Gary Randall - Articles

Gen-2 RFID Tags

There are several RFID interface protocols, each with varying capabilities, advantages, and disadvantages. Up until December 2004, EPCglobal's First Generation Classification (Gen-1) system was the most widely used standard. The second-generation system (Gen-2) is favored after December 2004 and is the standard to follow when satisfying the requirements of the DoD and Wal-Mart RFID mandates. Read

By: Gary Randall | 20/09/2007 | Technology

RFID Slap-and-ship Applications

Typically, designing and deploying radio frequency identification (RFID) applications is a lengthy and detailed process requiring input from specialists in multiple fields. Consequently, many small to medium-sized businesses intrigued by the technology find that they are unable to develop a business justification that will offset the costs of both planning and deploying an RFID solution, despite the falling prices of RFID tags and equipment. Thus, they resort to what's called "slap-and-ship". Read

By: Gary Randall | 20/09/2007 | Technology

Passive RFID Tags Vs. Active RFID Tags

An RFID tag is a small device that can be attached to or incorporated into a product and transmit data to a reader using radio waves. RFID tags have antennas that allow them to receive and respond to radio-frequency queries from an RFID transceiver. This article discusses various differences between two types of tags -- active and passive -- that may influence your decision to choose one type over the other when deploying your RFID application. Read

By: Gary Randall | 20/09/2007 | Technology

Dod RFID Compliance Mandate

In January 2005, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) issued a mandate to its suppliers that each item sold to them must be marked with a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag. Even if your company is not a supplier for the DoD, you may benefit from using their mandate as a guide for deploying your own RFID application. Read

By: Gary Randall | 20/09/2007 | Technology

RFID Applications: Determining the Total Cost of Ownership

Determining the cost of deploying and maintaining a radio frequency identification (RFID) application is not a trivial matter, as the magnitude of your investment will depend on several factors that may or may not influence the cost of other components within the system. Read

By: Gary Randall | 31/07/2007 | Technology

The RFID Bandwagon: 10 Questions to Ask yourself Before Jumping on Board

While RFID has proven to be a valuable tool in many industries and has several advantages over the barcode, implementing an RFID solution may not be appropriate for your business from the ROI (return on investment) perspective. Whether your investigation of RFID solutions is voluntary or involuntary, as in the cases of Wal-Mart and Department of Defense (DoD) mandates, there are ten key questions that you can ask yourself to help determine your RFID application's ROI. Read

By: Gary Randall | 31/07/2007 | Technology