Resources – RFID Basics

What is RFID?

RFID encompasses technologies that use electromagnetic (radio) waves, part of electromagnetic spectrum, to identify individual items, places, animals, or people. RFID can be appropriately implemented for many different uses. The most common is to use an identifying number (sort of a name) that uniquely identifies an object, place, animal, or person. The number is stored on an integrated circuit (IC) that is attached to an antenna. Together, the IC and the antenna are called an RFID transponder or tag. The tag is attached to the object, place, animal, or person to be identified. A device called the interrogator or reader communicates with the tag and is used to read the identifying number from the tag. The reader feeds the number it reads into an information system, which stores the number in its database or searches its database for the number and returns information stored therein about the object, place, animal, or person. The major difference between various Auto-ID technologies is in how the identifying number is stored and retrieved.

RFID Versus Barcode

Among the Auto-ID technologies mentioned so far, the barcode is closest to RFID; therefore, the two technologies are compared here to help you understand their relative advantages and disadvantages.
RFID is not necessarily “better” than barcode. The two are different technologies that have different, yet sometimes overlapping, applications. The big difference between the two is that barcodes require a line-of-sight, while RFID does not.
Many people think that RFID will replace barcodes, but if this happens, it will take several years since barcoding is a mature technology and currently has a very low cost of implementation compared to RFID. The table below lists major differences between the technologies.

Barcode RFID
  • Line of sight required
  • Identifies only item category
  • Requires proper orientation
  • Scans only single item at a time
  • No write capability, static information
  • Soiled labels are difficult to read
  • Limited data storage capacity
  • Worldwide standards in place
  • Cheaper to produce: $0.001
  • Single step: can be easily printed on boxes during manufacturing
  • No line of sight required
  • Uniquely identifies items, cases, pallets
  • Item orientation to reader not important
  • 100’s of Tags/Sec Simultaneous identification
  • Dynamic read/write capability
  • Can be used in harsher environment
  • More data storage capacity
  • Worldwide standards still in process
  • More expensive: $0.10-plus cost to attach
  • Currently requires two steps: tag creation and tag attachment