• Functions And Working Of RFID As Against Bar Codes
• Various Areas Where Radio Frequency Identification Is In Use
• Problems Faced By Use Of RFID
• Benefits Of Radio Frequency Identification System
• Radio-frequency Identification - How Does RFID Work?
• RFID - Pros And Cons
• RFID Applications In Healthcare
• Passive Vs Active RFID Tags

Passive Vs Active RFID Tags

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A wireless system called RFID or Radio Frequency and Identification is being popularly used for tracking and keeping a check on human beings, wild animals and especially on different products sold by various industries. A minuscule microchip is used which uses radio waves for data transfer. Through a specialized device, beaming of data or the RFID tag is able to display a line of sight to identify the desired material located at a distance of up to a few meters. There are two kinds of RFID tags available. It is necessary to understand the difference between passive vs. active RFID tags.

An electronic circuit is a part of the RFID tags which help in storing data and processing data. Signals are transmitted by the antenna. The signals are picked up by the antennae of the RFID tag via the RFID reader and then the signals are returned along with information in addition, in the form of a unique serial number. In some cases, the information is provided in a customized manner too. In fields like management of assets, tracking of inventory and management of supply chain, the RFID technology is being widely used these days.

Active tags and passive tags are the two varieties available. In the case of active tags solar power or batteries are used which help in transmitting data autonomously to the reader. In the case of passive tags there is no battery, and for provoking transmission of signal external power sources are used. Both, the passive and active tags are different from each other as far as technical characteristics and range of communication are concerned. Strong signals are needed for powering the RFID tags as they are otherwise constrained by this need.

For responding to the reader, power in small amounts is needed. In the case of passive RFID tags the communication range is limited to just about three meters and even less in some devices. There is no constraint of power in the active tags due to which transmission is possible to an extent as far as one hundred meters or more. Capacity of data storage is different in both the RFID tags. A larger write and read data storage of about 128 kilobytes is possible. Besides this, they also enable access and sophisticated data search capabilities too. The passive RFID tags do not allow data search or features for manipulating data.

Sensor inputs can be continuously monitored by active RFID tags. In the case of passive tags recording and monitoring of sensor inputs is possible only when powered by a reader. Passive RFID tags, from one single reader can collect a hundred tags and more, as its communication range is limited to about three meters. In the case of active RFID tags more than 100 tags can be collected from a seven acre region with use of a single reader. Active tags are costlier than passing tags due to this feature. In fact it has even surpassed the bar code technology which has been used since many years in various industrial sectors.