RFID can dramatically speed up how you check assets in and out — scanning barcodes one at a time is slow, while tagged assets read almost instantly. The two decisions that make or break reliability are tag selection and the checkout station you build. This guide covers both.
Tag selection is the first step of any project, and it's where reliability is won or lost. The wrong tag for your assets is the difference between a checkout system people trust and one they work around.
Before you buy a single tag, look closely at what you're tagging:
For the full walkthrough of matching tags to assets, see the introduction to RFID tracking.
A checkout workstation exists to move assets in and out, and it always pairs the event with an RFID read. There are three main configurations — each with its own strengths and trade-offs.
A mobile scanner is an attractive choice because the screen and the RFID reader are built into one device — no other hardware required.
The fixed reader station is a popular choice for a permanent, high-traffic checkout point. A typical setup includes:
The fully automated station is for operations that don't want users touching an interface at all. It relies on a single, strategically placed RFID reader.
It's simple, but it has limits. With no interface, there's no on-screen confirmation that every tag was read — so the environment has to be analyzed carefully to hit acceptable accuracy. Tying a user's badge read to the right checkout is also tricky: if someone walks through beside a colleague, the system has to make a judgment call about who to credit.
Tell us what you're checking in and out, and how your crew works — we'll help you pick the right tags and the right station, and quote it on AssetWorx!.
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