Page 140 - DMGT505_MANAGEMENT_INFORMATION_SYSTEM

Unit 7: Future of Networking Technologies

and tracking using radio waves. Some tags can be read from several meters away and beyond Notes
the line of sight of the reader.
Most RFID tags contain at least two parts. One is an integrated circuit for storing and processing
information, modulating and demodulating a radio-frequency (RF) signal, and other specialized
functions. The second is an antenna for receiving and transmitting the signal.

There are generally three types of RFID tags: active RFID tags, which contain a battery and can
transmit signals autonomously, passive RFID tags, which have no battery and require an external
source to provoke signal transmission, and battery assisted passive (BAP) which require an
external source to wake up but have significant higher forward link capability providing great
read range.
RFID systems can be used just about anywhere, from clothing tags to missiles to pet tags to food
– anywhere that a unique identification system is needed. The tag can carry information as
simple as a pet owners name and address or the cleaning instruction on a sweater to as complex
as instructions on how to assemble a car. Some auto manufacturers use RFID systems to move
cars through an assembly line. At each successive stage of production, the RFID tag tells the
computers what the next step of automated assembly is.

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a generic term that is used to describe a system that
transmits the identity (in the form of a unique serial number) of an object or person wirelessly,
using radio waves. It’s grouped under the broad category of automatic identification technologies.
RFID is in use all around us. If you have ever chipped your pet with an ID tag, used EZPass
through a toll booth, or paid for gas using SpeedPass, you’ve used RFID. In addition, RFID is
increasingly used with biometric technologies for security.
Unlike ubiquitous UPC bar-code technology, RFID technology does not require contact or line
of sight for communication. RFID data can be read through the human body, clothing and
non-metallic materials.
One of the key differences between RFID and bar code technology is RFID eliminates the need
for line-of-sight reading that bar coding depends on. Also, RFID scanning can be done at greater
distances than bar code scanning. High frequency RFID systems (850 MHz to 950 MHz and
2.4 GHz to 2.5 GHz) offer transmission ranges of more than 90 feet, although wavelengths in the
2.4 GHz range are absorbed by water (the human body) and therefore has limitations.

7.4.1 RFID Components

A basic RFID system consists of three components:

1. An antenna or coil
2. A transceiver (with decoder)
3. A transponder (RF tag) electronically programmed with unique information

The antenna emits radio signals to activate the tag and to read and write data to it.
The reader emits radio waves in ranges of anywhere from one inch to 100 feet or more, depending
upon its power output and the radio frequency used. When an RFID tag passes through the
electromagnetic zone, it detects the reader’s activation signal.

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