Indian Jeweler Seeks 100 Percent Security From RFID

With the Orizin system, if anyone attempts to inactivate an active tag, separate the tag from the piece of jewelry to which it is attached, or remove the tagged item from the premises, the system triggers an audible alarm. The software can also detect when an item is moved—such as a piece of jewelry being taken from a cabinet and placed somewhere it does not belong—and send a alert to store personnel.

The reader is typically installed behind a false ceiling, and thus hidden from view. The quantity of interrogators required in a particular store depends on the dimensions of the space it inhabits. "On average, a reader has a scanning zone of around 400 square feet," Agrawal says. "It can scan [the active tags of] all items located within this area if the reader is placed 10 to 15 feet aboveground."

In addition, for security purposes, an interrogator is installed below the floor at the store's exit. If a piece of jewelry bearing an active tag leaves the premises, the reader will capture its ID number, and the system will send an alert to the authorized store manager via e-mail or text message, as well as change the status of the specific item to "missing" in the store's software. In addition, interrogators in the ceiling can be set to scan all active tags at a specific interval. If a tag is not found during a scan, an alert is sent and the system defines its corresponding item as missing.

For less expensive items, the passive tags can be read intermittently with a passive RFID interrogator, by placing a tray of tagged jewelry on the desktop reader. This data is captured and loaded onto the same system via an Ethernet cable to the local area network. The information is then integrated into the store's jewelry inventory management system, Ornate, provided by D'Soft Infotech, located in Ahmedabad.

According to Agrawal, passive tags are more cost-effective than active tags. "Thus," he states, "generally, a store may decide to go for active tags only for highly expensive items, and passive tags for the remaining items. Orizin advises only active technology for foolproof security and inventory for all kinds of items."