Are standard RFID tags affected by subzero temperatures? Our freezers operate at between -8 degrees and +14 degrees Celsius (+17.6 degrees and +57.2 degrees Fahrenheit). Would this cause the tags to fail to transmit their ID numbers?
—Name withheld
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Many passive RFID tags can operate at subzero temperatures. Impinj‘s Monza chip—which is in many ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) tags based on the EPC Gen 2 protocol—can operate in temperature ranges of -40 degrees to +65 degrees Celsuis (-40 degrees to -140 degrees Fahrenheit). Texas Instruments‘ Vicinity Transponder Badge, which employs an ISO 15693-compliant chip, operates in that range as well. Active tags have a similar operating range, and all tags can be insulated to enable them to withstand even lower temperatures.
—Mark Roberti, Editor, RFID Journal
