RFID is commonly used to track and manage assets and inventory items across a variety of industries. By tagging an item with an RFID tag and either reading the tag with a handheld reader with an integrated antenna, or setting up an RFID system with read zones, companies are able to efficiently and effectivly locate and manage their items.

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

Why Is It Important to Distinguish Assets Versus Inventory Items?

When setting up an RFID application to track items, it is important to know if the item will be tracked and managed throughout its lifespan, or the application must account for items coming in and leaving a facility.

An RFID application managing a fixed number of assets, is typically more focused on where the asset is in a facility or the asset’s usage.

An RFID application managing a consistently changing inventory, is typically more focused on the number of items in stock and how to best manage those numbers.

Why is UHF RFID Used for Managing Assets?

Assets typically need more rugged tags and/or longer range (BLE & other active technologies apply here, even GPS).

Why is UHF RFID Used for Managing Inventory?

The low cost per tag combined with the average read range of around 20 feet makes UHF RFID much better at tracking and managing general assets and inventory than other solutions like barcodes or GPS.

How is UHF RFID Used for Managing Assets & Inventory?

By placing an UHF RFID tag on an asset and outfitting an area with an RFID system, companies can accurately account for the general location of an asset. RFID Systems can be setup overhead or portals can be setup between areas to create ‘zones’. Additional equipment or technologies can provide more granularity by adding zones or methods like triangulation.