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What is RFID?

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify

and track tags attached to objects. The tags contain electronically stored information. Passive tags
collect energy from a nearby RFID reader's interrogating radio waves.

D
Active tags have a local power source such as a battery and may operate at hundreds of meters
from the RFID reader. Unlike a barcode, the tag need not be within the line of sight of the reader, so it
may be embedded in the tracked object. RFID is one method for Automatic Identification and Data
Capture (AIDC).

History of RFID.

Its generally said that the roots of radio frequency identification technology can be traced back
to World War II. The Germans, Japanese, Americans and British were all using radar which had been
discovered in 1935 by Scottish physicist Sir Robert Alexander Watson-Watt to warn of approaching
planes while they were still miles away.
Under Watson-Watt, who headed a secret project, the British developed the first active identify
friend or foe (IFF) system. They put a transmitter on each British plane. When it received signals from
radar stations on the ground, it began broadcasting a signal back that identified the aircraft as
friendly. RFID works on this same basic concept. A signal is sent to a transponder, which wakes up and
either reflects back a signal (passive system) or broadcasts a signal (active system).
During the 1960-70s, RFID systems were still considered a secret technology used by the army
to control access into sensitive areas (nuclear plants etc.).

Robert Alexander Watson-Watt

Sir Robert Alexander Watson-Watt, (13 April 1892 5 December 1973) was a Scottish
pioneer of radar technology.[2] Radar was initially nameless and researched elsewhere but it
was significantly developed in February 1935 when Watson-Watt demonstrated the first practical radio
 system for detecting aircraft when he successfully bounced a radio wave from a BBC short-wave
transmitter off a Handley Page Heyford aircraft.

Things you need when using RFID system:

A. RFID Tags, Cards or any Transponder

A Radio Frequency Identification Tag (RFID tag) is an electronic tag that

exchanges data with a RFID reader through radio waves.

B. RFID Reader or Interrogator

A Radio Frequency Identification Reader (RFID reader) is a device used to

gather information from an RFID tag, which is used to track individual objects.
Radio waves are used to transfer data from the tag to a reader.

C. Computer Database System

This is where the data and

information of each RFID Tags is
located.

Active Tags and Passive Tags

Active RFID tags have a transmitter and their own power source (typically a battery). The
power source is used to run the microchip's circuitry and to broadcast a signal to a reader (the way a
cell phone transmits signals to a base station). Passive RFID tags have no battery. Instead, they draw
power from the reader, which sends out electromagnetic waves that induce a current in the tag's
 antenna. Semi-passive tags use a battery to run the chip's circuitry, but communicate by drawing power
from the reader. Active and semi-passive tags are useful for tracking high-value goods that need to be
scanned over long ranges, such as railway cars on a track, but they cost more than passive tags, which
means they can't be used on low-cost items.

Uses of RFID.

1. Transportation. Example: BEEP CARD use by LRT/MRT Station.

2. Animal Tracking. Example: Monitor their movements.
3. Security Purposes. Example: To prevent shoplifters.
4. Timing Sports Events. Example: Track the real time.
5. Access Management. Example: Private/Military Are a