Chaos Review

RFID is an acronym for Radio Frequency IDentification and refers to a collection of related technologies that work on various ranges of radio frequency waves. There are countless applications in numerous industries.

Some example applications include smartcards and keyfobs for contactless payment or secure entry, tracking of assets (SCM - Supply Chain Management) or parts (Inventory Control), tracking of animals (via subcutaneous impant of a small chip), forklift automation in warehouses, identity cards (including smart passports) and many more.

RFID suffers from a perception in consumers that it can be used to track human beings from satellites. The tracking part is potentially true, but not via satellites. To track people would require installing RFID readers essentially every 30 feet or so. Currently, the DHS (US Dept of Homeland Security) is against this use of RFID.


There are a variety of technical problems with current radio frequency technology, which is why a number of alternatives are being explored by various companies. (I’ll discuss them here in the future, or point to an appropriate resource.) This includes VLID (Visible Light IDentification), RuBee, and others.

More info: RFID Gazette.