RFID technologies and risks

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Manually typing in device IDs for asset tracking can quickly become a major chore in large environments. Automated entry with a radio frequency identification (RFID) system saves valuable time compared with barcode and other traditional methods, but it comes with its own problems. In this article, I look at various tech-based approaches to RFID asset tracking in the IT environment. After doing so, I turn my attention to sample implementations and software and some potential security concerns.

Break It Down

The first question related to asset tracking with an RFID system is the type of transponder to be used. The energy source built into active tags enables longer ranges, and the reader supplies energy to passive tags. However, the battery in the tags requires maintenance, which can mean some additional work, especially if you have a large number of tags; after a while, the results can be unreliable. Also don't forget that button cells are a substantial cost factor and have an environmental impact. From a total cost of ownership perspective in particular, passive tags are almost always preferable to their active counterparts in tracking scenarios.

The next question concerns the communication frequency – the reader and tags must transmit in the same frequency range to work together successfully. Candidate 1 is low-frequency systems that operate at between 120 and 140KHz. Product or card family 2 is near-field communication (NFC) cards, which operate in the frequency range of 13.56MHz and achieve ranges of around 50cm. Finally, ultrahigh frequency (UHF) systems normally reside in the frequency range between 869 and 915MHz and offer a very long range.

Several factors must be taken into account when selecting the frequency. First, especially in companies with an industrial background, you need to ask the transmitter technology people which frequencies other devices use. If you fail to

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