Jeffrey Arnold

MISC 311-41
Research Paper
2/13/13

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)

A piece of technological advancement not payed close enough attention to is the use of
radio frequency identification tags. When broken down you can see throughout our day we rely
on it. When leaving a gated community, we scan a pass to let us out. We drive through a tolled
area and dont have to stop to pay the toll. These are just a few examples of the technological
advancement of radio frequency identification in use within some of our lives. Radio frequency
identification (RFID) is a type of wireless communication which is used to identify objects
places or people within a business or community. A typical RFID tag consists of a microchip
attached to a radio antenna mounted on an underlying later (RFID Journal). The microchip
contains a serial number and the radio antenna communicates this to a receiver. Once the receiver
reads the radio information it records this in a log. Based on the type of application that the RF
ID is doing this can then create an action like opening the gate or allowing access to certain types
of systems.
There are many different places where RFID tags are used. Within businesses or within
consumers themselves. Millions of different places are using RFID tags to help track and control
movable assets. One example is employee badges in which a company issues their employees.
The badge will let you scan to access certain buildings and certain systems. Another example of
the use of RFID tags is the systematic approach of scanning a tag and allowing access based on
the badge credentials. This keeps organizations working efficiently and securely. Another form of
this is the tracking of merchandise in warehouses. When transporting merchandise from one
location to the next they equip the merchandise with an RFID tag to allows companies to monitor
the individual movement of the merchandise. It helps keep inventory precise and accurate. On

the personal side of things people now use RFID tags to track and register than animals. The
implant a chip in the animal and by doing this, in the event of a runaway pet, you are able to get
notified when the animal is found. The last example is about the department of transportation
collecting tolls form people using their roadways. The world's first open highway electronic
tolling system opened in Oklahoma in 1991, where vehicles could pass toll collection points at
highway speeds, unimpeded by a toll plaza or barriers and with video cameras for
enforcement (AIM Publication). RFID is a complex system that deploys a simple concept that
allows businesses and people to be more effective and efficient. RFID technology seems simple
enough, though lets take a look at how it works and what different types there are.
Theres a few different types of RFID tags, active and passive. They all have different
benefits and different practical uses within a business. Active tags are used on large assets, such
as cargo containers, rail cars and large reusable containers, which need to be tracked over long
distances (RFID Journal). The max distance and active RFID tag is able to be read is about 300
feet. This allows large freight from a safe distance to be tracked. The two types of active tags that
are used are transponders and beacons. The active RFID tag is actually asleep while in transport
and is woken up by the receiver waste signal is transmitted to it. Now passive RFID systems
have no power source with in the tag itself and no transmitter. Transponders can be located with
in a plastic card, wallets etc and they have a range of a few inches up to 30 feet (RFID Journal).
The change of using RFIDs to track assets was huge due to the fact it was not line of site. Within
the library librarians were having to scan barcodes of books they were checking out. Now with
RFID tags librarians are allowed to put a bunch of books over a receiver and capture all the
books with one pass.

The security of RFID tags is extremely intricate. The RFID tag runs on specific
frequencies and transmits specific codes to the receiver. If the receivers scans and RFID tag with
codes it doesnt recognize it just voids it out of the system. This would keep employees with a
RFID badge out of the wrong employer. For a business it will also keep people in certain areas
and out of restricted areas. In the medical field theres a lot of controversy over the use of RFID
tags for security reasons. RFID tags seem to be the solution in tracking patients and assets within
the medical field. For example if a patient was admitted to the hospital theyre given a barcodebased bracelet and this barcode bracelet was used to make sure theyre given the correct
attention. Though the problem with this bracelet was that it was line of sight and had to be
scanned by a barcode reader. If the barcode was dirty and or not visible, while the patient was
sleeping, the patient wouldve been woken up to allow it to be scanned. With implementing the
RFID technology it doesnt need to be line of sight and it cannot get dirty as its a wireless
signal. Now RFID seems like a great technology to be introduced into any business field though
it requires data to be matched up with a database of data. When a database of data is stored we
always worry of the likelihood of the data becoming compromised. The attacks that can take
place on RFID tags are wireless sniffing, energy draining, altering data and clothing. All of these
attacks interrupt the systematic steps needed to take place for the RFID flow to work properly.
Overall the piece of technology that we need to pay more attention to because of its
positive interactions with businesses is radio frequency identification. It allows us to be more
efficient and effective with monitoring assets within our company or within our personal lives.
Though the costs are still high, looking into the future this may be a solution in overcoming some
obstacles brought forth by our current outdated technology.

Works Cited
Landt, Jeremy. Shrouds of Time The history of RFID AIM Publication. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.
<http://www.transcore.com/pdf/AIM%20shrouds_of_time.pdf>
Mauricio Papa, et al. "Security Risks Associated With Radio Frequency Identification In Medical
Environments." Journal Of Medical Systems 36.6 (2012): 3491-3505. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. < http://link.springer.com.ezproxy.library.ewu.edu/ content/pdf/
10.1007%2Fs10916-011-9792-0>
"The Basics of RFID Technology." The Basics of RFID Technology - RFID Journal. RFID
Journal., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. <http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/ 1337/1/129/>.
"What Is RFID?" - RFID Journal. RFID Journal., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. <http://
www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/1339/1/129/>