By Mark Roberti

You've done a field trial that proved the business case for your use of radio frequency identification. You've selected the best tags for your products and the right interrogators (readers) for your facilities, designed the system and conducted a pilot. Now it's time to roll out the RFID system to your factories, distribution centers or retail stores. Where do you start? How do you ensure the rollout won't disrupt the operation of the facilities and will be done in the most cost-effective way possible?

It's not easy, given all the complexities of an RFID installation. You need to get power and Ethernet connections to the interrogators at all of the dock doors in each facility. You need to install antennas in ways that will ensure you can read the tags on your products reliably, but not tags you don't want read. The installation needs to meet safety standards and adhere to local fire and building codes. And you need to ensure the system will continue to function optimally and can be maintained properly.

Early adopters have paved the way and share the lessons they learned to help your rollout go smoothly.

A poorly planned rollout can easily double the cost of an installation. To help you avoid mistakes, rfid journal spoke to vendors, systems integrators and end users who have been involved in some of the largest rollouts of RFID portal systems so far. The step-by-step guide that follows represents best practices based on the methodologies these companies have established.