Asset Tracking with RFID Technology

RFID technology adds a new chapter in asset tracking technology. Now a day when large amount of valuable data, asset and people are needed for big projects, basic need of effective and efficient tracking system is increasing day by day. In this situation RFID technical solutions are being so effective.

Forgetting the thing is the common nature of human being but some times, this nature brought a dreadful condition. But to remember each and every thing is not possible. Asset tracking system helps you to track your important and valuable assets. For this reason there are many products and tracking systems are in the market.

Radio Frequency Identification is a groundbreaking technology for this field. Now there is no need to store whole history and full description about them every time. RFID tags are the simpler way to track them. Every tagged asset can be tracked by interpreting the upcoming radio signals from each tag.

RFID software solutions are used to track the particular server down in a huge data center. To identify and locate the packages in warehouse, warehouse manager add video with the all time favorite RFID intelligent tags.

Supply chain management, manufacturing and retailing are major area where long- range RFID solutions will be available in near future. The Forrester Research, provocatively entitled ?BI Vendors Are Sleeping Through RFID?s Arrival,? by Keith Gile and Philip Russom which includes Cognos, SAS, Business objects (Profile, Product, Articles) and application vendors such as SAP- showed till now, there is no any application specific solution for interpreting RFID data and it may not be possible until 2010.

Asset tracking system with pioneering RFID technology is not so far away from you. At agilesense.com, you can find long range of RFID technical solutions for all kind of your asset tracking needs.

RFID technical solutions for all kind of your asset tracking needs ends at agilesense.com.

RFID : Is Radio Frequency ID the Wave of the Future?

Here?s something you don?t often hear ? how are you dealing with ?rifid?? OR RFID. If you DO often hear it, then this article isn?t for you, it?s far too simplistic. However, if you have never heard of RFID before, read on. It might just change your life, or at least the way you organize it. Radio Frequency Identification or RFID is the use of radio waves to identify objects; in English, the ability to track items without coming into contact with them. This is accomplished by a microchip attached to an antenna called transponders or ?tags?. The chip transmits ID information to the receiver which converts it to a digital format which is then read by a computer.

RFID isn?t new, its been with us in its current guise since the early 80s, and around since the 1920s ? you know the tag that they stick on jackets in the clothes store to stop you stealing them? However, its just grown up; businesses can track products throughout the manufacturing process from start to finish. These items can be tracked while in trucks, on shelves, wherever.

The Benefits of RFID include:
1. The ability to eliminate time consuming bar-coding or other tracking processes. Instead, all data can be collected along the production line. This also helps to lower production costs.
2. Prevention of the distribution of counterfeit products.
3. Elimination or reduction of theft and loss.
4. Reduction of supply chain cost.
5. Elimination of data entry and other tedious manual business process transactions.
6. Increase in order fulfillment time
7. Less time spent in check out lines, as consumers will only have to push their shopping carts in front of the readers.

The predominant downside is the high cost of the RFID hardware. Where tags alone can cost twenty five cents each or more, many retailers won?t get much of a return, if any, on their investment.

It?s hoped that Wal-Mart, the Defense Department and others will start using RFID, which could cause the prices of the tags to drop to five cents each, making it a more affordable solution for many.

Jamie Hall is a middleware developer of RFID systems and Programmer for Big Blog Media. And writes for RFID Factfile

Five Things You Should Know About Contactless RFID Credit Cards

What is a contactless credit card and how does it work?

For decades, credit cards have relied on magnetic stripes located on the reverse side of the card to store data. To transmit this data, the card must be swiped through a magnetic reader, making physical contact with the stripe. A contactless credit card, on the other hand, stores its data on a chip embedded in the card's plastic. This data is transmitted not magnetically, but rather via a tiny radio signal when the card comes in close proximity of a special reader at the checkout stand. This works through radio frequency identification technology, also known as RFID. When the chip comes close enough to the reader, an antenna on the chip is jolted to life by the electromagnetic field created by the reader, and transaction data is sent to into the system.

What are the advantages of contactless credit cards?

For starters, these RFID credit cards are much faster and more convenient than traditional magnetic stripe cards. A cardholder simply waves the card over the reader, waits a moment for the acceptence signal from the machine, and that's it. There's no need to fumble for cash, and with transactions under $25, there is no need to key in a PIN code or sign a receipt. Just wave and go. Also, since the card never leaves the user's hand, it is considered by some to be more secure.

What are the disadvantages of contactless credit cards?

Some opponents to contactless credit cards have contended that there are security risks with using these RFID credit cards, as the radio transmission could potentially get intercepted by a criminal with malicious intentions. The good news, however, is that the actual credit card number is not transmitted via radio wave. Rather, it is a unique encrypted code only good for RFID transactions. Also, just like ordinary cards, cardholders are not liable for any fraudulent charges.

Where can contactless credit cards be used?

Currently, Visa Contactless, American ExpressPay, and MasterCard PayPass are available at select retailers in certain locations in the United States, including 7-Eleven, McDonald's, KFC, Arby's, Walgreens, Sony Style, Wawa, Sheetz, CVS Pharmacy, and a variety of movie theaters. Retailers capable of handing contactless credit card transactions will have a special symbol on their credit card reader located at the checkout stand. RFID credit cards can also be used at any location that accepts ordinary credit cards, since the new contactless cards will still have a regular magnetic stripe on the back. Who offers contactless credit cards?

All new American Express Blue and Blue Cash cards now come equipped with the contactless feature. Also available from American Express is an RFID key fob that can be linked to most existing credit card accounts. Chase has teamed with MasterCard and Visa to offer Chase blink cards in a variety of styles.

Joey Loma recommends Find Credit Cards to apply for a contactless RFID credit card

RFID Golf Balls and Top Golf

For the Golfer who has it all now they can have RFID Radio Frequency Identification GPS Global Positioning System Golf Balls? Wow, if that sounds really high-tech, well it is because now you can hit your golf ball and know the exact distance it has traveled and in the future as there are more RFID enabled golf courses you can watch it all in real-time on your PDA wireless device which will keep score, suggest which club to use, interface with surface wind reading and do just about everything but make the shot for you?

http://gizmosforgeeks.com/index.php/news/2274

It is infinitely fascinating how much high-tech materials and innovations go into the game of golf these days. Much of the super high-tech break thrus find their way into sports equipment of all types. Such as Lance Armstrong’s bicycle, the Bob Sled Olympic Teams or even World Cup Sailing. And well that is a good thing as it means that there will indeed be a continuation of such entrepreneurial creations coming to assist in the forward progression of mankind.

In the past it has always been the military which gets the technology first yet in the new computer age we saw that Silicon Valley has constantly leap-frogged its best technologies and surpassed even that of the military in many instances. Today we see the same thing happening in sports and what better way to bring new innovations to market faster. Consider all this in 2006.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington

RFID: Blink!

 

JP Morgan Chase & Co. will begin issuing contactless "blink" cards to millions of MasterCard and Visa credit cardholders next month.

A "blink" card looks like a regular credit card, but is embedded with an RFID chip that allows the bearer to wave the card at an RFID-enabled terminal rather than swipe it or hand it to a cashier.

If you already wave cards at toll collection booths and gas station pumps, the "blink" card may be an easy transition for you. I envy you that. I have yet to find anything about RFID that is an easy transition for me.

I'm actually less concerned about the security of "blink" cards than I am about many other RFID applications. The selected interface protocol supports a read range of only a few inches, so any would-be identity pirate would have to be stationed between my hand and the reader in order to steal my information. I'm confident that even if I'm temporarily overwhelmed by the joy of saving ten seconds during checkout, I would notice them there.

Chase's initial plan is to link "blink" cards only to credit card accounts, not debit or bank cards. I don't know if this decision is motivated by consumer interest or Chase's self-interest. Either way, it provides a layer of personal security. If a crafty digital thief does manage to slip in when I'm blinking, they will be plundering my Chase credit card account, not my personal bank account.

The June fleet of "blink" cards is slated for Chase account members in two undisclosed cities. Chase is keeping the undisclosed target cities undisclosed for undisclosed reasons.

I can't help but note that Merriam-Webster defines "blink" as:

1 to look with half-shut eyes
2 to shine dimly or intermittently
3 to look with too little concern

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer/Sales Trainer

Sally Bacchetta is an award-winning freelance writer and sales trainer. She has published articles on a variety of topics, including RFID, selling skills, motivation, and pharmaceutical sales.

You can contact her at sb14580@yahoo.com and read her latest articles on her website.