RFID and NFC are the modern technologies used for asset tracking in various industries. RFID and NFC both the technologies are wireless and can say contactless when it comes to communication between their tags and scanners.
The difference between RFID and NFC is that RFID contains a tag, an antenna, and a reader whereas, the NFC device is capable of both functionalities as a reader as well as a tag. The main purpose of RFID is asset tracking while on the other hand NFC can be utilized for tracking, information sharing, and making transactions as well with just one tap.
Working with NFC is quite good when their speed is compered as NFC is faster than that of RFID, working under the range of 10 cm only at 13.56 MHz and up to 424 kbit/s speed.
RFID Tags in Asset Tracking
RFID stands for Radio-Frequency Identification. RFID technology allows communication between the tag and a reader. Here, the reader is powered but the tag is not-powered.
RFID asset tracking system consists of a reader, an antenna, and a transponder (tag).
There are two different kinds of RFID tags. First are active tags, which have their own power source. The second is passive tags which do not have their own power source and energy is supplied via an electromagnetic field produced by the reader.
Passive RFID tags are available in three frequency ranges: Low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF), and ultra-high frequency (UHF). The Low frequency (LF) and high frequency (HF) RFID systems have a reading range of only a few centimeters. Whereas, ultra-high frequency (UHF) tags, are readable from over a distance of more than one meter.
RFID originated back in the 1980s, it was designed to improve the use of barcodes for asset and inventory tracking. Barcode tags require a straight line-of-sight to read and capture the data whereas, RFID is a one-way wireless transmission between the RFID tag and its reader.
RFID tags are small and flexible devices in the form of a sticker and are easily affordable too. RFID readers provide the power to the RFID tags necessary to read the information. These readers are well-powered handheld devices with batteries and are installed in warehouses just like a Wi-Fi router.
RFID improves the process of asset tracking with its high read range and accuracy. Also, the RFID tags are of low cost with makes it super affordable.
NFC Tags in Asset Tracking
NFC stands for Near-Field Communication. NFC is similar to RFID technology. The key difference between RFID and NFC is that the NFC device can act as both a reader as well as a tag (card emulation mode). With the peer-to-peer mode of transmission, it is possible to transfer the information between two NFC devices, where anyone acts as a reader while the other one acts as a tag.
NFC system operates on the high-frequency (HF) of RFID technology i.e., 13.56 MHz. Therefore, there is a short readable range of limitations.
Due to the short-read range of NFC devices, they have to be in very close proximity that is just a few centimeters. Close proximity is the reason, NFC technology is often used for secure communications, such as contactless payment.
NFC tags are small in size, they are not so expensive. But these tags are required to get embedded in the products or items to be tracked. Nowadays, devices are already NFC enabled which makes them active for tracking experience. This is the reason NFC is the number one technology on the adoption of the internet of things.
NFC tags transmit the web data in the form of URLs or App-links, making an effective bridge between the online and offline worlds.
The peer-to-peer model of transmission allows the two-way data transmission between the active devices. The data is transferred in close proximity therefore it is an easy alternative method to BLE and Wi-Fi.
Use of RFID in Asset Tracking
RFID technology is used in organizations for tracking their business assets and inventories to record their movement etc. Usually, RFID technology is used when there are lots of business assets present in an organization and they are hard to look. Uses of an RFID system are:
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Inventory tracking — Tracking of items for their movement and location in an organization.
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Asset monitoring — Acquire information about the assets that are placed at an unknown location.
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Loss prevention — Notification alerts are received when an asset is moved from its place.
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Access control — RFID provides secure access to control with unique user information to access the records.
Use of NFC in Asset Tracking
NFC technology provides several benefits at the organization as well as the consumer level. The technology is known for its versatility, some of its uses in asset tracking are:
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Contactless payment — Payments are done through NFC enabled devices, using “tap to pay” function.
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Access control — NFC provides secure access control over the tags.
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Asset tags — NFC tags are placed over the assets to know all the information regarding asset movement in past.
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P2P file transfer — Peer-to-peer adds more security to the data transmission between the two devices.
Benefits of RFID tags
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Many tags can be scanned at one time
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Tags can be scanned for information from long distance as well
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There is no need for a line of sight to read the data, unlike barcode tags
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RFID tags can be used in various environments of an organization
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Data addition to the tags is easy and quick
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Data storage capacity is also large
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Cost of one RFID tags is less than $0.10
Benefits of NFC tags
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Because of the close proximity use of NFC devices, no-risk of security involved
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Peer-to-peer communication adds more security
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Easy and quick to read and write the data onto the tags
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NFC tags can store more complex data as compared to RFID tags
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There is no requirement for extra expenditure on hardware readers as the feature is already available on the smartphones
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There is no need for a line of sight to read the data
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Cost of one NFC tags is less than $0.10
Conclusion:
RFID and NFC are not the same things but they are very similar to each other like their property to communicate wireless. RFID and NFC technology are used for asset tracking and asset management in a significant manner in order to increase the speed and efficiency of the process and also to streamline the business operations. NFC is very close to the RFID, where is no need to purchase the reader device as NFC enabled smartphones can work with the asset management software efficiently.
RFID and NFC have their own benefits in the field of asset tracking. The acquisition and results of these technologies depend upon the requirement of work according to the organizations' operational priorities and requirements.
