RFID Inside Track- April 2007

DEPLOYING UHF GEN 2 RFID
FIVE FACTORS FOR SUCCESS

RFID system performance hinges on tag and reader performance. Tags and readers form the bedrock of any RFID system deployment: They gate the physical implementation of the RFID architecture, bound the system performance, and are fundamental to overall data accuracy and reliability. In this light, tag and reader performance is a major determinant of the total cost of ownership and the resulting ROI of any RFID system. If you are deploying, supplying, or otherwise working with UHF Gen 2 systems, below are five essential attributes that ultimately determine the quality and performance of your RFID implementation.

1. Standards Compliance: EPCglobal certification for conformance and interoperability is essential to RFID performance. You need to know why it matters.

2. Performance: Tag and reader sensitivity is only part of the equation; your system components must also be able to reject interference. This is the essence of receptivity, and one of the keys to read reliability. But there are other aspects of performance that are equally important.

3. Flexibility: Tag chip and reader adaptability combine with application-specific reader presets to yield solutions that precisely fit your needs. The importance of this attribute comes to light when you discover the myriad ways tag and reader products are not created equal.

4. Quality & Reliability: Robust manufacturing and exhaustive stress-testing lay the foundation for a production-proven solution. But before quality and reliability are tested-in, they must first
be designed-in.

5. Delivery: A dependable supply of high quality, top-performing products begins with an industry leader—the best assurance of a smooth, trouble-free RFID experience. Do you know how to evaluate your RFID suppliers?

For a closer look at how each of these five factors impact RFID tag chips, readers, and systems solutions, our series of "Five Factor" white papers explains it all.

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INDUSTRY INSIDER: ADT
INTERVIEW WITH LYNN DAVIS

Lynn Davis, Business Development Manager, RFID Solutions ADT Security Services, Inc., provides background on ADT’s markets, reader selection, and value to products.
Read the interview ...

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VIEW INSIDE: CEPHALON
IMPROVING PATIENT SAFETY WITH RFID-ENABLED
PACKAGING AND LOGISTICS

Cephalon began evaluating RFID technology in 2004, completing the initial phase of the pilot program in December 2005. This phase captured the movements of placebo product and prototype packaging in a distribution center. Phase two of the pilot program, completed in July 2006, consisted of shipping tagged product to an RFID-enabled wholesaler. Cephalon is currently implementing phase three of the pilot program, testing RFID-tagged cases and pallets in a manufacturing environment.

Read the Case Study ...

“The tremendous improvement in read rates when comparing Gen 2 to Gen 1 is nothing short of phenomenal. The benefits associated with implementing Gen 2 technologies are evident.”

Randy Bradway
Vice President Commercial Operations
Cephalon Inc.

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DID YOU KNOW?
READER-TO-TAG COMMUNICATIONS USING UHF GEN 2 ARE 60 TIMES MORE EFFICIENT THAN HF TAGGING SOLUTIONS

In fact, fundamental physics clearly favors UHF over the conventional HF solutions for item-level tagging (ILT) applications. By exploiting the magnetic near-field component of the RF wave, the many benefits of UHF Gen 2 were brought to ILT and the result is vastly improved performance over HF solutions. A brief consultation with Faraday’s Law shows that the intensity of UHF’s magnetic near-field coupling is ~60 times greater than that of HF. That means superior read reliability and better performance all around. This inherent advantage, combined with the robust nature of the Gen 2 protocol, its low cost, and ubiquity of supply, make it the natural choice for ILT. Furthermore, it means that a single RFID infrastructure can now address all supply-chain RFID needs from pallets to items—and do so worldwide. For more information, see UHF Gen 2 for Item-Level Tagging. And don't miss the series of item-level tagging videos.

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RFID RESOURCE CENTER

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	DEPLOYING UHF GEN 2 RFID FIVE FACTORS FOR SUCCESS RFID system performance hinges on tag and reader performance. Tags and readers form the bedrock of any RFID system deployment: They gate the physical implementation of the RFID architecture, bound the system performance, and are fundamental to overall data accuracy and reliability. In this light, tag and reader performance is a major determinant of the total cost of ownership and the resulting ROI of any RFID system. If you are deploying, supplying, or otherwise working with UHF Gen 2 systems, below are five essential attributes that ultimately determine the quality and performance of your RFID implementation. 1. Standards Compliance: EPCglobal certification for conformance and interoperability is essential to RFID performance. You need to know why it matters. 2. Performance: Tag and reader sensitivity is only part of the equation; your system components must also be able to reject interference. This is the essence of receptivity, and one of the keys to read reliability. But there are other aspects of performance that are equally important. 3. Flexibility: Tag chip and reader adaptability combine with application-specific reader presets to yield solutions that precisely fit your needs. The importance of this attribute comes to light when you discover the myriad ways tag and reader products are not created equal. 4. Quality & Reliability: Robust manufacturing and exhaustive stress-testing lay the foundation for a production-proven solution. But before quality and reliability are tested-in, they must first be designed-in. 5. Delivery: A dependable supply of high quality, top-performing products begins with an industry leader—the best assurance of a smooth, trouble-free RFID experience. Do you know how to evaluate your RFID suppliers? For a closer look at how each of these five factors impact RFID tag chips, readers, and systems solutions, our series of "Five Factor" white papers explains it all. ________________________________________________________________________________ INDUSTRY INSIDER: ADT INTERVIEW WITH LYNN DAVIS Lynn Davis, Business Development Manager, RFID Solutions ADT Security Services, Inc., provides background on ADT’s markets, reader selection, and value to products. Read the interview ... ________________________________________________________________________________ VIEW INSIDE: CEPHALON IMPROVING PATIENT SAFETY WITH RFID-ENABLED PACKAGING AND LOGISTICS Cephalon began evaluating RFID technology in 2004, completing the initial phase of the pilot program in December 2005. This phase captured the movements of placebo product and prototype packaging in a distribution center. Phase two of the pilot program, completed in July 2006, consisted of shipping tagged product to an RFID-enabled wholesaler. Cephalon is currently implementing phase three of the pilot program, testing RFID-tagged cases and pallets in a manufacturing environment. Read the Case Study ... “The tremendous improvement in read rates when comparing Gen 2 to Gen 1 is nothing short of phenomenal. The benefits associated with implementing Gen 2 technologies are evident.” Randy Bradway Vice President Commercial Operations Cephalon Inc. ________________________________________________________________________________ DID YOU KNOW? READER-TO-TAG COMMUNICATIONS USING UHF GEN 2 ARE 60 TIMES MORE EFFICIENT THAN HF TAGGING SOLUTIONS In fact, fundamental physics clearly favors UHF over the conventional HF solutions for item-level tagging (ILT) applications. By exploiting the magnetic near-field component of the RF wave, the many benefits of UHF Gen 2 were brought to ILT and the result is vastly improved performance over HF solutions. A brief consultation with Faraday’s Law shows that the intensity of UHF’s magnetic near-field coupling is ~60 times greater than that of HF. That means superior read reliability and better performance all around. This inherent advantage, combined with the robust nature of the Gen 2 protocol, its low cost, and ubiquity of supply, make it the natural choice for ILT. Furthermore, it means that a single RFID infrastructure can now address all supply-chain RFID needs from pallets to items—and do so worldwide. For more information, see UHF Gen 2 for Item-Level Tagging. And don't miss the series of item-level tagging videos. ________________________________________________________________________________ RFID RESOURCE CENTER The Gen 2 Story: Charting the Path to RFID that Just Works™ Impinj Support and Documentation Center ________________________________________________________________________________ RECENT NEWS Impinj and METRO Group to Jointly Develop UHF RFID Item-Level Solution for Tagging Garments Impinj and MD Sign Agreement to Deploy RFID in Spain and Portugal Impinj Speedway™ Gen 2 RFID Reader Debuts in Europe Ingram Micro to Distribute Impinj’s Speedway™ RFID Reader in North America Purdue Pharma Selects Impinj Gen 2 RFID Item-level Tagging Technology © 2007, Impinj, Inc.	Upcoming Events RFID World Asia 2007 4.25.07 – 4.27.07 RFID World Asia 2007 is the largest gathering of the region's elite circle of RFID practitioners. Come see Impinj in action in exhibit space 4L05. Learn more ... RFID Journal Live! 2007 4.30.07 – 5.2.07 Get everything you need to put RFID to work at the largest RFID conference and exhibition sponsored by this leading RFID publication. See Impinj's industry demonstrations in booth # 917. Learn more ... FEEDBACK Is there an RFID-related topic you’d like to see covered in future issues? Did you find this newsletter helpful? Please send your comments, questions, and suggestions to RFIDinsidetrack@impinj.com