Overview of RFID (lecture 32)

Arindam Biswas (Y1072)

arindam@cse.iitk.ac.in
Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a general term that is used to describe a system that
transmits the identity (in the form of a unique serial number) of an object wirelessly, using radio
waves. RFID technologies are grouped under the more generic Automatic Identification(Auto ID)
technologies. The barcode labels that triggered a revolution in identification systems long time ago,
are inadequate in an increasing number of cases.
The advantage of RFID over optical readers (Barcodes)
● Better storage capacity and the fact that they can be reprogrammed.
● Contactless transfer of data between the data carrying device and its reader.
● The power required to operate the electronic data carrying device would also be transferred
from the reader using contactless technology.
Applications:
● Supply chain Management
● Inventorry tracking
● Animal Tracking
● Automated Libaray System
● Person Identification
● Food Production Control
● Vehicle Parking Monitoring
● Toxic Waste Monitoring
● Valuable Objects Insurance Identification
● Asset Management
● Access Control
In a not so distant future, RFID enabled stores will monitor the consumption in real time. Shelf will
signal the inventory when it needs more stuff and inventory will pull supplies from the
manufacturer based on its level of stock.
An RFID System
An RFID System can be visualized as the sum of the following three components:
• RFID tag or transponder
• RFID reader or transceiver
• Data processing subsystem
An RFID tag is composed of an antenna, a wireless transducer and an encapsulating material.
These tags can be either active or passive. While the active tags have on-chip power, passive tags
use the power induced by the magnetic field of the RFID reader. Thus passive tags are cheaper but
with lower range (<10mts) and more sensitive to regulatory and environmental constraints, as
compared to active tags.
An RFID reader consists of an antenna, transceiver and decoder, which sends periodic signals to
inquire about any tag in vicinity. On receiving any signal from a tag it passes on that information to
the data processor.
The data processing subsystem provides the means of processing and storing the data.
Feequency Ranges of Operation
100-135 Kz : LF
13.56 Mhz :HF
865 -867Mhz (India), 915 Mhz (UHF)
-2.4 Ghz (microwave)
Low-frequency (30 KHz to 500 KHz) systems have short reading ranges and lower system costs.
They are most commonly used in security access, asset tracking, and animal identification
applications.
High-frequency (850 MHz to 950 MHz and 2.4 GHz to 2.5 GHz) systems, offering long read
ranges (greater than 90 feet) and high reading speeds, are used for such applications as railroad car
tracking and automated toll collection. However, the higher performance of high-frequency RFID
systems incurs higher system costs.

RFID in India
“ Use of low power equipments in the frequency band 865-867 MHz for Radio Frequency
Identification Devices (RFID) with a maximum transmitter power of 1 Watt (4 Watts Effective
Radiated Power) with 200 KHz carrier band width has been delicenced” , G.S.R. 168(E), 11th
March 2005
Most activity in middleware development

Standards:
Standards are critical in RFID. Be it payment systems or tracking goods in open supply chains. A
great deal of work has been going on to develop standards for different RFID fequencies and
applications.
RFID standards deal with the following:-
• Air Interface Protocol - The way tags and readers communicate
• Data Content - Organizing of data
• Conformance - Tests that products meet the standard
• Applications - How applications are used
The ISO standards are:
• Animal identification
– ISO 11784 – code structure
– ISO 11785 – technical concept
– ISO 14223 – advanced transponders
• Contactless smart cards
– ISO 10536 – close coupling smart cards (4 parts)
– ISO 14443 – proximity coupling smart cards (4 parts)
– ISO 15693 – vicinity coupling smart cards (4 parts)
– ISO 10373 – test methods for smart cards
• Tools and clamping devices
– ISO 69873 – data carriers for tools and clamping device
• Container Identification
-- ISO 10374 – container Identification Item management
– ISO 15961 – RFID for item management: Host Interrogator
– ISO 15962 – RFID for item management: Data Syntax
– ISO 15963 – unique identification of RF tag and registration authority to manage
uniqueness.
– ISO 18000 – RFID for item management: air interface

The collission Problem:

• If all transponder can answer simultaneously , there would be interference in single shared
medium.
• If NRZ is in use collision can't be detected by the reader.
• In Manchester coding and ASK we can detect which bit is collided.

Privacy and Security:

Flexibility and ease of reading gives rise to access constrol problem
• RFID tags have no access control mechanism
• Personal privacy issues, location privacy, corporate espionage, nosy marketing researchers,
thieves in search of ripe victims
• RFIDs can be used to bypass personal privacy By placing RFID tags hidden from eyes, and
using it for stealth tracking or Using the unique identifiers provided by RFID for profiling
and identifying consumer pattern and behavior

Security Mechanism:
• RSA Blocker Tags: These tags are similar in size and appearance to RFID tags, helps in
maintaining the privacy of consumer by “spamming” any reader that attempts to scan tags
without the right authorization, thus confusing the reader to believe that there are many tags
in its proximity.
• Kill Switches: Newer RFID tags are being shipped with a “Kill Switch”, which will allow
the RFID tags to be disabled. Thus a consumer will be given an option of disabling the
RFID tag before leaving the store, thus avoiding the possibility of stealth tracking and
profiling.
• Hash-based access control : Lock a tag so that its read ID cannot be read but in this case
also tracking is possible
• Randomized access control can prevent tracking : Works when the set of valid tags is
known and is small in size
• Silent tree walking : Make use of the fact that an intruder cannot easily listen on the back
channel