What Type of RFID Tag Is Best for Retail?

What antenna has the longest rewrite, deactivation and kill range for tags used in the retail market?

—Giovanni,

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Giovanni,

I cannot definitively answer that question because there are a variety of factors that could affect a reader antenna's performance. One is the model of reader to which it is attached. Another is the tags being used. A linear-polarized antenna will give you a longer read, write and deactivation range than a circular-polarized antenna. But if the tags are in random orientation, you will need to use a circular-polarized antenna.

Another issue is the beam-width for which the antenna is designed. In general, a narrower beam width will deliver a longer read, write and deactivation range, but if you need to read tags over a wide area, this kind of antenna might not be suitable. A third issue is frequency range. If the antenna provides a long read range but cannot be used in your region due to government regulations, it's not very useful.

I would suggest you contact Times-7 and MTI Wireless Edge. These two companies have a lot experience in the antenna market and can help you select the right one for your application.

I hope to see you at RFID Journal LIVE! 2020, where you can learn a lot more about RFID tags, antennas, readers and more.

—Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal