How To Choose A Suitable RFID Frequency For Your Application
- How To Choose A Suitable RFID Frequency For Your Application
- The application of RFID is developing rapidly. Some sensor monitoring is widely used in some applications such as logistics and healthcare.
- Sensor monitoring can collect and send relevant data through RFID, including temperature, humidity, movement, etc.
- At the same time, it is similar to the radio, which must be tuned to a specific frequency to hear different channels. The RFID tag and the reader must be tuned to the same frequency to communicate.
- There are generally 3 types of RFID frequencies:
- Low Frequency (LF), 125 – 134 kHz
- High Frequency (HF), 13.56 MHz
- Ultra High Frequency (UHF), 433 and 860-960 MHz
- Low Frequency (LF)
- Low frequency tags have longer wavelengths and are able to penetrate thin metal substances more efficiently.
- In addition, low-frequency RFID systems are suitable for reading objects with high water content, such as fruit or beverages, but have a limited reading range of centimeters or inches.
- Some common examples are access control systems and animal tags.
- High Frequency (HF)
- High-frequency tags can be used for detection of metal objects, as well as goods and objects with moderate moisture content.
- Typically, high-frequency RFID systems have a read range in the range of a few inches, but can have a maximum read range of about three feet (1 meter). Typical high frequency RFID applications include tracking library books.
- Ultra High Frequency (UHF)
- Compared to LF and HF, UHF generally provides better read range (can be as far as 50+ feet, but depends on RFID system settings) and has a faster transfer data rate, i.e. can read more Label.
- However, because UHF radio waves have shorter wavelengths, their signals are more easily attenuated, and they cannot pass through metal or water.
- Due to its high data transfer rate, UHF RFID tags are ideal for connecting many items at one time, such as cargo boxes. In addition, because UHF RFID has a longer reading range, it is suitable for some UHF RFID applications, such as electronic toll collection and parking lot access control.
