Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID)

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Baggage tags equipped with radio-frequency identification (RFID) will soon be available at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, marking a first of its kind for the country.

What is RFID? 

• Radio Frequency Identification is a wireless tracking system that consists of tags and readers.
• Radio waves are used to communicate information/identity of objects or people.
• The tags can carry encrypted information, serial numbers and short descriptions.

Types – Passive and Active RFID tags:

• Active RFIDs use their own power source, mostly batteries.
• Passive RFIDs are activated through the reader using the electromagnetic energy it transmits.

How do they work?

RFID tags use an integrated circuit and an antenna to communicate with a reader using radio waves at several different frequencies – low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF), and ultra-high frequency (UHF).

• The message sent back by the tag in form of radio waves is translated into data and analysed by the host computer system.
• Unlike Barcodes, RFIDs do not require direct line of sight to identify objects.

What is a Barcode?

• A barcode is a printed series of parallel bars or lines of varying width used for entering data into a computer system.
• The bars are black on a white background and vary in width and quantity depending on the application.
• The bars represent the binary digits zero and one, which represent the digits zero to nine processed by a digital computer.
• These barcodes are scanned using special optical scanners known as barcode readers.
• The majority of these codes use only two different widths of bars, however some use four.
• One of the most well-known examples of a barcode is the QR code.

Differences between RFID and Barcode:

1. RFID uses radio waves to communicate that do not require line of sight in order to obtain the data; barcodes use light to read the black-and-white pattern printed on the sticky tag.
2. An RFID tag can communicate with a powered reader even when the tag is not powered.
3. When printed on paper or sticky labels, barcodes are more susceptible to wear and breakage, which can affect their readability. RFID tags are more durable than barcodes.
4. In contrast to barcode scanners, RFID scanners can process dozens of tags in a single second.
5. Barcodes are simple and easy to copy or counterfeit, whereas RFID is more complicated and difficult to replicate or counterfeit.
6. RFID tags are expensive compared to barcodes.