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Technology Solutions - Radio Frequency Identification

Put simply RFID, or Radio Frequency Identification, is the electronic answer to old bar codes or other manual means of identifying an object. The core of any RFID system is to carry the required data in a transponder - generally known as a "tag" - and to retrieve that data by computer-readable means, at a time and place to satisfy the particular needs of the application/ client.

The data within the RFID "tag" may be as simply as providing identification of the manufacturer. Or it could be as complex as storing the manufacturer, date/ place of manufacture, name of wholesale/ retailer and date of sale to the end-user. Depending on the application, the RFID "tag" can store data for current and future applications. RFID transponders can be both active and passive devices.

• Active RFID
  - Generally transmits its "data" using its own power source
• Passive RFID
  - Generally transmits its "data" when provided with a power source

In addition to the transponder or "tag", a RFID system requires a means of reading or interrogating the "tag" to retrieve the data. Again depending on the application it may also be necessary for the "readers" to be able to transmit or store new information within the "tag".

Companies when considering the deployment of RFID within their environment quite often overlook the final component, and arguably the most important, systems integration or back office applications. If you have the latest technology and the RFID solution that suits your requirements, it won't matter much if your employees can't access the information they need when they need it.

Example deployments/ applications:

• Transportation & logistics;
• Manufacturing & Processing;
• Security;
• Animal tagging;
• Automotive & Animal Racing;
• Waste management;
• Time & attendance;
• Postal tracking;
• Taxation & Revenue Collection;
• Airline baggage reconciliation;
• Road toll management; and
• Anti-fraud & anti-theft.