Issue of Interoperability in Active RFID
Until recently, in the active RFID space, interoperability had not existed. Most players in this space have been keeping their technology proprietary, with variations in frequency allocation and channel utilization, anti-collision, interference avoidance and other factors. Perhaps you are wondering what is the reason for this? There are several. The main reason includes a lack of standardization and a united front pushing for the adoption of one type of technology and the need for interoperability throughout its global supply chain. This is now changing. In part, this movement can be attributed to the U.S. DoD issuing the RFID III solicitation to expand their pool of suppliers of active RFID technology. The RFID III contract requires all transponders and interrogators from all suppliers to comply with ISO 18000-7 standard and be interoperable. The standard itself is being further supported by Dash 7 Alliance (www.dash7.org) whose ultimate goal is to foster improvements and extensions to the ISO 18000-7 standard and encourage the development and promote usage of compliant products. So interoperability seems to be well underway for active RFID!
IDENTEC SOLUTIONS is proud technology partner with two of the four RFID III contracted suppliers for the US Department of Defense, the world’s largest consumer of active RFID technology.
By Eva Zeisel
Director of Operations
