About RFID Tags

Passive Tags

• Tags only transmit information when ‘awakened’ by a reader

• No battery required in tag

• Range maximum is 20-25 feet

Semi-Passive Tags

• Tags transmit only when a reader ‘awakens’ them

• Battery in each tag increases read range, but conserves energy until ‘awakened’

• Range maximum is 50-75 feet

Active Tags

• Tags constantly transmit information

• Battery in each tag is continuously operative

• Range 200-300 feet

Forms of Tags:

The minimum necessary components for a passive RFID tag are a chip and an antenna. BAP and Active tags must also contain a battery. Tags containing these basic components can be created in many shapes and sizes, using a variety of casing materials. Passive paper tags can be made to be readable by the human eye, or incorporating a bar code.

Due to the nature of radio waves, some applications require special types of tags. For example, liquids absorb radio waves, but we can tag containers of liquids using ‘flag’ tags which stand up from the container. Metals scatter radio waves, so we use tags with a built-in ‘stand-off’ to separate them from metal surfaces.

Specialized RFID Tags:

As businesses continue to request advanced use cases for RFID, the industry has responded with many special tags. Here is a sampling of specialized RFID Tags:

• Temperature sensing tags

• Tamper-resistant/Tamper-reporting tags

• Handling monitor tags (Detect & report when a delicate package is dropped or flipped over)

• Temperature resistant tags (Capable of being heated to hundreds of degrees or frozen)

• Bar code integrated tags

• Tough tags for rough environments

• Wearable tags (On lanyards, in ID cards, on wristbands or armbands)

• Tags which can be laundered in garments or linens

• Factory-incorporated tags (Built in to an object when it is assembled, such as tags in the handle of a power tool)