WELCOME TO SECTION 1 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 ONE -
RFID Technology.
The following 4 articles/guides will give you a basic understanding of RFID technology.
• • • •
01 | GUIDE
Read the Guide Online| Length - 20 minute read (3952 words)
Our Beginner's Guide to RFID Systems is the perfect introduction to RFID technology. This guide starts off walking you through what RFID is, how it works, and the most popular types of RFID - LF, HF, and UHF. After that, it walks through important considerations, like how to calculate Return on Investment (ROI), how to determine fixed and recurring costs, and environmental factors to consider when deciding if RFID is right for your application.
The last section defines what is in an RFID system, specifically RFID tags, readers, antennas, and accessories and explains the basics about each component.
Key Takeaway: Because this guide contains all of our RFID basics information - it's hard to narrow down just a few key takeaways! In the first section, it's important to learn about the different types of RFID, understand how they are different, and figure out which one is best for achieving your application's goal. In the middle section, its important to note cost and application feasiblity, and environmental factors that could be problematic later down the road. In the last section, walk away with a basic understanding of the three components that make up an RFID system
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, jump down to the comments section at the bottom of the page. To send in your question instead, fill out the simple form below and we will get back to you asap!
02 | GUIDE
Read the Guide Online| Length - 11 minute read (2173 words)
This guide to types of RFID expands on the first section in the Beginner's Guide by giving readers more details about the most popular types of RFID technology. This guide begins with walking through the Electromagnetic Spectrum, radio waves, and wavelengths - and then explains the correlation between those wavelengths and the main types of RFID - LF, HF, and UHF.
Key Takeaways: Low Frequency, or LF RFID operates between 30 - 300 kHz with ultra long wavelengths of 2,400 meters and is ideal for super close range applications like access control and animal identification like pet chip tagging. High Frequency, or HF RFID operates between 3 - 30 MHz with much smaller wavelengths of around 22 meters in length. HF RFID, which includes Near Field Communication (NFC) is used in applications like access control, marketing and advertising, and "smart" products. Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) RFID operates between 300 MHz and 3 GHz with very short wavelengths, only around 1 foot in length, and is used for applications like tool tracking, IT asset tracking, race timing, laundry management, and asset tracking.
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, jump down to the comments section at the bottom of the page. To send in your question instead, fill out the simple form below and we will get back to you asap!
03 | ARTICLE
Read the Article Online| Length - 4.5 minute read (888 words)
Learn about 13 super popular RFID applications that are all around you every day. From gaining access to buildings and parking lots, to DVD kiosks, to marathon participants - instances of RFID are all around us.
Key Takeaways: You probably see instances of RFID every day, but it's not always easy to spot them. The 13 RFID applications in this article are just the tip of the iceberg.
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, jump down to the comments section at the bottom of the page. To send in your question instead, fill out the simple form below and we will get back to you asap!
04 | ARTICLE
Read the Article Online| Length - 2 minute read (360 words)
In this article, learn about how RFID systems communicate within a broad frequency range, for instance 860 - 960 MHz for UHF RFID. This broad frequency range is the worldwide band for UHF RFID, and individual countries can choose to standardize the full band for their country, or standardize a smaller band within that range. Each country's UHF RFID regulations can be found within this article.
Key Takeaways: Certain countries have standardized only specific frequency bands within the larger 860 - 960 MHz range that are closely regulated and must be used. For instance, the frequency band standardized by the FCC for the United States if 902 - 928 MHz, while the frequency band standardized by the ETSI for most European Countries is 865 - 868 MHz. If the standardized range in a country isn't used, your RFID system could be in violation of governmental regulations.
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, jump down to the comments section at the bottom of the page. To send in your question instead, fill out the simple form below and we will get back to you asap!
Ready for Section 2?
If you are ready to jump into to learning about RFID Readers in Section 2 - click on the button to the right to get started!