The newest chips are smaller than a grain of rice. They fit inside of a hypodermic needle. It is those chips that are used in the pet locator systems.

If a pet with the chip implanted wanders away from home and ends up at a vet or a shelter, a device, similar to the handheld inventory devices you may be familiar with, is activated and data concerning the pet’s name and owner show up on the screen.

The ranges vary depending on how the system is to be used. For example, when RFID technology is used for inventorying, the range may be relatively small, but it depends on the business’ needs.

Some companies need to be able to use handheld inventory devices on the floor of a warehouse where the stock is located high up on the shelves. In that case, the radio range would be larger. The use of that kind of system is accompanied by safety advantages for the warehouse employees.

Other situations call for a range of several yards. For example, the systems used to bill motorists for their toll road usage requires a longer range.

Using the tags for inventories is probably the most popular usage. It is expected to eventually replace bar codes and is already being used commonly on high theft items.

Reducing theft is an advantage on top of the advantages of easier and more accurate physical inventories through the use of handheld inventory devices. Other advantages exist for manufacturers. For example, items can be tagged and followed as they work their way through the assembly line or other manufacturing processes.

Security is another advantage offered by RFID technology and not just in the area of reduced theft. Drugs and other pharmaceutical products can be tracked as they pass through warehouses. Data concerning the manufacturing date can be stored and accessed easily. This reduces the risk that someone will receive expired medications that are less effective or dangerous in other ways.

The handheld inventory devices have also gotten smaller and easier to handle while the readout screens have gotten a little bigger and easier to read. In other words, everything continues to improve. If you are using outdated RFID technology in your business, it might be time to make a change.

For more info on RFID Technology and  Handheld Inventory Devices take a look at the following postings:

Visual Factory Management & Control Case: Rugged RFID with a Database On Board: Industrial Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Method, Technology and Application Cases

RFID Asset Tracking Wireless Handheld Terminal – NoxVault (WiFi, 2D Imager, CE5.0, Gungrip, 2 Batteries, Charger)

Tom Gruich