A Detailed Look At RFID Technology And RFID Readers

Radio Frequency Identification or RFID system refers to one of the latest techniques in wireless data transmission and reception that is used for automatic identification, security surveillance and asset tracking. If you're not much familiar with the concept, let's try to understand what RFID system is all about and how it actually works.

The RFID System

There are three main components of RFID systems. The first one is RFID reader that sends interrogation signals to RFID tag or transponder for identifying it. It is also referred to as integrator. The second is RFID tag that actually contains identification code. And, the final component is a middleware that maintains interface and software protocol for encoding and decoding identification data coming from a reader into some personal computer or a mainframe.

With other identification systems not proving enough, RFID technology is quickly taking over the fields of SCM, logistics, security access control and asset tracking among several others.

Active VS Passive RFID Tag Reader

In the entire RFID system, RFID tag reader plays a key part as it is making all the tag interrogations. Tag readers can be broadly divided into Passive and Active readers. Here are a few details about both the types.

Passive Readers

They're limited to ‘listening' only and don't perform any additional interrogations on RFID tags. These tag readers are also known as ‘dumb' readers. During tag interrogations, a CW signal is sent by the reader as a power source to process data for RFID transponder. Data transmission is then provided by the transponder in the form of unique ID and, therefore, no command or message is required from the reader.

Active Readers

They are the real interrogators and listen to the tags based on the number of RFID tags and the communication protocols used for transmission of data between tags and readers. These readers are comparatively more capable than the passive readers. Their design is more complex and besides providing a power source and a transmission medium for transponders, active readers also send data towards tags that are implemented as modulation of the carrier signal. This necessitates transponders to have demodulating circuitry so that they can decode the command of the RFID tag reader. These readers are available commercially and are successfully used in product identification. They can listen and call out to RFID tags and may even be used for determining transponder's area location successfully using amplitudes of transponders' response to interrogation from the reader.

Regardless of their type, the basic functionality performed by RFID readers is communicating with RFID tags using radio waves emitted through an antenna. The readers can be further classified into UHF, HF, and microwave frequency ranges. These ranges also determine the prices of the readers as well. So, this makes UHF readers be the most expensive of the lot. What makes them really expensive is the fact that they don't have any IC integration. Besides, they are produced in low volume and their customized components are not available.

So, in short, RFID technology is the latest trend in product identification and asset tracking and it has taken over many relevant fields pretty quickly.