Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a wireless communication technology that can identify specific targets and read and write related data through radio signals without establishing mechanical or optical contact between the identification system and specific targets.
The radio signal transmits the data from the tag attached to the item through the electromagnetic field tuned into the radio frequency, so as to automatically identify and track the item. Some tags can get energy from the electromagnetic field emitted by the identifier during identification, and do not need batteries; there are also tags that have their own power supply and can actively emit radio waves (electromagnetic fields tuned into radio frequencies). Tags contain electronically stored information and can be identified within a few meters. Unlike barcodes, RFID tags do not need to be in line of sight of the reader and can be embedded within the object being tracked.
Many industries use radio frequency identification technology. Attaching a tag to a car in production allows the factory to track the car’s progress on the production line. Warehouses can track where medicines are located. RFID tags can also be attached to livestock and pets to facilitate positive identification of livestock and pets (positive identification means preventing several livestock from using the same identity). Radio-frequency identification badges allow employees to enter locked sections of buildings, and radio-frequency transponders on cars can be used to collect tolls for toll roads and parking lots.
Advantages of RFID
1. Fast scanning, RFID reader can identify and read several RFID tags at the same time!
2. With miniaturization and diverse shapes, RFID is not limited by size and shape in reading, and does not need to match the fixed size and printing quality of paper for reading accuracy. In addition, RFID tags can be miniaturized and developed in various forms to be applied to different products.
3. Anti-pollution ability and durability. The carrier of traditional barcode is paper, so it is easy to be polluted, but RFID has strong resistance to substances such as water, oil and chemicals. In addition, because the barcode is attached to the plastic bag or the outer carton, it is particularly vulnerable to damage; the RFID tag stores the data in the chip, so it can be protected from contamination.
4. Reusable. Today’s barcodes cannot be changed after they are printed, while RFID tags can repeatedly add, modify, and delete the data stored in the RFID tag to facilitate information update.
5. Penetration and non-barrier reading, in the case of being covered, RFID can penetrate non-metallic or non-transparent materials such as paper, wood and plastic, and can perform penetrating communication. The barcode scanner can only read the barcode when it is in close range and there is no object blocking it.
6. The memory capacity of data is large, the capacity of one-dimensional barcode is 50Bytes, the maximum capacity of two-dimensional barcode can store 2 to 3000 characters, and the maximum capacity of RFID is several MegaBytes. With the development of memory carrier, the data capacity is also expanding continuously trend. In the future, the amount of data required to be carried by items will increase, and the demand for expanded capacity of tags will also increase accordingly.
7. Security. Since RFID carries electronic information, its data content can be protected by passwords, so that its content is not easy to be forged and altered.
RFID has attracted much attention because of its long-distance reading and high storage capacity. It can not only help a company greatly improve the efficiency of goods and information management, but also connect sales companies and manufacturing companies, so as to receive feedback information more accurately, control demand information, and optimize the entire supply chain.
Disadvantages of RFID
1. The cost of RFID is too high, coupled with the high cost of equipment such as RFID transmitters, readers, encoders and antennas.
2. Issues involving privacy. National security information/secrets may leak issues.
3. Once the RFID tag is close to the reader, it will automatically send a message unconditionally, and it is impossible to confirm whether the rfid reader is legal. For example, in people’s daily life items, but because the owner of the item (such as clothing) may not be able to detect that the item has been embedded with an electronic tag in advance and may be scanned, located and tracked uncontrollably, this will inevitably make Personal privacy issues are violated. The key to the invasion of personal privacy lies in the basic function of the radio frequency identification tag: the identification (ID) or identification code of any tag can be scanned arbitrarily remotely, and the tag automatically and indiscriminately responds to the reader’s instructions and Transfer the information it stores to the reader.
4. Objects or environments containing metal and moisture will have an impact on RFID.
5. The open frequency bands of different countries are different, and there are still problems of consistency.
Generally speaking, the advantages of RFID technology still outweigh the disadvantages
