On RFID

Picture this: It is 1946 and World War II has recently ended. Tensions are high, however, between the United States and the (then) U.S.S.R. Russian inventor Léon Theremin, who has twenty-six years earlier invented one of the first electronic instruments, the theremin, was imprisoned and forced to work on scientific research to help the Russians in the impending Cold War with the Americans. Under these conditions, Theremin invented a listening device dubbed "The Thing." It is the first electronic listening device (commonly known as a "bug"). The Thing used passive electromagnetic induction to transmit an audio signal. It was also the precursor to modern-day RFID technology.

Generally speaking, RFID tags are composed of an integrated circuit that stores and processes information, and modulates and demodulates a radio frequency signal. A separate component is comprised of an antenna, which transmits and receives the signal. There are three common types of RFID tag:

1. Active RFID tags, which use a batter to transmit signals autonomously;
2. passive RFID tags, which need an external source to make a transmission (like Theremin's Thing);
3. and battery assisted passive RFID tags, which also need an external source to provoke a transmission, but have a greater range than mere passive RFID tags.

RFID is actually one of the fastest-growing segments of the networking industry. It finds wide application across just about every field:

• Asset Tracking
• Asset Management
• Product Tracking
• Theft Prevention
• Inventory Systems
• Sporting Events Regulation
• Passports and Identification
• Mobile Payment
• Transportation Payment
• Transportation and Logistics
• Animal Identification
• Library Systems
• Education
• Museums

Over the next few weeks, we're going to delve into some aspects of RFID as it relates to networking. Stay tuned!