{"id":45,"date":"2019-11-11T18:53:42","date_gmt":"2019-11-11T18:53:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.inlogic.com\/blog\/?p=45"},"modified":"2020-05-18T23:18:22","modified_gmt":"2020-05-18T23:18:22","slug":"laptop-tracking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.inlogic.com\/blog\/laptop-tracking\/","title":{"rendered":"Laptop Tracking"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.inlogic.com\/it-asset-tracking\">Tracking IT assets<\/a> such as laptops poses interesting problems, especially when you have\u00a0security\u00a0requirements.\u00a0Some specific challenges seen with laptop tracking includes:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Metal&nbsp;<\/li><li>Ensuring good read rates&nbsp;<\/li><li>Tag placement&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Laptops\u00a0generally have\u00a0a significant amount of metal on them, so using passive RFID tags can be a\u00a0challenge.\u00a0 Sometimes laptops have a plastic outer layer, however the metal inside the screen and\u00a0component\u00a0parts will cause interference.\u00a0 The best way to solve this problem is to select a \u2018metal mount\u2019 tag.\u00a0 Metal Mount tags will increase the read range significantly, as they use the metal as a\u00a0conductor\u00a0to project the RFID signal farther.\u00a0<br><br>Almost all\u00a0RFID tag vendors have released metal mount tag options in recent years.  They offer different sizes that provide different read ranges.\u00a0 Our testing has found variances of 10 feet or more between different tags.\u00a0<br><br>When\u00a0making a decision\u00a0about which metal mount tag to choose, it is recommended that you test multiple tags on your actual laptops, so that you can see how well each one works in your environment.\u00a0<br><br>Choosing a metal mount tag, which is\u00a0thicker\u00a0than a regular RFID tag, can be a\u00a0challenge.\u00a0 Often employees do not like tags that are larger for\u00a0purely\u00a0aesthetic reasons, and because of the possibility of the tag getting caught on a laptop bag as it goes in and out of the bag. Metal mount tags can sometimes be 1\/8-\u00bc&#8221; or\u00a0thicker.\u00a0\u00a0 Metal mount tags won&#8217;t mount completely flush up against the laptop. Ideally, a tag that is\u00a0tapered\u00a0on the edge would be the best to prevent catching on things, but most metal mount tags do not taper.\u00a0 An important consideration is whether to purchase a large tag with a longer read\u00a0range or\u00a0go with a more aesthetically pleasing tag that might have a shorter read\u00a0range.\u00a0<br><br>Placement of the tags may also be a factor for which type of tag to purchase.\u00a0 Many\u00a0times,\u00a0the lid is the only option, although sometimes a metal mount tag can be placed along the side without issue. This depends on how many ports and flat surface areas are available across the side of the laptop.\u00a0 Using a tag that is .05\u201d or less thick would be the best option for a lid placement, to prevent catching on a laptop bag, but performance varies so it is important to test multiple options before settling on one.\u00a0<br><br>Testing RFID tags are essential for all assets, because of the variation in read ranges that are documented by the vendor.\u00a0 If your assets are exposed to liquid or metal, even if the hand of an employee is blocking the tag, it can lead to an inaccurate result.\u00a0 Test different tags on all the different makes and models of laptops to ensure the tag or tags you choose will work in your environment.\u00a0 Placing the laptop in various locations and orientations is also important, as performance can also vary from one spot to another.\u00a0<br><br>When security is required, a passive RFID tag will not be a viable option.\u00a0 They cannot read through metal or liquid, so\u00a0it\u00a0can be blocked when moving past a fixed reader.\u00a0 Using active RFID tags will provide you with better read rates because they have less interference from metal and liquid.\u00a0 Active tags can also provide motion and tamper detection, which is a much better option for security purposes.\u00a0 The downside is that the size of the tag will be much larger, as an active RFID tag has its own internal battery.\u00a0 Larger tags, however, can act as a\u00a0deterrent\u00a0to criminals.\u00a0<br><br>Find\u00a0out\u00a0more about our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inlogic.com\/rfid-asset-tracking\">RFID Asset Tracking<\/a> solutions by clicking on our Solutions Overview.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tracking IT assets such as laptops poses interesting problems, especially when you have\u00a0security\u00a0requirements.\u00a0Some specific challenges seen with laptop tracking includes:\u00a0 Metal&nbsp; Ensuring good read rates&nbsp; Tag placement&nbsp; Laptops\u00a0generally have\u00a0a significant amount of metal on them, so using passive RFID tags can be a\u00a0challenge.\u00a0 Sometimes laptops have a plastic outer layer, however the metal inside the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":47,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2,26,24,11,17,19,27,30,29,28,31,14,13,25,16,18,6,23,9,10,12,15,20,21,33,32,22],"class_list":["post-45","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asset-tracking","tag-active-rfid","tag-asset-audit","tag-asset-management-software","tag-asset-tracking","tag-computer-tracking","tag-inlogic-rfid-tracking","tag-inventory-audit","tag-it-asset-audits","tag-it-asset-compliance","tag-it-asset-inventory","tag-it-asset-property-management","tag-it-assets","tag-laptop-tracking","tag-metal-asset-rfid-tracking","tag-metal-mount-tags","tag-metal-rfid-tags","tag-passive-rfid","tag-read-range-of-rfid","tag-rfid","tag-rfid-asset-tags","tag-rfid-it-asset","tag-rfid-security-options","tag-rfid-tag-options","tag-rfid-testing-assets","tag-saas","tag-software-as-a-service","tag-tag-placement-options"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inlogic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inlogic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inlogic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inlogic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inlogic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.inlogic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":95,"href":"https:\/\/www.inlogic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45\/revisions\/95"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inlogic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inlogic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inlogic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inlogic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}