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Active, Semi-passive and Passive RFID Tags - How RFID ...

How the Apple Watch Works

Like other wireless devices, RFID tags broadcast over a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. The exact frequency is variable and can be chosen to avoid interference with other electronics or among RFID tags and readers in the form of tag interference or reader interference. RFID systems can use a cellular system called Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) to make sure the wireless communication is handled properly [source: RFID Journal ].

Passive RFID tags rely entirely on the reader as their power source. These tags are read up to 20 feet (six meters) away, and they have lower production...

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RFID Tags Past and Present - How RFID Works - HowStuffWorks

RFID Tags Past and Present

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RFID technology has been around since 1970, but until recently, it has been too expensive to use on a large scale. Originally, RFID tags were used to track large items, like cows, railroad cars and airline luggage, that were shipped over long distances. These original tags, called inductively coupled RFID tags, were complex systems of metal...

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Related topics : rfid active reader passive tag / cost of active and passive rfid tags / active and passive rfid tags / semi active rfid tags / semi passive rfid tags

How Location Tracking Works - HowStuffWorks

10 High-tech Tools on the Typical Farm

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) - For large-scale location-tracking systems, it is necessary to capture and store geographic information. Geographic information systems can capture, store, analyze and report geographic information.

Global Positioning System (GPS) - A constellation of 27 Earth-orbiting satellites (24 in operation and three extras in case...

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Reinventing the Bar Code - How RFID Works | HowStuffWorks

Reinventing the Bar Code

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Almost everything that you buy from retailers has a UPC bar code printed on it. These bar codes help manufacturers and retailers keep track of inventory. They also give valuable information about the quantity of products being bought and, to some extent, the consumers buying them. These codes serve as product fingerprints made of machine-readable...

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Related topics : rfid tags retail+stores / rfid tags in retail stores / grocery store rfid tags / rfid tags used in retail / read write rfid tags

Near Field Communication, Smart Phones and RFID - How RFID ...

Near Field Communication, Smart Phones and RFID

Thomas Cooper/ Getty Images

NFC technology is promising because it presents the next evolution of convenient payment with an added layer of security. Some credit cards have NFC chips embedded in them and can be tapped against NFC payment terminals instead of swiped, which eliminates the possibility that someone could skim your data via the magnetic...

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Related topics : rfid smart tag technology / passive rfid tag uses / credit card companies using rfid technology / cheap passive rfid tags / rfid tags used in retail

The Internet of Things - What's an NFC tag? | HowStuffWorks

You can call them smart tags, info tags or, in this case, NFC tags, but their basic architecture is similar to RFID tags. They both have a bit of storage memory, along with a radio chip attached to an antenna.

The only real difference is that NFC tags are formatted to be used with NFC systems. And they're small and cheap enough to integrate into all sorts of products: posters promoting circus...

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Related topics : different types of rfid tag / 3 types of rfid tags / types of rfid tag antenna / tag rfid nfc / types of passive rfid tags

RFID Security: Hacking In - Are RFID ignition systems ...

Car Gadget Pictures

In cars that have RFID entry and ignition, it's an all-in-one process. Break the codes, and you can not only unlock the doors, but also start the car and drive away. According to some security experts, this is the problem with the system. RFID is a really great addition to a car's physical security system, but on its own, it allows for complete access with just a single act of...

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Related topics : rfid security system for cars / car security using rfid / rfid car security / security system using rfid / rfid security door system

Are RFID ignition systems secure? | HowStuffWorks

Top 5 Car Gadgets

RFID relies on radio-frequency signals to create a system that, for the first several years it was in use, was indeed uncrackable. In the 1990s, many a car thief was thwarted by the rather brilliant addition of RFID immobilizers to regular old physical keys. An RFID immobilizer is a chip embedded in the top part of an ignition key. This chip sends out an encrypted string of...

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Related topics : rfid security system for cars / copy rfid car key / car security using rfid / rfid key fob system / rfid car security