What Is the Range of RFID Technology Used in the United States?

Can you please provide some information about read ranges?

—Name withheld

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There are many different types of RFID systems used in the United States, and they all have different read ranges. Passive low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency (HF) transponders have a read range of up to 3 feet. Conventional passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) systems typically have a range of about 20 to 30 feet. However, larger tags can be read from a distance of as much as 100 feet away. And with phased array antenna systems, it is possible to read a passive tag from up to 500 feet away, though you would need to have a device to send energy to the tag within 20 or 30 feet. Active systems use a battery to broadcast a signal and have a much longer read range. Typically, an active tag can be read from about 1,000 to 1,500 feet away.

—Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal