What is RFID?

Definition and Example Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is the use of a wireless non-contact system that uses radiofrequency electromagnetic fields to transfer data from a tag attached to an object, for the purposes of automatic identification and tracking. Some tags require no battery and are powered and read at short ranges via magnetic fields (electromagnetic induction). Others use a local power source and emit radio waves (electromagnetic radiation at radio frequencies). The tag contains electronically stored information which may be read from up to several meters away. Unlike a bar code, the tag does not need to be within line of sight of the reader and may be embedded in the tracked object. Active RFID Tag Power Source Tag Battery Required strength Range Multi-tag reading signal Internal to tag Yes Very Low Passive RFID Energy transferred using RF from reader No Very High

Up to 100m 1000s of tags recognized up to 100mph Up to 128 Kb or read/ write & search

Up to 3-5m, usually less Few hundred within 3m of reader

Data Storage

128 bytes of read/write

Whats RFID function? RFID tags come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes; they may be encased in a variety of materials:

Animal tracking tags, inserted beneath the skin, can be rice-sized. Tags can be screw-shaped to identify trees or wooden items. Credit-card shaped for use in access applications. The anti-theft hard plastic tags attached to merchandise in stores are also RFID tags. Heavy-duty 120 by 100 by 50 millimeter rectangular transponders are used to track shipping containers, or heavy machinery, trucks, and railroad cars. Access management Toll collection and contactless payment Machine readable travel documents Smart dust (for massively distributed sensor networks)

Tracking sports memorabilia to verify authenticity Airport baggage tracking logistics

How it works? How does RFID work? A Radio-Frequency Identification system has three parts:

A scanning antenna A transceiver with a decoder to interpret the data A transponder - the RFID tag - that has been programmed with information.

The scanning antenna puts out radio-frequency signals in a relatively short range. The RF radiation does two things:

It provides a means of communicating with the transponder (the RFID tag) AND It provides the RFID tag with the energy to communicate (in the case of passive RFID tags).

This is an absolutely key part of the technology; RFID tags do not need to contain batteries, and can therefore remain usable for very long periods of time (maybe decades). The scanning antennas can be permanently affixed to a surface; handheld antennas are also available. They can take whatever shape you need; for example, you could build them into a door frame to accept data from persons or objects passing through. When an RFID tag passes through the field of the scanning antenna, it detects the activation signal from the antenna. That "wakes up" the RFID chip, and it transmits the information on its microchip to be picked up by the scanning antenna. In addition, the RFID tag may be of one of two types. Active RFID tags have their own power source; the advantage of these tags is that the reader can be much farther away and still get the signal. Even though some of these devices are built to have up to a 10 year life span, they have limited life spans. Passive RFID tags, however, do not require batteries, and can be much smaller and have a virtually unlimited life span. RFID tags can be read in a wide variety of circumstances, where barcodes or other optically read technologies are useless.

The tag need not be on the surface of the object (and is therefore not subject to wear) The read time is typically less than 100 milliseconds Large numbers of tags can be read at once rather than item by item.

RFID in Beijing Olympics

The 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China hosted 280.000 athletes, referees, journalist, and other workers from more than 200 countries. Appoximately 5 million overseas tourists and more than 120 million domestic travelers visited Beijing, and 7 million spectators watched the games at various venues. For protecting against counterfeit tickets, arranging food and beverage transportation, and even ensuring the safety of food for athletes by tracking the path of all food from farm to plate, Olympic coordinators using the RFID technology. RFID system can protect the production, processing, and transport of food and beverage products to coach and athlete. For the food application, the RFID system was paired with sensor technology, which recorded the temperature of shipment at every moment. RFID and sensor system allowed official with readers to determine whether a food had been subjected to temperatures outside a specified range, rather than just reading a bar code to detrmine that the correct food was in the correct box.

RFID vs. Barcode 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Barcodes uses a sensor and light to read the data on the tag while RFID uses radio waves, which doesnt need line of sight, to get the data Barcode scanners can only process tags one at a time while RFID scanners can process dozens in a single second Barcodes are really simple and can be easily replicated or counterfeited while RFID is more complex and secure RFID tags can be hidden to protect against the environment while barcodes need to be exposed Barcodes are very cheap while RFID tags are substantial pricier Barcode readers require a direct line of sight to the printed barcode; RFID readers do not require a direct line of sight to either active RFID tags or passive RFID tags. RFID tags can be read at much greater distances; an RFID reader can pull information from a tag at distances up to 300 feet. The range to read a barcode is much less, typically no more than fifteen feet. RFID readers can interrogate, or read, RFID tags much faster; read rates of forty or more tags per second are possible. Reading barcodes is much more time-consuming; due to the fact that a direct line of sight is required, if the items are not properly oriented to the reader it may take seconds to read an individual tag. Barcode readers usually take a halfsecond or more to successfully complete a read. Line of sight requirements also limit the ruggedness of barcodes as well as the reusability of barcodes. (Since line of sight is required for barcodes, the printed barcode must be exposed on the outside of the product, where it is subject to greater wear and tear.) RFID tags are typically more rugged, since the electronic components are better protected in a plastic cover. RFID tags can also be implanted within the product itself, guaranteeing greater ruggedness and reusability. Barcodes have no read/write capability; that is, you cannot add to the information written on a printed barcode. RFID tags, however, can be read/write devices; the RFID reader can communicate with the tag, and alter as much of the information as the tag design will allow. RFID tags are typically more expensive than barcodes, in some cases, much more so.

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Why We Prefer Using RFID Ticket than Ordinary Ticket Firstly, It depends on what the ticket will be use, For example for cheap football game, we should use ordinary ticket because the price of ticket is cheaper than if we used RFID one Second, its about the safety that we want to get. RFID offer more safety by its working than ordinary ticket. Third, If we look the trend of RFID, it will possible we make cheaper RFID overtime,