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News that a school in California is using RFID to take attendance and record the meals that students eat has raised some interesting privacy questions.

What should the maximum range be so that they can communicate with each other? —Name withheld ——— The question, I think, refers to passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) tags. With active tags, the systems are designed to read tags over long distances—100 feet or more....

You have written that some RFID tags can survive temperatures ranging from -40 degrees Celsius to +300 degrees Celsius (-40 degrees Fahrenheit to +572 degrees Fahrenheit). Are there any new tags that can operate in much higher temperatures? —Name withheld ——— Yes,...

The Auto-ID Labs, which is spearheading research to connect objects to the Internet, has helped to organize a Japanese conference for academia and industry.

What are the problems associated with doing so, and how does one get around them? —Name withheld ——— There really are very few problems one faces when reading multiple tags. All RFID air-interface protocols—the rules governing how tags and readers communicate—include...

Those who see RFID as a tool to be abused by governments have a poor grasp of history—and literature.

I own a jewelry shop. Is there a company that can help me build an RFID system that could trace my merchandise in the event of a robbery? —Name withheld, Toronto ——— There is no RFID system that would enable your merchandise to be traced after a robbery, because there...

We have a customer with a need to put RFID tags in products that will lie temporarily underwater (both fresh and sea water). The client wants to read those tags in water up to a depth of 400 meters (1,312 feet). Do you know if there exists such an application, or if...

Does the technology's value justify the expense of deployment? —Name withheld ——— As with so many questions, the answer is, "It depends." If you have a small distribution yard or a port with only a few containers, it might not make economic sense to install RFID...

What is the value of using RFID for such an application? —Name withheld ——— We have not published many articles on hotels' tracking of inventory or assets, because the industry has been slow to adopt RFID technologies. Here are links to a few articles you might find...

Is it better to address potential problems before they occur, or allow the technology to evolve and then address issues as they arise?

Is there a kit on the market that is independent of a PC, is battery-powered, has a 4- to 6-foot range, and can beep when a tag is detected? —Name withheld ——— I am unaware of a specific kit available. 3M and other firms have developed high-frequency (HF) readers that...