A question we hear often is "Isn't RFID just a next-generation barcode technology?" While there are some similarities between the technologies, there are many differences.
- Tags That Communicate. An RFID inquiry transpires between an RFID reader and an RFID tag. As opposed to a barcode, a tag communicates with the reader -- the tag contains a computer that boots up using energy from the reader's radio beam (pasive RFID) or a battery (active, semi-passive). The reader and tag then have a conversation during which the reader reads or changes the tag's identity, or locks or kills the tag. These behaviors enable a range of applications beyond barcode.
- Multiple Responses. Unlike barcodes, which must be independently targeted to be read, all tags within range respond to a reader's inquiry, even if they are out of sight. Handling inquiry results means figuring out which tags belong and which don't -- a challenge for RFID systems that barcode systems don't have.
- Guaranteed Reads. A human initiates most barcode reads by a pulling a trigger on a scanner, which inserts the data into a form on a computer screen. Some transactions can't be completed without the trigger pull, but if an operator can skip the trigger pull, it often is skipped, causing data loss. An RFID read is different because it can be guaranteed: a tag in range is captured without human interaction, thus eliminating data loss.
- Headless Transactions. The fully-automated nature of an RFID transaction means that RFID systems usually are "headless" -- a computer monitor is not needed at each read point. The software that filters tags and performs the business logic runs on a remote server, or in the RFID reader itself. Even though the read is automatic, operator feedback usually is required to handle exceptions like no tag present, or too many tags, or wrong tag type, so a stack light or message board often is deployed at the read point.
These are a few of the differences between RFID systems and barcode systems. The upshot is that RFID system software must be specially designed to handle these differences -- the reason for sensor-based platform software like TraxWare.
