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CoreRFID’s views on the interaction between RFID & other systems – advice to users.
RFID is only one of the technologies that can be deployed as part of an organisation’s installed systems and
solutions. But are there potential problems from installing RFID alongside other wireless systems? Or could other
systems prevent the successful operation of RFID solutions?
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Systems design elements help to reduce the risks of interference within RFID systems (for example the Gen 2 standard for
UHF systems incorporates a Dense Reader Mode which reduces the risks of inteference between readers when 50 or more are
deployed in close proximity). Interference problems for passive tag systems are further reduced in Europe because European
standards limit the power used in such systems to 2 watts (compared with 2.4W in the USA).
It is also possible that deployment of active tags that use IEE802.11 wifi standards could experience dificulty when used
alongside wireless local area networks operating to the same standards. Whilst in laboratory conditions it has been shown that
electro-magnetic radiation from RFID can cause interference with other systems these tests also acknowledge that other
technologies with similar EM signatures are already in common use. Potential interference issues are avoided through correct
installation. It is therefore imperative that industry specific expertise is sought to ensure each installation is approached with
sensitivity to its individual requirements.
Areas of potential risk of interference between network and RFID frequency usage can be seen in the following table:
Frequency Bandwidth RFID Usage WLAN & WPAN Usage
58KHz – 1KHz EAS Electro magnetic Tags
125 – 135KHz LF Passive Tags
7.4 - 8.8MHz EAS Swept-rf Tags
13.56MHz HF Passive Tags
868 – 928MHz UHF Passive Tags IEEE802.15 WPAN (Zigbee @ 868 & 915 MHz)
902MHz / 111.5KHz EAS Re-radiating Tags
2.4GHz / 111.5KHz
2.4GHz Some WiFi based active tags IEEE802.11b & g WLAN
IEEE802.15 WPAN (Bluetooth & Zigbee)
5GHz IEEE802.11a WLAN
60GHz IEEE802.11ad “GiFi”
(“EAS” refers to Electronic Article Surveillance, a low cost technique mainly used to prevent item theft in retail environments)
Recommendations
CoreRFID consider that the best way of minimising the risks of interference in RFID deployments is to:-
1. Audit the frequency spectrums used by devices within the deployment environment.
2. Gain commitment from suppliers on the frequencies, protocols and standards used by the equipment.
3. For 2.4GHz active tag systems review IP addressing and WLAN channels used in relation to the planned
system.
4. Carry out a pilot or trial installation that measures the performance of the system in the planned.
5. If necessary consider dual trials, in the planned environment and where less RF interference is expected.
6. Review the performance of BOTH the RFID component and the existing systems following the pilot.
About CoreRFID
Contact us at:
CoreRFID Ltd. Dallam Court, Dallam Lane, Warrington, U.K. WA2 7LT
T: +44 (0) 845 071 0985 F: +44 (0) 845 071 0989 W: www.corerfid.com E: info@corerfid.com
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