WELCOME TO SECTION 3 OF THE
RFID Roadmap.
We've divided the information up into 10 sections - RFID Overview, RFID Readers, RFID Antennas, RFID Tags, Hardware, Software, & Firmware, Auxillary Equipment, Advanced Principles, Ideal Equipment Performance, Deploying Your RFID System, & Different Types of RFID.
* If you are crunched for time, follow the starred posts for the crash course.
SECTION THREE -
RFID Antennas.
There are 3 key elements in an RFID system, RFID readers, antennas, and tags. Let's learn about RFID antennas.
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08 | GUIDE
Read the Guide Online| Length - 13 minute read (2,638 words)
This guide is packed with almost everything you need to know about RFID Antennas - from what they are, to how energy flows through them, to how to choose the ideal antenna for your application. In this guide, you will learn about - antenna size, indoor vs. outdoor, external antennas vs integrated antennas, frequency range options, antenna energy flow, polarization options, coupling options, gain, beamwidth, and antenna directionality.
Key Takeaways: In this guide, the key takeway is that several factors should be taken in consideration before purchasing an RFID antenna. Within each section/factor, a few different options are specified; for instance, within the Beamwidth section, the options discussed include wide or narrow beamwidths and the difference.
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09 | ARTICLE
Read the Article Online| Length - 3 minute read (629 words)
In this article, we walkthrough the 3 most important factors to consider when choosing an RFID Antenna - frequency range, gain/beamwidth, and polarization.
Key Takeaways: It's important to take the time to figure out the ideal frequency range, gain/beamwidth, and antenna polarization in order to choose the right RFID antenna. The frequency range options for RFID antennas include 902-928 MHz, 865-868 MHz, and the global option of 860-960 MHz. Typically gain is referred to as either high, usually above 6 dBi, or low, usually below 6 dBi. and antenna polarization options are either circular or linear.
Ask a Question
RFID can be complicated, but no worries - we are here to help! Feel free to ask our RFID experts a question at any point of your learning process to get a non-salsey, straight forward email reply direct to your inbox. If you'd rather ask us on this page, click here to jump down to the comments section. To send in your question instead, fill out the simple form below and we will get back to you asap!
10 | ARTICLE
Read the Article Online| Length - 1.5 minute read (307 words)
In this short article, we explain the difference between linear and circular polarization and how the different polarization affects tag orientation and the antenna's gain and read range as well.
Key Takeaways: Linearly polarized RFID antennas broadcast on a single plane and are recommended for applications where the RFID tag will always be passing the antenna in a fixed position. Circularly polarized RFID antennas broadcast in a corkscrew-like fashion on both planes, therefore allowing them to pickup tag reads that pass by at different heights, in different orientations. While circularly polarized antennas seem like the safer bet, remember that linearly polarized antennas will always have a greater read range than their circular counterparts, and generally a higher gain as well.
Ask a Question
RFID can be complicated, but no worries - we are here to help! Feel free to ask our RFID experts a question at any point of your learning process to get a non-salsey, straight forward email reply direct to your inbox. If you'd rather ask us on this page, click here to jump down to the comments section. To send in your question instead, fill out the simple form below and we will get back to you asap!
11 | ARTICLE
Read the Article Online| Length - 3 minute read (609 words)
In this article, we discuss the electromagnetic field that surrounds an RFID antenna and how it is divided into two parts - near-field and far-field. After introducing those two parts, we walk through the type of coupling that happens in the near-field portion and in the far-field portion of the electromagnetic field.
Key Takeaways: The communication between a tag and an RFID system (reader and antenna) is called coupling, and there are a few different types of coupling that can occur, depending on how far the tag is from the RFID antenna. If the tag is located in the near-field area of the RFID antenna, inductive coupling is used to power the chip, if the tag is located in the far-field area of the RFID antenna, capacitative coupling is used to power the chip.
Ask a Question
RFID can be complicated, but no worries - we are here to help! Feel free to ask our RFID experts a question at any point of your learning process to get a non-salsey, straight forward email reply direct to your inbox. If you'd rather ask us on this page, click here to jump down to the comments section. To send in your question instead, fill out the simple form below and we will get back to you asap!
Ready for Section 4?
If you are ready to jump into learning about RFID tags in Section 4 - click on the button to the right to get started!