Active Or Passive RFID: What To Use For Home Asset Tracking?
Nowadays, RFID tool tracking systems are already being used in numerous industries and processes, including supply chain management, manufacturing, logistics, emergency response, and education. However, RFID is also increasingly becoming prominent in tracking home assets.
More and more households are now adopting RFID solutions to track and manage their assets and valuables. One advantage that RFID has over the other standard tracking systems is the use of various types of tags. Each RFID tag, whether active RFID or passive RFID, has different attributes that make it ideal for specific situations and applications. When it comes to home asset tracking, certain tags are considered better than others., depending on what is required.
To learn which RFID system is best to use for managing home assets, read on as we will be delving into the key differences between active and passive RFIDs as well as their advantages.
What is Active RFID?
The most prominent feature of an active RFID system is that it utilises sensor tags powered by batteries and connected to different access points throughout an area. These battery-powered sensor tags gather and transmit data to the cloud. In other words, active RFID tags already come with their own set of batteries and internal transmitters.
These internal transmitters, usually in the form of a beacon or transponder, allow the active tags to continuously transfer signals to an RFID reader up to 150 meters away. This ability of the RFID tags makes them ideal tools for businesses that want to track assets in real-time and develop an accurate real-time location system (RTLS).
What is Passive RFID?
Unlike active tags, passive RFID tags do not have their own battery or power source. They usually only consist of a microchip or integrated circuit (IC) attached to an antenna. This is the main difference between active RFID and passive RFID systems. A passive RFID system uses tags with no internal power source and is powered by the electromagnetic energy transferred from an RFID reader.
Because they do not have an internal power source, passive tags usually sit idle and wait until they receive signals from a reader. They are helpful for various applications, such as RFID inventory tracking, access control, file tracking, and smart labels.
Which RFID should be used in tracking home assets?
To identify which RFID system is more suitable for managing home assets, it may be necessary to look into the different advantages that each system can provide. Both RFID systems have specific attributes that allow them to cater to certain situations.
When using active RFID, the benefits that one can receive include:
- Substantial data memory and storage capacity
- Advanced data capabilities
- Long data read range (up to 150 meters)
- Durable and weather-proof active labels
On the other hand, the advantages of using passive RFID are as follows:
- Longer life expectancy
- Wide range of tag options
- Small and lightweight
- Lower costs in comparison to active RFID
Considering the advantages mentioned above, passive RFID systems remain the more practical choice for tracking home assets. The majority of passive RFID tags cost only a few dollars compared to active tags. Hence, they are an inexpensive solution that can already deliver the most important uses of RFID, which the basic home asset tracking requires.
Compared to active RFID systems that are typically the preferable option for manufacturing warehouses, hospitals, and other large industries, passive RFID systems are ideal for home environments that only demand small-scale inventory management and asset tracking. This, coupled with their affordability and longer lifespan, makes passive RFID the better option for a home asset tracking system.
Conclusion
There are substantial differences between active and passive RFIDs. These differences help determine which system is best to use in specific situations. In terms of home asset tracking, the inexpensiveness, long life expectancy, and variety of passive RFID make it a better option than active RFID.
Nonetheless, one can still choose active over passive RFID without any disadvantage. This is because, ultimately, these different RFID tools essentially provide the same solution.
