What Is Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)?

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a type of technology that uses radio waves to passively identify a tagged item or individual. The system consists of RFID tags, an antenna, an RFID reader and a transceiver.

This technology has been around for decades but has become a lot more prevalent in recent years due to its usefulness for global supply chain management.

RFID uses radio waves at several different frequencies in order to send and receive data. Real-world uses of the technology include inventory control, equipment tracking, personnel tracking, and so on.

There are three primary frequency ranges that are used for RFID transmissions:  low frequency, high frequency and ultra-high frequency. Low frequency ranges from 30 to 300 kHz, high frequency is at 14.56 MHz and ultra-high frequency ranges between 300 and 3000 MHz.