RFID Glossary
Active tag - Also known as a battery-assisted tag, an RFID tag with a power source to power the chip.
Alignment - The orientation of the tag to the interrogator (reader).
Antenna - The conductive element that enables an RFID tag to send and receive data. Antennae are traditionally made of copper or aluminum, but can also be printed with conductive inks.
Class 0 - An inlay that can only be read.
Class I - An inlay that can be written to once and read many times.
Class II - An inlay that can be written to and read many times.
EPC - Electronic Product Code. An identification scheme for universally identifying physical objects via RFID tags and other means.
EPC reader - An RFID reader that complies with the EPCglobal standard.
EPC tag - RFID tag that complies with the EPCglobal standard and contains an Electronic Product Code™ (EPC).
Frequency - The number of cycles of a complete wave within one second. One Hz equals one complete waveform in one second. RFID tags use low, high, ultra-high, and microwave frequencies.
High frequency (HF) - 13.56 MHz
Integrated circuit - A microelectronic semiconductor device which can consist of several thousands or millions of interconnected transistors and other components. Most RFID tags have ICs. Also known as a chip.
Interrogator - An electronic device that remotely interrogates the data on an RFID tag and may be able to read or read-write the tag.
Low frequency (LF) - 125 KHz
Passive tags - An RFID tag with no power source. Its source of power is the reading device.
Programmability - The ability of an RFID tag to have data written to it.
Range - The distance at which an RFID tag can be read or written to.
Read - The translating of data found in an RFID tag into information usable by a computer.
Read range - The maximum distance at which a reader can send data to or receive data from an RFID tag.
Read rate - The fastest rate at which data can be read from an RFID tag.
Read-write tag - An RFID tag that is capable of receiving, storing, and transmitting digital information.
Read-only tags - RFID tags containing data that can only be read and cannot be reprogrammed.
RFID reader - Also known as an interrogator or a reader, an RFID reader communicates via radio waves with RFID tags and delivers information in a digital format to a computer system.
Semi-passive tags - A kind of RFID tag that has a power source, but does not use a battery to communicate with the reader.
Standard - A specification for hardware, software, or data that is either widely used and accepted, or is sanctioned by a standards organization.
Strap - The interconnection between the integrated circuit and the radio frequency antenna.
Tag - Also called a transponder.
Transponder - A radio transmitter-receiver that is activated by a predetermined signal.
Ultra-high frequency (UHF) - Frequency range from 869 to 960 MHz.
Wafer - A disk of semiconductor material that forms the base on which a number of integrated circuits are built.
Write - The transfer of data to a tag and the tag’s internal operation in storing the data.
Write range - The distance between a reader and an RFID tag over which data writing can be performed.
