Low Frequency RFID Tag
LF tags have longer wavelengths than UHF and HF and can be activated behind thin metal substances (HF RFID cannot). They are also more likely to work in environments with high water content.
These tags come in several form factors including cards, glass tube, coil and plastic brick. They are used in opportunities requiring a small footprint and excel when mounted on or in metal.
What is LF RFID Tag?
The Low Frequency system’s working frequency is conventionally between 120-134 kHz. This is the most popular tag technology and used globally as it doesn’t require any licensing impediments. It also performs well in close proximity with metals and liquids which can interfere with other RFID frequencies.
LF tags use magnetic coupling to communicate with their readers. They can be LF RFID Tag affixed to a variety of surfaces, and can be used to track tools, equipment, inventory, assets, or even people. They have a read range of a few centimeters up to about a meter in length, depending on the application and reader/antenna configuration.
There are two common types of LF RFID tags: passive and active. Passive tags don’t actively radiate a signal until they receive a reader signal, and thus can conserve battery power. They are commonly found on items such as keys and RFID cards. Active tags can be powered on and “woken up” by a reader signal, and then continuously transmit data to the reader. They are often used on things such as luggage, containers, and vehicles.
LF RFID tags are typically made from durable plastics that can resist chemical and mechanical damage. They can be attached to a variety of surfaces, and can withstand high temperatures. Some LF RFID tags are specially designed for use in harsh environments. For example, the LF Nail Tag is a rugged, weatherproof tag that can be embedded in a nail and used for tagging tress, wood assets, or pallets for transportation.
LF RFID Technology
RFID systems are categorized according to the frequency they operate at. LF (Low Frequency) tags work in the 120-134 kHz frequency range and are designed to be used for identification of items over short distances without the need of line of sight. They are also used to replace existing bar code solutions in many applications. LF tags are designed to work with all kinds of materials and are less sensitive to interference from water, metals, and electromagnetic signals that occur at higher frequencies.
Unlike HF (High Frequency) tags, LF tags do not have an antenna made of copper wire and are smaller in size. They are often molded into plastics to make them waterproof and more durable. They can be used to track assets in a warehouse, monitor inventory in a store, and manage goods on a pallet. In addition, LF tags are compatible with all common RF standards and are commonly found in e-payment systems, proximity card payment and access control, and in hotel key cards.
LF tags can be easily inserted into a key chain for use in access control. They can also be embedded into a glass ampoule for animal tracking. Specialized LF 125 kHz tags are available to attach to wooden assets like pallets and to tag trees for forestry and construction applications.
LF RFID Applications
A typical LF RFID tag is passive, meaning it conserves battery power by only transmitting when powered by an interrogator. When a reader sends an RF signal to a passive LF RFID tag, it is “woken up” and then returns the radio signal back to the reader (this is called tag backscatter). Because of this interaction, passive LF tags require less power than active tags and have shorter read ranges.
Regular LF RFID tags use frequencies from 30 KHz to 300 KHz, with the most common frequency at around 125 KHz. LF RFID systems are commonly used in access control, laundry, animal identification, automotive control as vehicle immobilizers and various point-of-sale applications (such as Mobil/Exxon SpeedPass).
In addition to their short read range and lower cost, LF RFID waves can penetrate thin metal substances such as fruits and liquids – something that can’t be achieved with higher-frequency RFID. This is also what makes LF tags ideal mifare desfire 4k for animal tracking, as they can be implanted into animals and read through their bodies.
Retailers also find LF RFID technology very beneficial, as it can be used to locate merchandise, minimizing out-of-stock situations and providing customers with a seamless shopping experience. For example, apparel wholesaler Advanced Apparel uses RFID to track inventory from the warehouse shelf all the way down to the sales floor. By leveraging real-time data, the company can pinpoint product location in its stores and better predict how much stock it will need to have on hand.
LF RFID Cost
RFID stands for radio-frequency identification and involves using specialized antennas to capture data encoded on smart labels (or tags). This is done through the transmission of radio waves that communicate between the RFID reader/antenna and the tag. RFID technology is part of a larger group of automatic identification and data collection tools that can identify objects, collect information about those objects, and send the collected information to a computer system without the need for manual human interaction.
There are three different radio frequency bands that RFID systems use; low, high, and ultra-high frequencies. Each frequency band behaves differently and has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Low Frequency (LF) uses 135 kHz and has a read range of 1-2 inches. It’s ideal for things like access control, laundry, animal ID and point-of-sale applications. These RFID systems are also commonly used as embedded in ID cards, key Fobs for access/parking control and authentication, event attendance management, ticketing and card payments.
These LF systems can be passive or active and have many form factors such as keyfobs, cable tie mounts, tamper protection etc. They can be made to withstand harsh environments and come with options for special features including temperature or shock monitoring integrated into the tag. LF tags are a cost-effective solution for a wide variety of RFID applications.