Category: blog

Today’s smart tech solutions have revolutionized user experience in retail environments. One such technology is contactless shopping, which has witnessed exponential progress since 2014, redefining the landscape of how we make payments against our purchases.

A number of mobile applications have surfaced, making the user engagement from product selection to payment fast and easy. These include online retailing and service offering applications such as Flipkart, Alibaba, Airbnb, and Uber, as well as several online payment systems, like Google Wallet. Since these online portals involve the exchange of data and also store crucial banking information, one may wonder – are these online portals as secure as the good old brick-and-mortar checkouts? Thanks to RFID technology, the answer is an absolute YES!

RFID In Mobile Technology

A new spending trend of touch-and-go has emerged and is on the rise since the advent of NFC technology! NFC is a form of High Frequency (HF) RFID that works by facilitating communication over a short range between compatible devices. When a transmitting device (often an NFC-enabled smartphone) and a receiving device (usually an NFC-ready point-of-sale terminal) are in proximity, they get activated and use radio waves to communicate. However, this happens only when the security authorization is approved.

Your e-Wallets only communicate with an NFC reader when you unlock the app. Multiple authentication factors such as biometrics, face, or iris recognition help ensure that only the authorized person is accessing the application. Hence, a major breakthrough in contactless payments is that it has turned our smartphones into “mobile wallets,” reducing shoppers’ need to carry credit and debit cards for making transactions.

However, one drawback of using NFC-enabled contactless shopping is that the user is restricted to only the stores that are equipped with NFC-ready payment terminals. Also, the consumer must have a smartphone that supports this technology. But the good news is that more and more businesses are adopting NFC to keep up with the trend and match the demands of the customers.

Deployment Of RFID In Businesses

RFID is a versatile technology that has now made its mark in the retail sector. Due to its rising popularity and the gamut benefits it delivers, more and more retail stores are investing in RFID technology and are creating NFC stations to attract tech-smart shoppers.

In addition to that, NFC has become an indispensable feature in almost all major smartphone brands. Mobile manufacturing companies, especially the iPhone, have empowered their smartphones to even read NFC tags (on products or advertisements) with an app.

Although many use cases of NFC technology are yet to be explored, businesses have discovered and started leveraging on the benefits of NFC marketing. In fact, some of the prominent brands, such as Zara and KFC, are already utilizing this innovative, cost-effective technology in their ad campaigns.

NFC campaigns may look like any regular ad campaign display, but they are embedded with the NFC chip. The purpose is to provide an enhanced interactive experience to the customers while attracting new customers and instilling brand loyalty among the existing ones. The customer, when near to the ad display, only has to position his NFC-enabled phone against the NFC-embedded poster and can get access to exclusive offers and key information about the product or service in question.

Conclusion

RFID’s NFC is a rising technology and a secure access control system. The technology certainly has a great role in setting an accelerating pace towards automation. If you own a business and wonder what tech solutions are for you to keep abreast of this fast-paced revolution, Trakaid can help you.

Trakaid has capabilities in terms of both the custom-development and deployment of RFID solutions in all kinds of business environments. Connect with us today to learn how we can help you further your business goals with the right RFID solution!

The oil and gas industry is known as the lifeblood of the world economy. Although being the biggest source of commercial energy for industrialized nations, the oil and gas sector is infamous for its complex and high-risk work conditions! Aside from all the plausible factors such as human error and miscommunication, there is also an element of risk associated with the very nature of the work itself.

Blending RFID With Oil And Gas

In any potentially hazardous environment, the key to safety lies in the business’s ability to be able to respond to an emergency quickly and effectively. Technologies that facilitate real-time monitoring of resources – both people and material – are being employed at dangerous oil and gas platforms or vessels. Constant monitoring of assets helps set off an immediate response to threats since the safety and security of resources is paramount to business success. Ensuring both worker safety and maximizing operational efficiency comes with accurate identification, locating, and securing your workforce across diverse locations.

An active RFID tag can be attached to the workers’ dress or can be easily worn on their wrist. It is used to perform versatile functions in the circumstances concerning restriction of access, real-time movement monitoring, seamless interactions between operators and each area’s control system. The technology also facilitates sending out alerts and receiving response or SOS to and from the workers, or even amongst workers and operators, in distress!

Some of the areas where employing RFID technology can be effective include:

Personnel Accountability

In the event of an emergency or disaster, an RFID solution can provide real-time location of your workforce so as to ensure safe and speedy evacuations. During the course, the software automatically accounts for personnel and can even identify each and every individual wearing the active tag at mustering locations.

Personnel Distress

The latest RFID technology facilitates two-way communication, which means a worker can raise emergency or panic alarms and can send for assistance. When a worker presses the duress button on his RFID tag, he immediately receives a confirmation alert that his SOS message has been received and that assistance will arrive shortly.

Fall Alert

Equipping your resources, both personnel and equipment, with active RFID tags allows you to ensure their security at all times. Active RFID tags with smart motion sensors can detect an accidental fall of the tagged person or object and initiate a prompt first response.

Monitoring Access Authority

An RFID system can proactively assess every person moving between floatels and platforms, or into a highly dangerous zone and helps ensure that they are authorized. It can even check for the person’s competency, certification, and the safety equipment worn to ascertain whether or not they must be admitted to such areas.

Exposure To Hazardous Conditions

RFID technology acts as a constant watchdog for your employees by monitoring the hours spent within the hazardous areas of the facility. This allows you to control prolonged exposure of personnel and ensure that safe limits are not exceeded on any day!

Process Evaluations And Improvements

The greatest challenge for an organization is to track their personnel (especially the ones on the rig) and equipment movement in real-time! The RFID system is designed to resolve this problem! It delivers fast and accurate readings of your resources moving around the premises without interrupting the process or holding-up your people! Furthermore, studying the information received on your personnel and equipment movement in every-day operations also opens an opportunity to determine changes for enhancing the overall process efficiency.

Ensuring All-Time Availability Of Safety Equipment

It is the responsibility of all oil and gas companies to maintain an optimal supply of critical emergency equipment to efficiently respond to an emergency or execute operations in hazardous areas. Putting the right RFID solution in place enables you to ensure that emergency equipment is available at all times. It sends out a warning signal for you to replenish your stock if the emergency resources fall below the set limit.

Real-Time Equipment Tracking And Prompt Location Tracking

The RFID technology gives you constant and real-time visibility of your entire inventory and its movement across different zones. It can also gather details pertaining to equipment utilization, allowing you to fulfill accounting obligations appropriately. RFID tags also enable personnel to locate equipment when required quickly. This ensures time saved in responding to critical conditions or emergencies as well as timely and efficient execution of processes. You can even monitor an unauthorized movement of an RFID tagged piece of equipment and other important assets and also prevent loss!

Almost all companies and government entities carry inventories stocked with expensive assets. The items may differ widely – from high-cost tools to electronic equipment to unique valuables – and each of them needs to be protected. One of the best ways to do this is by using an RFID equipment tracking system. Such asset tracking systems provide you with the ability to locate, identify, and track items specific to an organization from anywhere and at any time.

In this blog, we are going to talk in detail about the RFID fixed asset tracking system and how it contributes to the smooth functioning of businesses.

What Is RFID Fixed Asset Tracking?

Gone are the days of obsolete technology and of all the old-school manual methods that were used for tracking assets and managing inventory! RFID fixed asset tracking is a better alternative, as it requires the latest technology to do the job.

In such systems, fixed assets tracking software is used to track and manage fixed assets in an organization. The software relies heavily on RFID tags and RFID readers that are linked to a database to collect and store the gathered data. With the help of RFID technology, you can not only speed up your audit tasks and conduct asset tracking in real-time, but also efficiently complete the production with reduced downtime.

Basically, there are two types of RFID tags – active tags that offer long read ranges up to 100m and passive tags that are powered by the radio frequency energy transmitted from RFID readers. Depending on your business requirements, you can choose one that will give you the best results.

What Is The Difference Between RFID And Barcode?

The full-form of RFID is Radio Frequency Identification. Just like a barcode system, RFID uses a unique tag that is connected to an individual asset. RFID devices, however, are far more advanced than old barcode tracking devices. They capture information from digital data encoded tags through radio waves and then provide it to you. RFID not only has a wider capture region in terms of radius, but can also reach assets that are not easily accessible – such as mines. Another prominent difference between an RFID and a barcode system is their cost. An RFID tracking system is more expensive to implement in businesses as compared to simply adding a barcode machine.

The Key Benefits Of Tracking Assets With RFID

Remember that fixed assets are tangible things used in your organization to create value. Hence, not managing them properly can lead to costly consequences. It is a wise choice to put an RFID inventory management system in place to track them and ensure that your asset records reflect the stock’s physical reality. Here are some of its many benefits.

• RFID allows you to read multiple tags at once without requiring a direct line-of-sight between the reader and the tags. With RFID, an entire room full of assets can be tracked within a few minutes!
• RFID makes it easy to keep critical information on assets’ usability and lifecycle. It helps you know when your inventory will be going out of stock and procure the items before being in an actual crisis.
• RFID makes it possible to locate and manage assets from a remote location by connecting to a wireless LAN.
• After syncing with sensors and GPS technology, RFID not only gains the capability to provide asset condition data, but also crucial information on its location.
• RFID improves asset security by generating real-time alerts and alarms if an asset is moved from its place.

Ultimately, with easily accessible information on assets’ locations, most management tasks can be done more efficiently and with enhanced productivity.

Whether it is a laptop or an important warehouse item, RFID tracking systems help you track your valuable assets, so that you know exactly where they are at all times. If you have any questions, you can reach our experts at support@trakaid.com!

The pioneering technology of the Internet of Things (IoT) has opened new gateways in the world of business. Progressive companies and enterprises have started incorporating IoT and AI into their trade operations, resulting in improved business opportunities.

Till now, we have talked a lot about IoT and how it has transformed the way we see the world. However, another technology has begun to create waves in our lives and deserves acknowledgement – artificial intelligence or AI. With the combined potential of both, companies are aiming to upgrade their work processes and arrive at conversant decisions without any human intervention.

What Role Does Artificial Intelligence Play In the IoT Revolution?

We all know how IoT has made it possible for us to transfer data over a network without any human-to-computer or human-to-human interaction. Following the same path, AI technology is now also expected to deliver a plethora of smart options, such as voice recognition, decision making, and language translation, to bring an advanced level of comfort to us.

These IoT devices work on internet connectivity and generate a huge amount of data, depending on the user’s behavior and preferences. Despite being so important, most of the companies don’t actually store and process such outsized amounts of data regularly. This is where AI comes in!

By including artificial intelligence, one can easily accrue the enormous amount of data processed by IoT devices. Not only that, but the technology also helps in analyzing the data and sorting it into practical information. In all, AI is deemed to be the chief propellant in the growth of the IoT revolution.

How Are Artificial Intelligence And IOT Impacting Various Industries?

In the initial years of AI, we have seen this technology perform and manage a narrow category of tasks, often with the help of some human intervention. However, now it is working in tandem with IoT and this merger has given rise to a new phenomenon called ‘smart machines’. These machines come with smart IoT sensors that procure real-time data and feedback and smoothly perform complex tasks in minutes.

Considering all the IoT benefits, industries are rapidly increasing the use of this technology. Let’s talk about a few of them.

1. Homeowners

Thanks to IoT, we now have smart homes where all the machines are connected through a shared network. These appliances are tech-infused and are capable of interpreting their owner’s instructions and taking decisions accordingly.

Smart home technology offers us a new way to control devices, regardless of the person’s location. For example, you can pre-decide when you want your coffee to be brewed or television to be switched on. Not only that, but the technology also brings down your energy bills by turning off appliances when not in use.

2. Manufacturing Industry

Today, smart sensors are used in many manufacturing industries, including aircrafts, household appliances, food and beverage machines, automobiles, and more. These companies integrate smart technology into their machinery to perform prognostic analysis and increase the efficiency of their production. In addition to this, IoT also helps in detecting the vital threat areas and lowering the costs.

3. Body Sensors

Smart sensors have made it into the fitness and medical industry as well. They help you keep tabs on the various bodily activities and maintain proper health. Nowadays, a lot of medical companies are investing in IoT sensors to monitor blood sugar levels and insulin release in patients.

4. Real Estate Industry

By incorporating smart sensors in buildings, builders and homeowners can ensure security and prevent accidents like fire, short-circuits, and flooding. Moreover, smart sensors also help in monitoring the movement of people in the property premises and improving energy efficiency.

5. Airlines

Sensors fitted on aircrafts help in identifying the various risks and errors that may take place. The ability of IoT sensors to predict future faults – to the degree of severity – reduces aircraft downtime and increases the safety of passengers.

Undoubtedly, the colossal shift brought in by AI and IoT is creating massive changes in the technological landscape. According to expertṣ, AI-focused IoT startups have already established themselves in the market, and are going to grow in numbers in the looming future. With intelligent reasoning and speedy data analysis capability, it will be a breeze to manage multiple IoT elements and make sense of millions of data points transmitted by them. Definitely, the future of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things is anything but bleak at the moment, with millions of possibilities brewing up!

It’s no news that IoT (Internet of Things) is rapidly changing the world around us! The technology has unfolded unprecedented ways of communication and connectivity, transforming how we perform our day-to-day activities in personal, social, and business environments. From unbeatable security and surveillance to autonomous driving and in-vehicle infotainment, IoT-driven digital transformation has also permeated the automotive industry and improved our driving experience! IoT seeks to provide drivers with actionable diagnostic data and improve their daily interactions both on the road and at parking lots.

Automated Parking: The Vision Of Smart Cities

Smart, better-connected cities are one of the many wonderful possibilities of IoT. The idea of a smart city is that of a connected society which relies on information and communication technologies to expedite processes, improve operational efficiency, and relay information to the people living in it. It also seeks to enhance both the quality of government services and citizen welfare.

Smart cities can become truly smart with the appropriate application of IoT technology, and its role in mitigating parking challenges is of paramount importance. Whether you are a vehicle owner or a parking lot manager, parking has become a demanding task in most urban cities where the number of vehicles on the road is exponentially increasing. Parking issues can cause street congestion resulting in wasted time and resources. In fact, car parking challenges are a major contributor of up to 30% in traffic congestion!

IoT Is The Solution For Streamlining Parking Spaces For Efficiency

Today, solutions based on the interconnectivity and innovation of IoT technology are being utilized in parking spaces to effectively mitigate parking issues through manifold facets. These include:

Real-Time Analytics

Placement of IoT-based smart parking system facilitates real-time vehicle detection and monitoring of parking spaces. The information is stored in a database and presented in the form of diagnostic data, which can be accessed at any time. If you are a parking lot manager, you’ll enjoy better control over your parking area with the real-time availability of information, such as the knowledge of peak hours when your parking lot receives maximum traffic. This helps you take measures to improve mobility around your parking space. As a result, the service quality at your parking area can be significantly improved. Certainly, data analysis can help parking lot owners take appropriate steps towards the safety and operational efficiency of parking spaces!

Seamless Space Monitoring

The everyday quest for the right parking spot can be avoided through real-time monitoring and management of unoccupied parking spaces. This will not only eliminate the risk of not finding a spot but will also allow people to reserve their parking slot in advance. An IoT-empowered system is composed of smart components such as a sensor, a real-time monitoring device, and an automated payment system. This serves as a navigation-database embedded solution which optimizes parking operations and provides significant time and cost savings to both parking lot owners and drivers. Every time a vehicle drives in, it will automatically be guided towards an available parking spot, without any detours!

Innovative Pricing And Integrated Payment Gateways

Most drivers are obliged to pay hefty parking charges, and the amount is significantly high in densely populated urban areas. With accurate parking information obtained through automated monitoring, you can improvise the pricing for your parking lot. By adopting demand-responsive pricing, you can reduce the instances of traffic congestion and offer better parking rates at the same time. For example, the parking slots near the entry and exit points can be priced higher, whereas the ones at the far end of the parking space can be priced economically to encourage drivers to take those spots. And by further integrating automated payment gateways to your parking management system, you can eliminate prolonged wait times at entry and exit spots and prevent potential missouts.

Improved Management Efficiency And User Experience

Smart parking is designed to resolve all those factors that make the regular task of parking a vehicle irksome! Receiving real-time information about the vacant parking slots directly on the phone can help meet user expectations, reduce costs, and improve the overall management efficiency.

Optimized Parking

Every driver prefers a parking spot that is near to their destination and thus avoids the far end slots in order to save time. With a smart parking system in place, a driver can get real-time information about the occupancy status of a certain parking spot and its distance from the entry and exit points. A driver can reserve his/her preferred spot in advance and stay up-to-date with the parking policies that impact their decisions. As the parking events are monitored around the clock, parking metadata is stored at the cloud-based management dashboard. This system can alert the parking owners against violations and suspicious activities that may be going on in any area of the parking space. This eliminates the need for manual supervision and results in increased revenue!

Although parking has been a marginalized aspect in the vision of smart cities, the potential for improvement in parking facilities is huge. With our unmatched IoT capabilities and over 30 years of experience in the industry, Trakaid is providing customized solutions for parking automation! We are committed to devising safe and reliable solutions for navigation and transportation to help resolve challenges associated with urban living.

Prolonged waiting in queues at a facility’s access and exit areas is now a thing of the past! With the introduction of RFID-based car access systems, ensuring complete access security at any facility is not a challenge anymore. Aside from its security benefits, automation of vehicle access can also save organizations significant time and improve management efficiency by eliminating the tedious tasks of manual management wherever possible!

The Need To Automate Vehicle Identification And Access Management

As safety has become a highly pivotal aspect of business growth, more and more organizations are adopting advanced security provisions to keep a close watch on every activity within their premises. Likewise, vehicles are a crucial but vulnerable part of the day-to-day activities and keeping an accurate record of their movement through the in-out locations as well as across the parking lots is of utmost importance.

However, manually monitoring and managing the vehicles’ movements means a long list of tiresome and error-prone processes. These may include counting the free space, allowing access, and managing parking fee, which can be incredibly time-consuming especially in sizable parking lots or toll plazas. To eliminate all the fuss around vehicle access and ensure every driver’s convenience, there is a need to automate all these steps.

Secure And Optimize Your Parking Lots And Toll Plazas With RFID

RFID vehicle access system adds an impenetrable security sphere around your vehicle management operations while it takes the hassle out of controlling the vehicles entering and leaving the site.

A passive RFID tag or sticker can be installed at the windshield or headlight which can be easily detected and verified by an RFID reader (which may also include a contactless payment module) placed at the entry and exit points. The information obtained will then be sent to an online or offline directory or database where it will be verified on the aspects such as free parking spots available, access authorization, and more! Integrating RFID with access control means every vehicle enjoys quick and easy unmanned entry and exit. This will reduce the time wasted looking free parking spots, at access and exit points, as well as during the toll or parking fee payments.

Key Application Possibilities Of RFID-Based Vehicle Access Control Systems

Vehicle Identification

Control every vehicle’s access authorization on the site by incorporating passive tags and RFID readers. The ultra-high frequency of tags and long-read ranges of the reader allow for quick and automatic access by identifying every vehicle entering or leaving the site on the move! Significant innovations in RFID solutions have brought users the flexibility to choose a number of antennas depending on their detection field requirements. A non-integrated reader does not come with an antenna built-in but can accept multiple external antennas. Additionally, a non-integrated reader gives users significant cost benefits as the capability of accepting multiple antennas enhances its scope of coverage, eliminating the need for investing in a separate reader for every area.

Driver Identification

Ensure that the right person is driving the right vehicle or keep track of your employees and make them accountable with RFID-based driver identification solution. Every driver will be issued with RFID embedded ID cards that allow for mobile tracking and quick registration when entering or exiting the company premises. RFID based special key tags can be used to track other activities of your employees which allows the organization to review every person’s working hours, overtime, and the use of company vehicles for non-official purposes.

Car Immobilizers

The RFID-empowered car immobilizer is a system that can be embedded into the car’s Electronic Control Unit (ECU) that serves as a strong theft prevention device! It consists of a transponder that is fitted to the key and is capable of sending out unique radio-frequency signals. Only when the ECU receives the right signal, the engine can be started. Without this signal or driver identification, the engine won’t start, and all the insincere attempts at starting the engine with hotwires or counterfeit ignition keys will be thwarted.

Some Common Benefits Of RFID In Car Access

Security: RFID facilitates mobile tracking, which means the drivers are no longer required to roll down their windows for identification or fee payments, resulting in improved security!

Convenience: The ultra-high frequency of the tags and long read-ranges of the readers results in quick access authorization, no wait time, and an improved flow of traffic.

Low Tag Costs: High-quality passive tags practically last a lifetime and are more cost-efficient than other tracking solutions.

Low Maintenance: Passive tags are hard-wearing and can sustain weather elements. Unlike battery-powered devices, passive tags are easier to maintain.

No Duplication: An RFID tag cannot be counterfeited as they carry secure encryption and unique numbers, thereby providing a robust security solution for your organization.

Improved Data Collection Quality: Adopting an RFID based solution means that data is collected quickly and accurately. Also, automatic data collection eliminates the chances of transcription errors or missed items, regardless of the detection field size or traffic flow.

It is undeniable that the technological revolution has made life easier for us. We can now meet our loved ones whenever we want without any hassles. Driving on the road has also become safer and more convenient with smart home integration and reliable GPS systems.

With things changing so rapidly, it is no surprise that parking systems have updated themselves to become more tech-oriented. Thenew smart parking technology is equipped to let drivers locate the nearest parking spot and pay for it digitally. Not only that, but these smart parking systems are also opening new doors to generate higher revenue.

Before we delve further into this topic, let’s take a look at what is smart parking and how smart parking generates new revenue streams for different stakeholders.

What Is Smart Parking?

Smart parking is a new way of parking that combines technology and human innovation to achieve quicker, easier, and denser parking of vehicles with comparatively fewer resources ( fuel, time, and space). The strategy is based on the fundamental ecological principle – we are all connected.

How Does Smart Parking Generate New Revenue Streams?

1) Parking Apps

With the help of seamless parking apps, drivers can directly receive the parking information on their phone. Since they will be paying a certain amount to access the information, this will generate a revenue stream for parking lot operators. The smart parking technology also combines various data sources into a single set of data for accurate parking guidance. Data providers can charge for this information, hence smoothening the parking process and generating more revenue.

2) Data Analytics

There are various smart parking softwares that offer data analytics to help operators with policy and pricing. With the help of such IoT-informed technology, operators will have to face fewer revenue leakages and accurate accounting for usage. Such tools can be put to use by city administrations and operators for efficient and hassle-free of parking across the city.

3) Payment Through Mobile

This aspect is beneficial for mobile operators who can generate revenue by charging users a small commission on mobile payments. In addition to that, operators can also adjust the reservation fee according to the demand for the parking lot at the moment.

4) IoT And Mobility Players

The thing about smart parking is that it relies heavily on sensors, cameras, RFID technology, license plate readers, and mobile payment options to make parking a smooth experience for users. Parking operators nowadays use Mobile IoT to cover a wide area and transmit information from sensors to a centralized database. This provides an opportunity for IoT and mobility players to up their game and generate a lot of revenue.

5) Parking Operators

Not losing money is also an aspect of generating revenue. For operators, implementing smart parking strategies in their parking means improved operational and management efficiency. Since the traditional method of manual operation often results in leakages and inefficiencies, smart parking help reduce the inadequacies. Operators can also leverage customer data to employ dynamic pricing, and henceforth, generate more revenue.

6) Municipal corporations

Smart parking systems help governments enforce and identify violators easily. This automatically increases the collection of fines, which is another way of generating revenue. Not only that but the dynamic pricing and accurate billing done through IoT sensors is also beneficial for cities, especially those who have on-street parking where parking time is hard to measure. Through IoT technology, authorities can get real-time information on the parked vehicles and send the bill directly to charge the drivers.

Learn more about smart parking technology from our experts! At Trakaid, we offer RFID technology-enabled smart tracking solutions for non-gated commuter parking lots and residential area street parking. Contact us at 1-(203) 925-8388.

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Amongst all the location tracking technologies in the market, Radio Frequency Identification is a groundbreaking innovation! RFID technology has empowered businesses with the ability to streamline their processes, mitigate losses, and increase overall efficiency. In fact, RFID is also one of the key technologies in the Internet of Things.

The Anatomy Of An RFID System

RFID architecture is actually composed of a number of crucial components or technologies including:

• A range of hardware selection including:
• Fixed, handheld, USB, or other types of RFID Readers (also called Interrogators) that can read and record tags within their range.
• One or more Tag Antennas and Reader Antennas that facilitate identification of tags from a remote distance and decrypt the waves into comprehensible digital information.
• RFID Tags or information embedded chips, which can be either Active or Passive.
• A specialized RFID Software application that is compatible with both the hardware items and the tags. Also referred to as Middleware, the software processes the data transferred from the reader to the system and offers actionable insights.

A number of significant advancements in RFID technology have made it even more accessible, making RFID a prominent choice for location tracking in businesses. RFID tags (both active and passive ones) are now available in highly economical ranges, and the readers also provide longer read ranges! Several industries such as transportation, retail, healthcare, and defense are employing RFID technology for its data accuracy and tremendous ROI value.

An RFID System

Keeping track of both fixed and mobile assets in real time is important for virtually every business. However, the technology best-fit for the job comes in two flavors: Active RFID and Passive RFID. Like any innovation that enters the market, the confusion around its viability and the complex choices it presents can be perplexing for anyone!

If you are also seeking some clarity on how similar or different active and passive tags are, here’s some insight to help you comprehend which of the two radio frequency technologies is right for your application.

Active RFID Vs. Passive RFID

In both Active and Passive RFID technologies, a tag and a reader communicate through radio frequencies. However, each has a different method of powering the tag. Simply put, an active tag has an internal power source (usually a battery) for its RF communication whereas a passive tag does not have its own source of power and depends on the RF energy transferred from the reader for activation. This explains why passive tags are smaller in size and more expensive than active tags.

Once the tag receives the signal, it generates a response and sends it back to the reader on a different frequency level. This response generation process is called backscatter. Once the reader detects the backscatter, the change in the electromagnetic or RF wave, the interpreted information is presented to you via the RFID software.

Active RFID

An active RFID tag (also known as a beacon) is composed of a battery and an active transmitter, allowing it to transmit its own signal. Since active tags don’t depend on the reader signal to broadcast a response, the tag in an active RFID system can capture even the low-frequency signals and generate a response of a much stronger frequency. As an active tag is constantly active, the response time is shorter, and the active tag can be programmed to send periodic beacon messages to the reader, or in some cases even other tags.

Passive RFID

The battery-free passive RFID tags depend on the electromagnetic waves to draw power and generate a response. A passive tag needs certain signal strength for activation. The farther the reader is, the weaker will be the signal, which will in turn impair the ability of the tag to draw ample power. Both the reader and the tag have to be present within the read zone to communicate efficiently.

A Comparative Analysis

Application & Range:

Passive RFID system is a good choice for item-level tracking over short ranges. Inventory management, goods tracking, near-field card access, asset or document location, and theft prevention are some of the areas where you can significantly benefit from passive tags. The read range of passive tags is not more than ten meters. Hence, the scaling of an entire system can be done by employing a few readers at certain distances.

If you require monitoring for your entire commercial building or long-distance transits, an active RFID system is your best bet! Active tags usually have a scalability of over 100 feet distances. Thanks to the excellent read ranges of the readers and large memory of tags due to an onboard power source, active tags can be either read-only or read/write with higher storage capacity. You can also modify the data stored in tags easily by the reader. Active tags are ideal for situations that demand long-range scanning such as access control, equipment monitoring (e.g., the service status), as well as logistics.

Cost Of Tags:

If the cost of tags greatly influences your decision of investing in RFID technology, passive tags will fit right in your budget. Passive RFID systems generally have lesser technologies including a reader, antenna, and tags. The system can function efficiently at all frequency levels within its limited read zone.

Longevity:

Since passive RFID tags don’t have a battery or a transmitter, they are smaller in size, lighter in weight, and are easier to attach. Such favorable qualities of passive tags make them virtually last forever.

On the flip side, active tags have a lifespan of three to five years. In certain applications, active tags can even last up to ten years. Although active tags rank lower than the passive ones on the scale of longevity, actives tags boast a better battery life than many other real-time location systems (RTLS) such as ultra wide-band and WiFi.

Environmental Constraints:

Passive tags can withstand high temperatures and challenging, rugged environments. Since passive tags don’t carry batteries, it is easy to seal them for successful application in tough cases or surfaces which are otherwise difficult with active tags. However, technological advancements have improved the functional efficiency of active tags in various harsh environments. RFID tags can be designed to your specific situation at economical prices to deliver the performance you want!

Scalability and functionality are two major criteria that define your choice of RFID tag. You can even choose to have both active and passive RFID technologies work in tandem according to your tracking requirements.

If you are considering deploying an RFID system to manage your business operations, contact Trakaid for a professional consultation service today. We boast a long-standing experience in deploying RFID technology to help businesses optimize their assets for better performance and longevity.

There is no surprise that IoT is growing at an exponential rate. From vehicles to wearable gadgets to software advancing past a basic function, IoT has been slowly integrating itself in various aspects of our life. We can’t deny the fact that we have more connected gadgets in our home today than we ever did before. In many ways, the Internet of Things has really changed the way we live, and it will keep doing so in the next few years.

Today, developers are constantly finding new ways to exploit this technology. Knowing this, it will be interesting to see what 2019 has in store for us. As per industry leaders, this year is going to bring emerging trends that will set the trajectory of IoT for decades to come.

Here are a few reasons why this year will be the year of IoT devices!

1) Excessive Connectivity Across All Boards

Have a look at the IoT market and the connectivity statistics, and you will know what the fuss is all about. According to IDC, IoT spending will experience an annual growth rate of 13.6% in the timeframe of 2017-2022, leading to a $1.2 trillion spend by 2022. This means that there will be a rapid increase in the connectivity of digital signals in the future.

Expect our homes to be more connected this year. Although we all know about home assistants like Apple’s HomePod and Google Home, home connectivity is certainly not limited to these devices. Many companies are now endeavoring to bring connectivity to traditional home durables as well. Samsung’s smart refrigerator is the latest example of that!

2) Penetration In The Health Care Industry

With an upsurge seen in the IoT field, it won’t be long before the major industries start implementing this technology in their work process. In fact, it has already begun! Just look at the healthcare industry. You will find advanced Apple devices such as the new Apple watches that are adequately equipped to monitor your health.

Be it smartwatches or digital pills, companies are continuously looking for ways to use this technology to regulate our body functions and influence our health. In 2019, there is a high chance that companies like Google will embark on greater projects to infuse connectivity with medical science.

3) Increased Cybersecurity

While there is no doubt that IoT is transforming our world, it is also making us vulnerable to hacks and security issues. This is going to change in 2019! Many hardware manufacturers like Cisco and Dell are now focusing on coming up with better and more secure edge technology. Now security vendors will not only be able to offer effective endpoint solutions to prevent data loss but will also give insights into threat protection.

Moreover, consumers will become more aware of how much their world is connected. This will result in the public and the government to call for more effective hack prevention options. No doubt, we are likely to witness more regulatory entities proposing and enforcing new regulations.

4) Growing Customer Expectations

We are already becoming habitual of IoT in some ways. We all know how to track our packages, from the beginning until the delivery. Since consumers are getting more aware of greater connectivity, they will start demanding increased visibility in the upcoming years. They would want to know more about the product and how it is going to reach them. Thanks to IoT, we may be able to see more clarity in the dealings between customers and supply chains.

5) Increased Use Of Smart Device Applications

You don’t have to be a techie to see how IoT is influencing our world. From Amazon’s Alexa to Google Home, we are surrounded by smart devices, and they are actually here to stay! Smart technology has already made our security system far more capable than before. So, it will be interesting to see what other areas it will impact this year. Many experts have predicted a sharp rise in smart devices across various areas, including automotibles, transportation, healthcare, and more.

Another anticipated technology this year is 5G networks that will usher a new era in the telecom industry. It will enable us to gather, manage, and analyze a large amount of data in real-time.

6) Focus On Artificial Intelligence

In 2019, IoT experts are expecting to realize a particular milestone in the technology industry, i.e. enabling artificial intelligence. Many organizations have already built their networks, and AI is supposed to fill the gap between collecting the data and utilizing it. No wonder, many companies find it more profitable to invest in artificial intelligence rather than investing in more sensors.

7) Rise Of Big Players

The competition between the industry giants is expected to intensify this year. You will see companies like Microsoft and Google competing with each other to introduce the best IoT devices. With big players going against each other, small companies will focus on the niche areas to survive in the race.

Many companies are also testing new IoT devices for refrigerated container monitoring. One such company, Orbcomm, has come up with cellular-based CT 3000 and CT 3100 units that can be plugged into the reefer units of containers. This results in two-way access to sensor data and GPS location information, helping transport companies to adjust conditions remotely by just using a software program.

However, this is only the tip of the iceberg. We expect to see even more advancements in 2019 and the upcoming years. This year is surely going to be very pivotal in terms of connectivity and IoT technology.