Implementing an RFID Tracking System is complex unless you’ve done it a few times before. In concept, developing an RFID system shouldn’t be too hard. It’s easy to imagine that all you really need is a bunch of RFID tags, a couple of readers and some software. But, what appears to be a simple implementation can very quickly become a challenging science project without previous experience. There are a number of technical details that need to work together properly for you to be able to find success — RFID tag selection is one of them.
RFID Implementation pitfalls waste time and money. Knowing how to navigate around these difficult issues is the key to finding the fastest path to success. RFID tag selection is one of our top pitfalls to avoid when developing your RFID program.
Pitfall #1: Choosing RFID Tags too quickly
One of the most frequent mistakes that we see at A2B Tracking is when RFID tag selection is put in the early stages of the implementation process. It may seem logical to consider tag selection first; but, it really needs to wait until later in the process.
From time to time we will speak with companies who are interested in implementing RFID and they will tell us that they’ve already chosen an RFID tag. They may have chosen a particular tag because they like the fit of the tag on the item. Or they like what’s printed on the tag because it conforms with their corporate standard. Sometimes organizations will choose a tag that will allow them to use a thermal transfer printer that encodes the RFID chip in-house and allow them to print tags on-premises.
These are all valid and good considerations; but unfortunately, none of these are good reasons to settle on a particular tag prior to thinking through the rest of your RFID system requirements. The size of the tag, or the printing specifications are certainly important elements to keep in mind. However, the tag needs needs to work properly with the hardware that you are planning to use. Committing to a particular tag early in the process will set you up for frustration and increased headaches down the road.
A tag, is a tag, is a tag… not true!
It would be a gross understatement and a big mistake to believe that all RFID tags are the same. The Passive RFID marketplace is growing at an incredible pace and new tag designs are being released every month. Keeping up with these advances and sorting through all of the options from all of the different manufacturers takes some effort and quite a bit of savvy. There is a wide variety of tags designed for different applications each with their own strengths and weaknesses.
One style of RFID tag is not like another. If you’ve done your market research you’ll realize that RFID tags have some key differences that affect the performance dramatically.
As you might imagine, the differences between one RFID tag and another can get very nuanced — but it’s safe to say that there are two main factors that come into play:
The Surface that you’re applying the RFID tag to
Depending on how a particular tag is designed it will perform very differently on different surfaces and substrates. Some tags are able to transmit their RF signal well being mounted on corrugated cardboard, others are better on plastic, while a third tag is designed to perform on metal. Each of these substrates have their own challenges and tag manufacturers will design tags to excel in a particular situation.
Note that there are universal tags that work reasonably well on a wide range of substrates — but there is no tag that works well in every situation.
The Size of the tag
RFID tags that have the luxury of being larger in size can take advantage of a larger antenna. As a general rule, the bigger the antenna – the better the read range. But, even that is not a universal truth as there are a number of smaller factors (The surrounding environment and affixment method to name a few) that can affect the performance of even the largest antenna.
Recently we were working on a project that required an RFID tag that was to be applied to a carbon fiber cylinder. A2B Tracking has a number of standard tags that can successfully be applied to surfaces like carbon fiber and perform very well. We naturally assumed this was a good tag selection.
Once we applied the tag to the carbon fiber cylinder and performed the initial test, we immediately realized that we had made some incorrect assumptions. The RFID tag performance with the chosen tag suffered in this application, only reading up to 6” from the tag.
It didn’t take us long to realize that the properties of the carbon fiber surface were affecting the RF signal and drastically limiting the read range. This eventually led us to selecting an RFID tag that was designed for metal surfaces.
We would never have understood this dynamic unless we had introduced an RFID scanner (Zebra Technologies along with the A2B RFID Tracker app in this instance) as a way of testing the tag’s read range in this particular application. Imagine if we had marked hundreds of items with an RFID tag that didn’t perform.
RFID Read Range
Read range is clearly a major factor in selecting the appropriate RFID tag for your project. Again, it is very important to evaluate your tags in your specific working environment to understand which tags work best with your assets. However, don’t fall into the trap and believe that the larger the read range the better. That’s not necessarily true.
It’s important to think through your business processes and the different scenarios, or workflows, when you will be scanning your RFID tags. There will be times when you will want to capture any and all of the asset tags in the area. And conversely, there might be times when you’ll want to only capture an isolated and controlled number of items in a small area. These differences are important when your team is using the system every day. You also need to take into account whether you plan to use Mobile or Fixed RFID readers in those situations.
Fixed RFID Readers
Taking advantage of automated fixed gateway readers at a choke point in your facility is a great way to improve asset visibility. The objective here is to capture every asset as they move through this gateway automatically recording the direction of their movement with a date and timestamp. In a situation like that, you don’t want to read the tags that are 100’ away instead you want the fixed readers to focus exclusively on the 8- or 10-feet in the choke point and to be able to successfully read 100% of the tags that go through the choke point.
Mobile RFID Readers
Mobile RFID readers are a powerful tool to allow your team to capture assets as they walk through an area of the facility. Being able to read an asset tag from 100’ can be an advantage in some situations and it also can be a distraction in others. We’ve found that many organizations find themselves performing an inventory in a very specific space and assets that are 3 shelves away are an annoyance.
At first blush, an RFID tag with a larger read range is a benefit. But, you really need to think through the different scenarios in which you will likely be reading that tag. Once you map out the different possibilities and think about read range in this capacity it’s very likely that your ideal read range will be different than you first thought.
RFID tag selection can be a pitfall
It’s a natural temptation to want to touch and feel the RFID tag that you’ll use for your project as soon as possible. And it’s a fun idea to have an RFID tag on your desk to show your colleagues while you explain to them the potential power of the system. But, selecting a particular RFID tag early in the implementation process is a trap.
There are a number of factors that you need to consider before RFID tag selection. Begin your investigation with considering the asset surface that you are attaching that tag to; as well as, carefully understanding the space limitations for each asset and what size tag can be utilized. Most importantly, your organization should clearly define how you plan to use your RFID system within your everyday business processes. Bringing stakeholders together early in the process to agree on workflows is critical and will help to dictate the kind of RFID tag that’s best for your particular program.
About A2B Tracking
A2B Tracking is an RFID solution provider that helps organizations take control of their assets. We provide increased asset visibility, security and improved operational efficiencies with our cloud-based asset management platform. By taking advantage of modern RFID and advanced barcode technologies we can help your organization perform physical inventories 30x faster and achieve 99% inventory accuracy or better. A2B Tracking is a certified Zebra Solution Partner with a specialization in RFID Location and Tracking. A2B has been offering a range of services including software implementation, consulting, custom labels and other operational support since 1994.
Editors Note: This article was originally published in November 2019. It has been updated and revised for February 2024.
