RFID: is it really superior to barcode technology?

Accuracy during inventory reporting is a crucial piece for many businesses that are in charge of reconciling their fixed assets every year. RFID, also known as Radio Frequency Identification, is at the forefront of technology providing users with a large advantage when compared to barcode or manual tracking processes.

RFID systems utilize radio waves from readers to communicate with the antenna on RFID tags, so the tags can be read a long distance and do not require the user to have a line-of-sight on the tag. This means that you can read tags that are hidden in storerooms, kept in boxes or closets, or safely placed inside a desk without having to see that individual asset. With barcode tags there is no antenna on the tag so in order to scan an asset you will need to have a line-of-sight on that asset. It will need to be taken out of the box, find the barcode tag, and use your reader to scan it. There is a significant time difference between these two options, with RFID being a much more convenient and efficient way of locating assets.

Another amazing benefit of RFID compared to barcode technology is the speed at which RFID can operate. Some studies have found that RFID is 15-20 times faster than barcode technology, which is a huge time-saving resource for any organization. One of our customers has found a 95% reduction in inventory time and you can read their results in our case study. One reason for the time savings in RFID is that readers can read multiple tags simultaneously. In fact you can read dozens of tags per second! When you compare that to manual processes or barcodes, which require a line-of-sight for every asset, RFID comes out as the superior option making it the more efficient system.

Overall we see that in most cases RFID technology can offer organizations a much more efficient process and significantly improve their inventory reporting. Not only do customers see significant time savings when switching to RFID, but many customers have time to focus on other important job functions for which they previously did not have time.

Learn all about RFID on our website and be sure to reach out to our sales staff to set up a call today. sales@inlogic.com