together leading companies and seeks
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