Whether you end up choosing passive RFID, active RFID, or both for your organization, the overall goal is really the same:
- Increase productivity.
- Cut the man-hours spent looking for assets.
- Increase workplace safety.
Everything comes down to saving money through automation with technology, and RFID can help your organization reach these goals. The question is which flavor of RFID fits which job.
Passive RFID.
What is passive RFID?
Passive RFID tags have no battery built into them. Instead, each tag carries an antenna and a microchip, and it is powered by an external reader that energizes it as it passes by. A few things to keep in mind with passive:
Limited range
- Passive tags reach a maximum of about 30 feet — and that is an optimal tag in an optimal environment.
- The smaller the tag, the shorter the range.
- Tag selection is critically important. Some tags will not work on materials such as metal. It is best to work with an RFID expert to choose tags that maximize your range — more on that in our guide to selecting the right passive RFID tags.
Many tags read at once
Dozens of passive RFID tags can be read simultaneously by a single reader. That gives passive RFID much higher throughput than a barcode system, where every item has to be scanned one at a time in line of sight.
Lean on an expert for guidance
Passive tags can reach 30 feet in optimal environments — but how many real workplaces are truly optimal? Most are complex, cluttered spaces, and in testing you may find you are not getting the reliability you hoped for. This is exactly why running a field trial with a trusted partner pays off: it guides you to a passive RFID deployment that actually holds up on your floor.
Choose the right reader hardware
RFID tags do nothing on their own — you need readers in place to see them. There are two primary choices:
- Fixed RFID readers — mounted on a wall or ceiling and constantly watching for tags to report to the software. See the Fixed Reader module.
- Handheld scanners — carried around and used to read tags on the go. They shine for periodic inventories, shipping areas, and anywhere the user needs to move while reading. See the Handheld module.
Active RFID.
What is active RFID?
Active tags have a battery built into them, which makes them far more capable than passive tags. Because they carry their own power, they do not need a reader to energize them and can support more advanced communication methods — including a self-healing mesh.
Superior range
An active tag will always offer greater range than a passive one. Remember that a passive tag tops out around 30 feet in a perfect environment. Active is a different story:
- V-Tag — InfinID's active RFID tag, built on a Zigbee self-healing mesh, with a tag-to-tag range of up to 300 feet. Learn more on the V-Tag page.
- V-Tag GPS — InfinID's outdoor active tag. It uses GPS and can reach a range of nearly a mile, which suits yards and other wide open sites.
Sensors are available
Active tags can also carry sensors, which is useful across a range of industries. Common examples include:
- Temperature
- Shock
- Humidity
- Battery level
Custom sensors can be added as well, since active tag designs are typically built to be expandable in their sensor configurations.
There is no single winner.
When it comes to active versus passive RFID, there is no outright winner. It mostly comes down to your individual requirements.
The hybrid approach
Many customers land on a hybrid: some applications are a better fit for passive, and some call for active. Run on the same platform, the two complement each other — passive for high-volume, choke-point reads, active for hands-free, zone-level awareness across a large space.
Choose the right solution
Picking the right technology for your business problem can be challenging, which is why it pays to consult an industry expert before any purchasing decision. InfinID Technologies has a staff of RFID experts who can help you solve even the most complex tracking problems — and our white paper Active vs. Passive RFID for Asset Tracking goes deeper on the trade-offs.