RFID & Wireless Technology

I repeat myself, I know. But I still say that in some cases, RFID is a technology looking for an application rather than the other way around.

Sometimes a barcode is just as efficient.

There's a great article on Computerworld Australia on just that.

Many thanks to Rodney Gedda, the author and to Computerworld Australia for allowing me to link to this.

Education, education, education.

That's what's still missing from RFID. Remember, hype is tripe.

I had a chat today with someone who was concerned about RFID tags on his goods being interrogated by snoopers. Big Brother, or what?

I mean, TECHNICALLY yes, someone with a reader could scan for your tag and access the data, if any, stored on it. But here's the thing. Most data on tags actually relates to MUCH more data that lives in a secure database used wherever the product came from, whether it's a supermarket, retail store or point of manufacture.

So whilst they might be able to see that tag # 12345678910 is within range ( don't even get me started on read ranges, some people think tags can be read by satellite! ) that does not, and should not, mean they can also tell that you are in fact Joe Soap, your bank details are XXX and that you secretly like to dress as a cheerleader.

All that data ( assuming it's true! ) should be on the secure database, tucked away from mere mortals with handheld RFID readers.

So as I say - education. It'll be key to the general acceptance of RFID, as ignorance = fear. That's human nature.

The more companies like ours and others try to educate users and potential users about the positives of RFID, and more importantly the limitations, the better.

By the way - I guessed about the cheerleader thing. Was I right? A simple answer is fine, don't feel the need to send pics. That's just scary.

I know, I know. I should do this much more regularly, but then it wouldn't be me. I'll write if there's something to write about, but I don't want to blog constantly with nothing actually said.

So, 2006. RFID will make big inroads this year, and not just in the retail world. Expect to see ( or more likely hear ) of Small & Medium Enterprises ( SME's ) using RFID this year as part of their business processes. Some new developments - especially ones we're involved with! - will transform what's happening around Q2 2006.

We're getting a lot of interest from the Middle East, as well as our work in Europe and North America. Some are generic RFID applications, and some are directly for our RFID-enabled document security system.

Convergence of technologies is a major factor to RFID take-up. Wireless is prolific now, so a logical extension of that is using RFID instead of barcode systems.

Smart paper is another area which, whilst not RFID, will be a growth industry.

Essentially, you get a digital pen, just like a slighly larger regular pen, and use it in conjunction with some digitally encoded paper which looks just like regular paper. A camera on the pen notes exactly where the writing occurs, and when finished the pen uses either a USB connection or Bluetooth & GPRS through a mobile to upload the data as a digitised image straight into a back end system. Manually collected data is immediately entered as digital data onto the network.

Imagine - invoices created at Head Office within minutes of a service engineer visit 400 miles away. Social workers can discreetly take notes which update case notes within minutes. And nothing is more natural to use than a pen. The possibilities are endless, and the applications immense.

If you'd like more info on this, please e-mail me as this will be a fantastic area of opportunity, not just for developers like us but for companies looking to save money by streamlining processes, speeding up paperwork and maximising efficiencies, with minimal hardware outlay.

2006 - a great year for wireless technologies over a broad range of markets.

Isn't it amazing, in this day and age of amazing communications, how much you still have to travel?

I'm obviously a huge fan of the internet, and all the benefits it, VoiP and web-conferencing has brought to my professional and personal life.

But for business, nothing equals shaking someone by the hand and getting the measure of them face to face. So I'm off again, back to the US to see a mix of suppliers, development partners and customers. And maybe a cheeky few days off for myself whilst I'm there!

When I travel in the UK I tend to use Easyjet, as they are reliable enough and undeniably cheap - that makes a big difference to any companys costs. The transatlantic routes are still expensive, with really very few competitors, moreso if you fly from Glasgow like I do.

I always use Icelandair - great service, convenient, nice aircraft but surely it's only a matter of time before the Easyjets throw their hats into this area - the Florida charter market is still huge, so I wonder if they'll ever do that?

Back to business - we deal a lot in the US, not just because there are some very clever people there but there's a real match of mindsets. No communication problems, no major time differences, and they are both innovators and open to innovation. Is it worth opening an office there? We're certainly talking about it. But where?

See, here we are again - it all links. On one hand I say that the internet and virtual presences are great, and on the other we're talking about expanding into the US.

My rambling point? A handshake can't be done over the internet. And until it can, we'll still have to travel to really progress things and develop relationships based on trust, respect and friendship.

So, reading back on my first 4 blogs, they've been exclusively about RFID. But there's more to my professional life than that. We work in various wireless arenas, and it's an area that's fascinating - with so many opportunities not just commercially, but to make everyone more productive and connected.

The newest thing we're working on is clever - but of course I'll say that! Essentially it's a secure VPN that uses whatever access is available - WiFi,wired LAN, GPRS etc and automatically switches between the appropriate connection as set by you - so if you're near WiFi, it uses it as it's faster and cheaper than GPRS. So users are *always* behind the corporate firewall, so no security or virus risks. The technicalities are mind-numbing to non-techies ( like me, actually . ) But it works, and it's being rolled out by a lot of users now.

My rambling and eventual point is that in our development of this prior to taking it to market, we were constantly amazed at the gaping errors in security protocols many big users had. Even we still blindly assumed that the bigger the organisation, the more secure or switched on their systems will be. Not always true though, is it?

I still get a huge kick out of sitting in town somewhere, having a coffee and using WiFi to get mails, IM'ing with colleagues and customers, and just having the facility to be productive far more often. It's revolutionising business in front of our very eyes.

Some of the wireless apps we've written ( always project based, incidentally ) have been not just clever, but so amazingly functional that it's drastically improved the business model of the customers in ways none of us, or them, could have ever imagined.

Whether at work or at home, WiFi is a killer feature, isn't it?

Good Lord. Do I speak the truth, or what?

This article from Computing Magazine sums up what my last few blogs have touched on. Essentially, Tesco are saying that " performance was not what was expected. "

Trust me on this. RFID is very powerful, and it will provide amazing benefits when it's understood, and deployed appropriately with the correct processes in place to manage the system. And we're not far away from that, actually. There are lots of successful RFID-enabled systems running, but they're not as sexy or as high profile as any of the retail driven ones, so they get forgotten about. Which is a shame, as these are the real success stories that are needed to renew confidence in RFID, both amongst existing and potential users.

Shhh. Listen. Hear that? It's RFID, and it's a-comin'. If only all the whoopin' and a'hollerin' would quieten down, we'd all be able to hear what's actually happening.

[ I have no idea why I started speaking cowboy there. Let's put it down to caffeine, shall we? ]

Good question. You know what it's like when you're familiar with something - you just naively expect everyone else to be.

Sorry about that - had my techie head on for a while there, but I'm fine now.

OK Class - here's a stripped down, de-technicalised view of RFID for you to get a better idea of just what I'm twittering on about.

RFID = Radio Frequency Identification

First developed in WW II for identifying friendly aircraft, it became popular as a business technology in the late 80's.

RFID kit is made up of several key areas

Tag, or transponder
This is the element that actually contains the data, and these can be either passive or active. Passive tags have no battery, but wake up when an RFID reader is placed near them and transmit the stored data to the reader. Because of this,passive tags have an almost unlimited operational lifetime. Active tags ( hey, you're ahead of me ) have their own battery and are "always on". The tags contain an antenna to boost the signal. Tags are available in many formats including labels, ceramic mounted ( for vehicles etc ), glass mounted ( for animals etc) and new technologies are working on other production methods for tag development and manufacture.

Reader
Guess what this does? Yup, it reads the tag and then analyses the data. Readers can be static or embedded into handheld devices.

Middleware
This is the software that translates the data on the tag into front end applications where that data is analysed. RFID can produce massive amounts of data so middleware is crucial.

Antenna
As I said, tags have an antenna in them, but depending on frequency, tag type etc the range can be very limited - approx 7cms for one type. By using strategically placed antennas it is possible to strengthen transmissions. Good antenna design and implementation is pivotal to successful RFID deployment.

Host PC
Well, the data has to go somewhere, doesn't it?

Frequencies
Depending on the application, there are several frequencies that tags work on. It all has to do with the product the tags are affixed to, the environment they're used in and the type of data capture the user is after. Each has their own benefits and drawbacks.

Who not stick with barcodes?
Ahh, the eternal question. I've said before some people want RFID because it's RFID. There's not always sound reason behind the implementation. Barcodes are magnificent. They're ubiquitous, they're safe, they're non-threatening. And they're amazingly efficient. But they can be compromised with weather or environment such as oil or grease blocking the scan, only one can be scanned at a time, and they need to be in the line of sight of the scanner. Who likes hauling their case of beer/wine/pop up into the checkout conveyor?

RFID doesn't have these problems. Yes, depending on environment RFID can be compromised - metal and liquids never make RFID happy particularly but again these can be worked around. And it's an invisible read, if you like. Depending on reader placement or deployment, the tag can be at any point in the contained area and it'll be read. Multiple tags will at once, actually. So you get a much faster and generally very efficient read rate from tags.

Now, I'm sure some of you will want to pick me up on some points - but this is a de-technicalised view of RFID, a taster. It's not RFID 101. It's not written to make you an expert on RFID, but it's here to give you the slightest idea about RFID, its capabilities and the most basic requirements. If you want to talk techie, I'm happy to.But sometimes, just sometimes, people don't want to know the intricacies of a technology. This is one of those times.

You know, there are goats, high in the Himalayas, who have heard about RFID and how it's been sent from the Heavens to transform supply chain management.

Shetland Islanders are holding their breath to see how the WalMart/Tesco/every_other_retailer_under_the_sun RFID rollouts are going.

But come closer.No, closer. Let me share something with you.

RFID isn't JUST for supply chain.

There. I've said it.

Whoo. I feel clean now I've gotten that deep, dark secret out.

But it's the truth. RFID lends itself extremely well to non-supply chain applications. And you know what? If it's deployed correctly, it can be rolled out now. It's a mature technology for the most part, with an extensive reference architecture to build on.

Lots of markets can, do and will benefit from RFID enablement.

So many applications. So many possibilities.
So badly overshadowed by the retail side.

Now, many might think that the hype erm, media coverage that RFID is getting must be good for anyone in the industry. But actually, that's not necessarily the case.

Delayed rollouts. Massive implementation costs. You can read all about these any day in the trade press. Very few of them make attractive reading.

So, you & I, we've connected, right? We've shared this secret about the whole supply chain thing. So, do me a favour, eh? Please? Just for me.

Look beyond the hype. Consider the possibilities that distributing and then capturing all this extra data could bring you. Streamlining your business process. Integrated intelligence.

See? Yeah, see? It's like a cloud lifting, isn't it? I knew you'd get it too.

Boy, I feel cleansed now. Thanks. It's good to meet someone who thinks the way you do.

Envigour Systems & RFID. Where are we going?

RFID. Boy, you can almost sense the hype already, can't you?

The truth is, it's not new. It's been around since WW II. It's only fairly recently that the convergence of technologies has allowed RFID to rear its head as a viable alternative method of data capture and distribution.

I'm all for progress - my company thrives on it. But only when it's appropriate, or else you're just meddling, not improving. Too many ( some high profile ! ) RFID rollouts have gone TU because someone, somewhere either didn't understand the technology thoroughly, didn't understand the process it was meant to be helping deliver, or just couldn't see past the RFID gravy train everyone says is coming.

There isn't money in RFID. Not yet. There will be, when providers are mature enough to successfully deploy efficient, working systems that deliver what they say they're going to. More importantly, when customers are educated enough in the pros and cons of RFID. Sometimes, it just isn't the most suitable solution, but some people seem hell bent on deploying RFID whether it's right for them or not.

I'll be using this blog to talk about not just RFID but my other wireless technology interests and experiences, and I'd really appreciate hearing back from anyone, whatever your views.

Like most people, my blogs will always be works in progress. I apologise now for bad grammar, scary punctuation, and the occasional rant. Consider this my personal therapy space!