How long does it take to Implement RFID?

We often get asked – How long does it take to implement RFID?  As you might imagine, the timeline for setting up an RFID system is really dependent upon the complexity of your business needs and your particular use of RFID.

Starting Small

We will often advise organizations to intentionally start with a well-defined use of  RFID in order to find success quickly and be able to evaluate the return on that initial investment (ROI).  

It’s common that different stakeholders in an organization will have their own agendas for an RFID solution. Understandably, RFID is an exciting technology and can provide enormous benefits across the entire organization. However, we suggest that you identify the top business need that will provide the most straightforward return on investment for the organization and address that issue first. 

Starting with a single business need that addresses a small number of assets, or inventory, is a good first step especially if those assets are in a contained location, or area, of your facility. We have found that it’s a mistake to attempt to solve all of your inventory problems, or challenges at once. If it’s not possible to “start small”, then at least do a Proof of Concept (POC) in a small area of need for RFID, with intentions to scale when the POC succeeds. 

Mobile RFID Readers

Usually, this type of implementation will take advantage of Mobile RFID readers, like the Zebra RFD8500 or the Zebra RFD40, which provides both RFID interrogation as well as barcode scanning. 

Assuming that you have already evaluated the environmental conditions for your facility and that you have identified an appropriate RFID tag (or multiple tag options for different types of assets) this could get set up within a day or two. 

This kind of an RFID implementation is small, contained and fairly simple to get up and running – but, the benefits can be extraordinary. The improvement of inventory accuracy and visibility by empowering your team with mobile RFID handheld readers to quickly and efficiently scan hundreds of assets in a matter of seconds can be a gamechanger for organizations of any size.

Fixed RFID Gateway Readers

Another approach would be to set up a Fixed RFID Gateway reader at a dock door, or some sort of an egress or choke point. These fixed RFID readers can automatically scan all assets or inventory moving through, or past, that reader 24-hours a day and 7-days a week without any human intervention.

Fixed RFID readers take longer to set up than a mobile-only solution. They need to be carefully mounted especially with consideration towards safety and to avoid damage. Fixed readers can be mounted either on the floor, to the wall or to the ceiling and need to be oriented strategically to get the best reads possible. This is another situation where experience is very valuable in knowing how to test the gateway and make sure that you’re capturing 100% of the assets or inventory. Which is to say that it may take an additional day or two to implement an RFID system that involves a small number of  fixed readers. 

However, despite the increased set-up time, fixed RFID readers provide an autonomous data capture system that can provide enormous impact to an organization. The ability to scan and capture asset data as the pallets, or boxes, or containers move through a choke point is incredibly valuable. 

It’s worth stating again, that this RFID data collection is being done autonomously — without human intervention – and will not slow down your team. Furthermore, the accuracy of the fixed reader is far better than even your best employee. We are typically seeing 90% -100% accurate tag reads with our fixed RFID gateways providing a date, timestamp, a last known location and direction for all assets and inventory travelling through the portal.

Professional Services and Support Specialists

It’s important to mention that the Professional Services and Support team is an important part of any RFID implementation process. This team will make sure that the data that is being captured by the RFID readers — whether that is a mobile reader or fixed – is making its way to the software. And then in turn, the Professional Services team will also ensure that the data is being properly displayed in the dashboard view and providing all of the benefits of the RFID system that your organization needs.

There are RFID vendors in the marketplace who will not provide this kind of support. They will suggest that all you need is a bunch of RFID tags, an RFID reader and a software application. At A2B Tracking, we strongly discourage this kind of approach. Our support team works hand-in-hand with your organization to help you achieve success quickly and completely. 

Video: How long does it take to Implement RFID?

If you would like to learn more about the timeline to deploy a typical RFID system take a look at this quick video. This video segment was taken from a live webinar hosted by A2B Tracking’s RFID specialists Bob Peckham and Dan Faria in late 2021.  Take a look.