An RFID Tag is a small device for storing and transmitting information. It consists of a microchip and an antenna with which it transmits and receives information. There are RFID tags that have a built-in power source (active RFID tags), but the majority of the tags used today do not have a built-in power source (passive RFID tags).

A unique number and/or a certain amount of user memory is stored in the memory of the tag. When a tag enters the reading zone, this information is received by the RFID reader - a device capable of reading and writing information from the RFID tags, and transmitting to the computer or phone for further processing.

In order to optimally manage the supply chain and production process, it is necessary to track the movement of each unit of goods, sometimes very detailed. Modern technologies make this task a lot easier.

Today, there are many methods of auto-identification, based on the principle of contactless reading of information.

The most popular and common of them are barcodes. However, it is rapidly catching up with radio frequency identification (RFID). This technology is successfully used by the world's largest retailers such as WalMart, Target and Tesco.

RFID is a generic term for technologies that are used to automatically identify radio wave objects. Radio waves are emitted by special tags placed on identifiable items. RFID allows you to track the location of items, boxes and pallets as they move through the supply chain to the consumer. Readers (RFID readers) collect information about each object into a central database.

There, code tags are identified with information about identifiable items, as a result of which the user of the system can at any time receive an exhaustive report on the relevant subject.

Introduction

Long lines at the grocery store - one of the biggest complaints of those who visit the store. Soon, these queues may disappear when the universal product barcode (UPC) will be replaced by smart tags, also called radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. RFID tags are smart barcodes that can interoperate with a networked system to keep track of each product you put in your grocery cart.

Imagine you go to the grocery store, fill your cart and go right off the door. You no longer have to wait because the cashier punches every purchase from your cart one at a time. Instead, RFID tags will be read by electronic readers that detect every purchase in the cart and punch every purchase immediately. The reader will be connected to a large network that will send information about your products to the manufacturers of the products and the retailer. Your bank will be notified and the check amount will be withdrawn from your account. No queues, no waiting.

RFID Tag

RFID tags, once used only to track cattle movements, are now monitoring consumer products worldwide. Many manufacturers use RFID tags to track the movement of every product they make from the time they are manufactured and until it is taken from the shelf and is thrown into a shopping cart.

Outside the retail industry, RFID tags monitor transport, airline passengers, Alzheimer's patients and pets. Soon, they may even watch your preference for short or creamy peanut butter. Some critics say that RFID technology is becoming too much of our lives — that is, we may not even be aware of all the parts of our lives that this technology affects.

In this article, you will learn about the types of RFID tags, and how these tags can be traced through the entire supply chain. We also look at the non-commercial use of RFID tags and how state departments and the state security system use them.