I’m new to RFID. What is the recommended type of tag that could be detected from a distance of 2 to 3 meters (6.6 to 9.8 feet), and that could be scanned by an S3 mobile phone?
—Lim
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Lim,
The Samsung Galaxy SIII is an Android-based smartphone that can read passive high-frequency (HF) RFID tags based on the Near Field Communication (NFC) protocol. NFC tags have a read range of only a few inches. To be able to read tags at a distance of 2 to 3 meters, you would need to buy a passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID reader that could be attached to the SIII.
Zebra Technologies makes a nifty sled that works with Android phones (see Zebra’s Sled Reader Enables UHF RFID Tag Reads Via Smartphone).
AsReader makes a similar device that can locate tags in 3D space to within a few centimeters (see New Handheld RFID Reader Locates Tags Within Centimeters).
U Grok It, recently purchased by Turck, makes a handy little sled that your iPhone or Android phone can snap into, and it has apps that can be downloaded for free (see U Grok It Releases UHF RFID Reader for Phones, Tablets).
Finally, Technology Solutions (UK) Ltd. also sells a great sled, the 1128 Bluetooth UHF RFID reader that comes with a software development kit so you can write your own apps (see Technology Solution (UK) Ltd. Announces Bluetooth Handheld UHF RFID Reader).
—Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal