RFID Tags and Their Types : Fundamental Idea about RFIDs

Introduction

Every enterprise wants automation and traceability. Even business owners want to keep track of their inventory items or livestock. That is where RFID tags come to the rescue. All these reasons are pushing the growth of RFID technologies to a new horizon. Over the past decades, RFID technology usage has increased due to its pros. This article will give you a quick walkthrough of what RFID tags are and their types.

What is an RFID Tag?

RFID tags are intelligent tracking systems that leverage radio frequency to track, identify, search, and communicate with various items with which they remain attached. These labeling and tracking chips can store myriad information such as serial numbers, unique IDs, phone numbers, short descriptions, and detailed data.

Modern RFID tags also deliver cryptographic features for security, such as high-level user verification and authentication. The information it holds also remains encrypted through cryptographic mechanisms. RFID tags can be of three major categories on the market today. They get differentiated based on the range in frequency — low, high, and ultra-high. RFID can fall under any one of the three categories:

· Low-frequency (LF) RFID tags:

These RFID tags have a frequency of 30 kHz to 300 kHz. These RFID tags render slower read rates and work for shorter read ranges than their other variant (HF and UHF). However, these RFIDs are less susceptible to interference because they come with a longer wavelength. Because of such reasons, enterprises and businesses often utilize them in applications where an RFID label remains attached to a metal substrate, such as automobiles or inventorying beer kegs.

· High-frequency (HF) RFID tags:

These RFID tags have a frequency of 3 to 30 MHz. These high-frequency RFID tags have the potential with a lengthier read range & more increased memory capabilities. That makes the RFID systems well-suited for tracking bracelets or cataloging library media. This RFID type is a common category for smart labeling and pet chipping. Several high-frequency RFID standards are available in the market. Some are ISO 15693 standards used to track items, while the ECMA-340 & ISO/IEC 18092 standards help in Near Field Communication (NFC), i.e., short-range technology. Enterprises commonly use it to exchange data between devices.

· Ultra-high-frequency (UHF) RFID tags:

These RFID tags have a frequency of 300 MHz to 3GHz. We use them more frequently in the supply chain as they are low-cost yet provide a good reading range. While there are multiple types based on frequency, RAIN RFID systems are prominent in the majority of countries, operating between 900 and 915 MHz. Well-known applications of UHF RFID are retail inventory control, individual product level tracking, and moving supply chain efficiencies.

Conclusion

We hope this article has given a crisp idea of the three different types of RFIDs based on their frequency. It entirely depends upon the business application which one chooses when.

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Gaurav Roy CTO, Masters | BS-Cyber-Sec | MIT | LPU
Gaurav Roy CTO, Masters | BS-Cyber-Sec | MIT | LPU

Written by Gaurav Roy CTO, Masters | BS-Cyber-Sec | MIT | LPU

I’m the CTO at Keychron :: Technical Content Writer, Cyber-Sec Enggr, Programmer, Book Author (2x), Research-Scholar, Storyteller :: Love to predict Tech-Future

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