Where Can I Find Passive 2.45 GHz Tags and Readers?

Published: February 4, 2013

Please suggest some tags with temperature sensors, as well as appropriate interrogators for the same. Thanks.

—Name withheld

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The only passive 2.45 GHz tag on the market of which I am aware is Hitachi‘s µ-chip (pronounced “mu-chip”), which is very tiny and has an antenna etched onto it (see Hitachi Unveils Smallest RFID Chip, Hitachi Unveils Integrated RFID Tag and RFID News Roundup: Hitachi Shrinks Smallest RFID Chip). The µ-chip is designed for a very short read range (just a few millimeters), and could not support a temperature sensor.

Hewlett-Packard developed such a tag in 2006 (see HP Spots New Opportunities for Passive RFID), but I don’t think that model actually made it to market.

A company called SCS used to manufacture 2.45 GHz passive tags and readers. I know someone who has about 45,000 tags and four reader-writers with antennas available. These tags do not have sensors, but if you are interested, e-mail your request to
[email protected] and I will put you in touch with him.

—Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal