Daniel Deavours, research director of the RFID Alliance Lab, will demonstrate some of the advanced features and capabilities of the second-generation Electronic Product Code protocol on the exhibition floor at RFID Journal LIVE!, RFID Journal’s fourth annual conference and exhibition. The event will takes place May 1-3, at the MGM Conference Center in Las Vegas.
“We have been testing EPC Gen 2 readers for the past several months,” says Deavours. “I’m pleased to have the opportunity to demonstrate some of the new capabilities of the protocol. Business people will want to understand these features so they can take advantage of them and optimize their RFID systems.”
The four demonstrations will cover:
Gen 2 versus Gen 1: There’s been a lot of talk about EPC Gen 2 tags and readers, but what makes the Gen 2 better than Gen 1? In this demonstration, the RFID Alliance Lab shows off some of the main differences between Gen 1 and Gen 2, including Gen 2’s sessions and select features.
Reading Gen 1 and Gen 2 Tags: Some companies need to read both EPC Gen 1 and EPC Gen 2 tags in their facilities. Multiprotocol readers can read both types of tags, but users will still face a number of challenges. The RFID Alliance Lab demonstrates the obstacles of doing so in a real-world environment.
Optimizing Data Transfer Rates: EPC Gen 2 allows end users to control the rate at which data transfers between a tag and a reader. Setting the rate at the highest level works well when there’s little RF noise in the environment—that is, when there isn’t much interference from other RF devices—but slower read rates are best when interference is present. This demonstration explains how to optimize your Gen 2 readers for performance in different types of RF environments.
Optimizing the Q Value: The Q value is a new feature that allows end users to customize the protocol in order to optimize performance for their applications. The Q value determines the number of time slots in which tags can respond. Using a large Q value when reading goods moving through a dock door allows more time slots in which tags can respond. To singulate tags on a conveyor, you can lower the Q value to create fewer slots. This demonstration shows how to change the Q value, and how doing so can improve the performance of your RFID system in different applications.
“The education doesn’t stop when you leave the conference halls at RFID Journal LIVE!,” says Mark Roberti, founder and editor of RFID Journal. “Our goal is to educate business people about the potential benefits RFID technologies offer, but we will also give them the ability to see, touch and understand the technology in the 50,000-square-foot exhibit hall.”