UHF Vs. HF RFID: New Insight On The Old Debate

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•White Paper: UHF Vs. HF RFID: New Insight On The Old Debate

It's time to bring new facts to the old debate as to whether high frequency (13.56 MHz) or ultra-high frequency (UHF, which includes EPC Gen 2) RFID technology is best for meeting business needs. The technologies have changed, therefore so too should the debate. Specifically, three long-held assumptions about the technologies need to be reexamined:

• UHF is unusable around liquid and metal
• Short-range reading requires 13.56 MHz
• 13.56 MHz is best for item-level tagging

The capabilities of each technology have changed, therefore so should biases held about them. For example, 13.56 MHz technology has historically been advocated for use around liquid and metal, but today UHF is commonly used in these environments, and UHF tags have been developed to take advantage of metal to improve RF performance. Meanwhile, HF is being promoted for some uses in the supply chain, which is the traditional territory for UHF.

In truth, there is no "best" RFID technology, just as there is no single bar code symbology that is best for all uses. Certain RFID frequencies and products are best suited to specific usage environments. Processes can be developed to accommodate different technologies, but fitting the process to the technology is usually a poor approach. When users understand how RFID will perform in specific environments and how it can improve their own processes, there is usually very little debate as to which frequency should be used.

Click Here To Download:
•White Paper: UHF Vs. HF RFID: New Insight On The Old Debate