Asset Tracking
Practical RFID applications
 Tracking your assets within a facility is a perfect use for RFID technology. It is a diverse application that can have different meanings to different organizations. Some companies view asset tracking as the physical means to count the non-sellable assets within offices, factories, or labs. Others organizations utilize asset tracking when reconciling assets that are moving from facility to facility – either expecting them to return or move from one balance sheet to another.
RFID asset tracking is non-vertical in nature. Many different industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, insurance, banking, government and even law offices are using RFID technology in a slightly different environment.
Applying RFID to asset tracking can be a difficult endeavor. There are 3 primary RFID technologies to choose from depending on the assets being tracked. The tag types are:
- passive tags (no battery),
- active tags (battery),
- UWB tags (GPS-like features).
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The most common uses for asset tracking:
- Physical inventory of assets
- Tool tracking
- File tracking
- Equipment tracking
- People tracking
- Kanban carts tracking
- IT asset tracking
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The tag system choice greatly depends on how you can trigger a read, when the read is important, and exact location resolution required for the application. Of course, system complexity and cost rise depending on the type of tag chosen for your application.
When deciding on which type of RFID tag is right for your application, users must assess the type of assets, location of reads, and necessity to be able to pinpoint a location for that asset. Below is a description of each of the RFID tag options available, and an outline of what type of applications they are typically best suited for.
 Passive tags. The most important feature used in passive RFID asset tracking is the idea of “last seen”. Passive tags have the ability to be viewed by a reader and antenna to determine when it was last seen. This provides the user with a general area where the unit is located. However, it does not pin down an exact location for the item the user is attempting to locate. However, utilizing passive tag technology for asset tracking is the most economical option for an RFID system. Passive tags are the lowest cost tag available and the RFID reader can be spread out to cover more space within your facility. Typically, passive tags are used for tool cribs, hospital equipment tracking, and kanban systems.
 Active tags. The use of active tags in asset tracking is typically tied to more “theft worthy” devices that could breach a security system. An organization may want to track a laptop computer with sensitive information. Or an IT department will use active RFID tags to monitor the movement of the laptops but also confirm if it is authorized to enter or leave certain rooms or buildings. The most important aspect of active tags is their ability to have a microswitch to alarm if the tags are removed – ensuring that the system knows of the breach.
 UWB (Ultra Wide Band) RFID tags. This type of RFID tag is used when pinpoint accuracy is needed to determine the exact location of an item – usually within 10 feet. These tags can determine current travel direction so the user can be alerted if a item is moving south within a building. This is accomplished through the use of triangulation which determines the range of the item from a reader as well as their location in relation to other tags. Typically, UWB tags are used in tracking people and highly valuable assets like vehicles, high end electronics, and weapon systems.
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