What is RFID?

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a general term for technology that uses radio waves to automatically identify people or objects. There are many ways to identify, but the most common method is to store the serial number and other information to identify a person or object on a microchip connected to an antenna (the chip and antenna together are called an RFID transponder) or an RFID tag). The antenna enables the chip to send identification information to the reader. The reader converts the radio waves reflected from the RFID tag into digital information, and then transmits it to a computer that can use it.

What is automatic recognition?

Automatic recognition (abbreviated as automatic recognition) is a broad term for various technologies used to help machines recognize objects. Automatic identification is usually combined with automatic data capture. In other words, the company wants to identify the project, capture information about the project, and enter the data into the computer in some way without the employee typing it. The purpose of most automatic ID systems is to improve efficiency, reduce data entry errors and free up employees to perform more value-added functions, such as providing customer service. Automatic ID covers many technologies. These include barcodes, smart cards, voice recognition, some biometric technologies (such as retina scanning), optical character recognition (OCR) and radio frequency identification (RFID).

RFID frequency and reading range

RFID systems can be subdivided according to the frequency band in which they operate: low frequency, high frequency and ultra high frequency. There are also two broad categories of RFID systems-passive and active. In the following sections, we will discuss the frequency and types of RFID systems.

In the UHF frequency range of 856 – 960 MHz, there are two main subsets:

a) FCC (United States) standard frequency range is 902-928 MHz

b) ETSI (EU) standard frequency range 865-868 MHz

FCC standards are used throughout North America and most parts of the Caribbean and most parts of South America. ETSI standards are used throughout the European Union and most countries/regions that follow EU standards. Various other subsets within the above range are used worldwide. If you plan to deploy RFID devices in a specific country/region but are not sure about the country’s standards, then we can assist you in providing the appropriate frequency range.