RFID in short

An RFID tag is a little radio transmitter that can, for example, be placed on a product or integrated into the product. The tag contains an antenna that makes it possible to send information to a sensor or reader some distance away. There are even tags that can store information that is received by the reader.

The history of RFID

RFID is far from being a new technology. The technology was used in 1945 during WWII by Great Britain in order to distinguish British airplanes from German. Radar was only able to identify that it was a plane, not which type of plane it was.

Active and passive RFID tags

RFID tags can be active or passive. Passive RFID tags do not have their own source of electricity – they are activated by the incoming radio frequency that contains enough electricity to be able to send an answer. Passive tags have a practical reading distance between approximately 10 mm to 5 meters.

Active RFID tags must have their own source of electricity, but can handle longer reading distances and the same time they have more storage capacity than passive RFID tags. The majority of active tags have a reading distance in the 10s of meters and their batteries can last for several years.