At the core of every RFID application, RFID tags are attached to items in order for each item to be uniquely identified from another. Because of this, all RFID applications could technically be grouped under “Identify with RFID” versus the other groupings - Interact with Objects, Gather Data, Manage Inventory & Assets, and Access Control. Most RFID applications use RFID to identify the item and then perform another action with that information, like taking inventory, allowing or restricting access, or gathering data.

In RFID applications that are simply grouped as “Identify”, RFID is used for only one purpose: to identify a tagged item.

If this is your first time learning about RFID, or if you need a refresher, checkout our beginner’s guide to RFID.

Why use RFID to simply identify?

Most RFID applications that are using RFID to identify are really using RFID technology to verify that the item’s RFID tag has the correct or matching EPC number as a corresponding EPC number. For instance:

• RFID Authentication & RFID Kiosk applications use RFID in order to authenticate a product in a pre-existing database.
• RFID Shipment/Order Verification and Vehicle Identification applications use RFID to determine if the scanned item is correct in reference to an order or shipment.