Choosing the Most Suitable Manufacturer for your RFID Hardware
In the quest of looking for the appropriate manufacturer for your Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) hardware, there will be a lot of dynamics that needs to be taken care of like when you're looking for a product. Some of these dynamics are cost, deliverability, quality and steadfastness. However, there will still be a lot more elements to be considered including the ones I mentioned earlier. This article will enlighten the readers into what needs to be reflected when selecting a manufacturer for your RFID hardware and why?
Manufacturer's General Standards
Have you ever manufactured something? If not, then you should expect these certain things from any manufacturer:
In our progressively borderless civilization having a manufacturer who comprehends and fulfills to not only their country's regulations but with import and export rules of any country is mandatory. Manufacturing RFID equipment has a lot more elements to take into account.
Guidelines, Standards and Compliance
ISO, EPC, RoHS, CSG2. These are just a few of the abbreviations you will come across in the world of RFID and wireless technologies. Standards and compliances advanced for everything from communication protocols and admissible frequency ranges to hazardous material and transmission or output power restrictions, of which you need to be conscious before you begin making and distributing your RFID products either nationally or internationally.
Odds are that if you've established your product you've already looked into a number of ISO and other standards. ISO (The International Organization for Standardization ) has issued standards covering everything from how to track animals such as cattle (ISO 11785) to the air protocol interfaces (ISO 18000 series) allowed for tracking assets in a supply chain to protocols for entire systems such as RTLS (Real-time Location Systems – ISO/IEC 24730). These are all international standards that must be adhered to in RFID hardware design and manufacturing.
Keeping up with all of the standards is tough enough, especially when dealing across multiple RFID application arenas and across international borders. Having a manufacturing company that understands ISO standards makes life a little easier and helps ensure that the right products get delivered to the right place, helping your company avoid not only embarrassment but possibly steep fines or even worse, seized goods!
What about frequency limitations? No matter what technology you are working with whether your market is passive UHF or active Wi-Fi there are restrictions and regulations set around the actual frequencies your systems can communicate across. This means that tags and readers designed to operate across a range of allowable frequencies in one country may not be allowed without special permission – if allowed at all – in another country. Let's take UHF for example.
UHF for EPCglobal Class 1 Generation 2 or ISO 18000-6C tags is defined as a range starting from 860MHz to 960MHz. In North America, this range is unlicensed across the 902MHz to 928MHz range only. In Europe the unlicensed range is restricted to 865.6-867.6. And in some countries the entire UHF range is restricted due to military or other government use. This means that a reader developed to operate on the North America frequency may be completely illegal in Europe and a tag designed specifically for operation in North America may not perform as well in Europe. Consider what happens if your manufacturer should ship a NA certified reader to Europe? Besides the expense of having to receive the wrong reader and reship the right reader, there could be other replacement costs and customer satisfaction issues.
There are transmit, or output, power restrictions. While some countries have frequency restrictions others have power restrictions and some countries have both. It pays to know this – or have a manufacturer that does. And don't forget RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive). This is the restriction of the use of specific hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, for instance - lead content, and is a standard issued by the European Union and compliance is a must.
Conclusion
Once again, there are numerous things that need to be deliberated when looking the suitable manufacturer for your product. And we just hit the tip of the familiar iceberg. However, having a little information can go a long way. Doing a comparison between RFID manufacturers in relation to their expertise and experience can help you in weighing your decisions. With that in mind, remember the following:
Some RFID hardware manufacturers, such as The RFID Network, offer many of the above criteria along with additional services and also have a number of desirable industry certifications.
Always keep in mind that whatever is your choice, it is so much better to do your research ahead of time.
Manufacturer's General Standards
Have you ever manufactured something? If not, then you should expect these certain things from any manufacturer:
- The data and dexterity to yield your plans and turn them into a product
- Exceptional quality control
- On-time and steady delivery
- Rational and reliable cost
- Respectable customer service.
In our progressively borderless civilization having a manufacturer who comprehends and fulfills to not only their country's regulations but with import and export rules of any country is mandatory. Manufacturing RFID equipment has a lot more elements to take into account.
Guidelines, Standards and Compliance
ISO, EPC, RoHS, CSG2. These are just a few of the abbreviations you will come across in the world of RFID and wireless technologies. Standards and compliances advanced for everything from communication protocols and admissible frequency ranges to hazardous material and transmission or output power restrictions, of which you need to be conscious before you begin making and distributing your RFID products either nationally or internationally.
- ISO Standards
Odds are that if you've established your product you've already looked into a number of ISO and other standards. ISO (The International Organization for Standardization ) has issued standards covering everything from how to track animals such as cattle (ISO 11785) to the air protocol interfaces (ISO 18000 series) allowed for tracking assets in a supply chain to protocols for entire systems such as RTLS (Real-time Location Systems – ISO/IEC 24730). These are all international standards that must be adhered to in RFID hardware design and manufacturing.
Keeping up with all of the standards is tough enough, especially when dealing across multiple RFID application arenas and across international borders. Having a manufacturing company that understands ISO standards makes life a little easier and helps ensure that the right products get delivered to the right place, helping your company avoid not only embarrassment but possibly steep fines or even worse, seized goods!
- Frequency Budget – Range license?
What about frequency limitations? No matter what technology you are working with whether your market is passive UHF or active Wi-Fi there are restrictions and regulations set around the actual frequencies your systems can communicate across. This means that tags and readers designed to operate across a range of allowable frequencies in one country may not be allowed without special permission – if allowed at all – in another country. Let's take UHF for example.
UHF for EPCglobal Class 1 Generation 2 or ISO 18000-6C tags is defined as a range starting from 860MHz to 960MHz. In North America, this range is unlicensed across the 902MHz to 928MHz range only. In Europe the unlicensed range is restricted to 865.6-867.6. And in some countries the entire UHF range is restricted due to military or other government use. This means that a reader developed to operate on the North America frequency may be completely illegal in Europe and a tag designed specifically for operation in North America may not perform as well in Europe. Consider what happens if your manufacturer should ship a NA certified reader to Europe? Besides the expense of having to receive the wrong reader and reship the right reader, there could be other replacement costs and customer satisfaction issues.
- Etcetera
There are transmit, or output, power restrictions. While some countries have frequency restrictions others have power restrictions and some countries have both. It pays to know this – or have a manufacturer that does. And don't forget RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive). This is the restriction of the use of specific hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, for instance - lead content, and is a standard issued by the European Union and compliance is a must.
Conclusion
Once again, there are numerous things that need to be deliberated when looking the suitable manufacturer for your product. And we just hit the tip of the familiar iceberg. However, having a little information can go a long way. Doing a comparison between RFID manufacturers in relation to their expertise and experience can help you in weighing your decisions. With that in mind, remember the following:
- First, visit the manufacturer's website. See what services they offer, what product development they've done in the past and who some of their clients are.
- If they already develop RFID equipment, find out what kind of quality and consistency they've had in manufacturing and delivering those products. Some manufactures, when asked, may agree to give you reference contact information so you can talk to some of their clients directly.
- Don't forget costs. Costs should be competitive with other RFID manufacturers. However, keep in mind sometimes paying a higher cost gains you more.
Some RFID hardware manufacturers, such as The RFID Network, offer many of the above criteria along with additional services and also have a number of desirable industry certifications.
Always keep in mind that whatever is your choice, it is so much better to do your research ahead of time.