What Type of Battery Is Used in Active Tags—And What Is Its Voltage?

By RFID Journal

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Ask The ExpertsWhat Type of Battery Is Used in Active Tags—And What Is Its Voltage?
RFID Journal Staff asked 15 years ago

What kind of battery, and of what voltage range, is utilized in active RFID tags? Additionally, where—and how—is the battery embedded?

—Amar

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Dear Amar,

My understanding is that most active tags use batteries of 3 to 3.7 volts, though that differs between manufacturers. These are usually lithium coin batteries, but I'm not an expert in this area. I reached out to a couple of companies I thought could provide additional information, but I did not hear back from them. Perhaps our readers will chime in.

Active tags are usually encased in a plastic housing that protects the battery, as well as the tag's antenna and circuitry, so they are not "embedded," as such. There is a growing use of printed and thin-film batteries that can make RFID labels that are either active or battery-assisted tags. This is an emerging area that holds great promise for improving smart-label performance.

—Mark Roberti


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