By : Anis Farhana Mat Yusoh 13032
According to Wikipedia, RFID is “Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is a technology that uses radio waves to transfer data from an electronic tag, called RFID tag or label, attached to an object through a reader for the purpose of identifying and tracking the object. Some RFID tags can be read from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader. The application of bulk reading enables an almost-parallel reading of tags.”
Some people are confuse and misinterpreted between RFID and bar code. RFID technology is quite similar to the bar code identification systems we see in retail stores every day; however one big difference between RFID and bar code technology is that RFID does not rely on the line-of-sight reading that bar code scanning requires to work.
Below are several differences between RFID and bar code:
1. Barcodes uses a sensor and light to read the data on the tag while RFID uses radio waves, which doesn’t need line of sight, to get the data
2. Barcode scanners can only process tags one at a time while RFID scanners can process dozens in a single second
3. Barcodes are really simple and can be easily replicated or counterfeited while RFID is more complex and secure
4. RFID tags can be hidden to protect against the environment while barcodes need to be exposed
5. Barcodes are very cheap while RFID tags are substantially pricier
As RFID is better than the bar code, we can implement it at any grocery stores. Implementing this RFID can avoid us from wasting our luxurious time from queuing; waiting for the cashier to scan all the things in our cart instead of just passing by a door having reader that will be connected to a large network then it will send information on your products to the retailer and product manufacturers. Your bank will then be notified and the amount of the bill will be deducted from your account. No lines, no waiting. So smart rite?
According to Wikipedia, RFID is “Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is a technology that uses radio waves to transfer data from an electronic tag, called RFID tag or label, attached to an object through a reader for the purpose of identifying and tracking the object. Some RFID tags can be read from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader. The application of bulk reading enables an almost-parallel reading of tags.”
Some people are confuse and misinterpreted between RFID and bar code. RFID technology is quite similar to the bar code identification systems we see in retail stores every day; however one big difference between RFID and bar code technology is that RFID does not rely on the line-of-sight reading that bar code scanning requires to work.
Below are several differences between RFID and bar code:
1. Barcodes uses a sensor and light to read the data on the tag while RFID uses radio waves, which doesn’t need line of sight, to get the data
2. Barcode scanners can only process tags one at a time while RFID scanners can process dozens in a single second
3. Barcodes are really simple and can be easily replicated or counterfeited while RFID is more complex and secure
4. RFID tags can be hidden to protect against the environment while barcodes need to be exposed
5. Barcodes are very cheap while RFID tags are substantially pricier
As RFID is better than the bar code, we can implement it at any grocery stores. Implementing this RFID can avoid us from wasting our luxurious time from queuing; waiting for the cashier to scan all the things in our cart instead of just passing by a door having reader that will be connected to a large network then it will send information on your products to the retailer and product manufacturers. Your bank will then be notified and the amount of the bill will be deducted from your account. No lines, no waiting. So smart rite?
RFID past and present
Technology of the RFID has been around since 1970. During that time RFID being used to track large items for example like railroad cars, cows, airline luggage that will be shipped for a long distances. It has been called as inductively coupled RFID tags that were very complex systems to be applied having metal coils, antennae and also glass. Inductively coupled RFID tags were being powered by RFID reader that generate magnetic field.
Electrical current has an electrical component and a magnetic component -- it is electromagnetic. Because of this, you can create a magnetic field with electricity, and you can create electrical current with a magnetic field. The magnetic field inducts a current in the wire and that is where the name "inductively coupled" comes from. But, it is very costly.
Capacitively coupled tags were created next in an attempt to lower the technology's cost. These were meant to be disposable tags that could be applied to less expensive merchandise and made as universal as bar codes. This coupled tags used conductive carbon ink instead of metal coils in order to transmit data. The ink was printed on paper labels and scanned by readers. The frontrunners in this technology are Motorola's BiStatix RFID tags .They used a silicon chip that was only 3millimeters wide and stored 96 bits of information. This technology didn't catch on with retailers, and BiStatix was shut down in 2001. Newer innovations in the RFID industry include active, semi-active and passive RFID tags. These tags can store up to 2 kilobytes of data and are composed of a microchip, antenna and, in the case of active and semi-passive tags, a battery. The tag's components are enclosed within plastic, silicon or sometimes glass.
At a basic level, each tag works in the same way:
· Data stored within an RFID tag's microchip waits to be read.
· The tag's antenna receives electromagnetic energy from an RFID reader's antenna.
· Using power from its internal battery or power harvested from the reader's electromagnetic field, the tag sends radio waves back to the reader.
· The reader picks up the tag's radio waves and interprets the frequencies as meaningful data.
Inductively coupled and capacitively coupled RFID tags aren't used as commonly today because they are expensive and bulky. In the next section, we'll learn more about active, semi-passive and passive RFID tags.
