Getting Started
Passive RFID continues to be a growing portion of our business here at the EMP Tech Group. Our Sales and Technical Services staff have years of experience with this technology and we continue to broaden our portfolio of product offerings and our expertise in selling and integrating these very specialized solutions.
Over the years we have seen some patterns emerge through the many projects that we have successfully completed. Above is a visual representation of the three elements of all passive RFID projects
Passive RFID Tags
Product tagging can kill a project faster than any other step.
1) Is your product metal or liquid?
2) Is your product too small to tag?
3) Do you need a label or a hang tag?
4) What size label or tag will fit on your product?
5) How are you going to encode the labels or tags, are you going to need a passive RFID printer?
6) Where are you storing the product and what are your read expectations?
7) Does your product have enough value to cost-justify the expense of tagging?
8) What kind of data and how much data needs to go in the tag?
9) Are you going to use barcodes as well as passive RFID in your application?
Passive RFID Hardware
Determining the types and number of readers required can also impact the success of a project.
1) Do you need mobile or fixed readers or both?
2) Can you use a reader that is connected directly to your PC?
3) How granular is the need to know the location of the product?
4) How many readers do you need?
5) What are your read range requirements?
6) Does the number of readers required allow your project to cost-justify?
Software
Now that tags and hardware have been decided on, establish where the data needs to go.
1) Is there a host application that needs to receive this data and is it capable?
2) Do you need software for the handheld readers?
3) Do you need a user interface for the fixed mount readers?
4) Where are you going to get the data to encode the tags?
5) How are you going to encode the tags?
6) Will the passive RFID system need a standalone software package, or can the data be sent to existing applications?
These questions are just a start to determining the validity of passive RFID in your application. As always our team at the EMP Tech Group stands ready to help you answer these questions and determine the validity of passive RFID for your project. Contact our team and we will help you navigate the murky waters of passive RFID!
