With the continuous development of the Internet of Things and smart technology, RFID radio frequency identification technology has been widely used in various fields, especially in logistics, supply chain management, retail, hotels, washing plants, medical and manufacturing industries. RFID reader tags are mainly attached to items that need to be identified, and their working life is very important for the stable operation and long-term use of the system.
Its working life is mainly related to the type of tag. RFID tags are divided into passive RFID tags, active RFID tags and semi-active RFID tags. Generally speaking, passive RFID tags have a longer life, and active RFID tags are affected by The battery capacity is limited and the lifespan will be shorter than that of passive RFID.
So, how long is the working life of RFID reader tags?
1. Passive RFID tags
Passive RFID means that there is no battery on the tag and it can work without additional energy supply. It captures the radio waves sent by the reader through the antenna to obtain energy. The RFID reader can continuously emit radio frequency waves to activate each RFID electronic tag within the range. The chip/antenna assembly is encapsulated in a tag or card to protect it. Therefore, RFID electronic tags must be used within the specified frequency and reading distance. This technology is widely used in different applications such as inventory management systems, manufacturing process control, smart transportation, etc. Compared with active tags, passive tags are more economical and have a longer lifespan. Their basic lifespan is more than 10 years, and they can be reused.
2. Active RFID tags
Active RFID tags have a built-in power source (usually a battery) and their own transmitter, and active RFID tags can often support sensors that measure and transmit conditions such as temperature, light, and humidity. This makes them popular in harsher environments. They are typically used to track larger assets such as vehicles and cargo containers. The battery life of RFID active electronic tags with non-replaceable batteries is generally 2-5 years, the battery life of RFID active electronic tags with replaceable batteries is not less than 6 months, and the RFID active electronic tags with rechargeable batteries should be charged each time. It can ensure that the continuous working time of RFID active electronic tags is not less than 7 days.
3. Semi-active RFID tags
Due to battery assistance, semi-active RFID tags have a longer reading range than passive RFID tags. Moreover, it requires very little energy to maintain a relatively long service life. By using paper-thin batteries, the size of the label can be significantly reduced. The main application areas of semi-active RFID tags are chemical monitoring in the chemical industry, transportation monitoring of drugs and food in the medical industry, etc. Under normal circumstances, semi-active RFID products are in a dormant state, and only power on the part of the tag that maintains data, so the power consumption is small. Generally speaking, the working life of semi-active tags is basically more than 3 years.
In short, how long is the working life of an RFID reader tag? It is determined by multiple factors. For example, the quality of the tag, the use environment, the operating frequency and the power of the reader will all have an impact on the life of the tag. Reasonable selection of label types and specifications, reasonable layout and installation of labels, as well as effective management and maintenance can help extend the service life of labels.
