Last week, I wrote a piece that covered the installation of RFID-activated gate arms at a University in Washington State. While RFID is a topic I’ve written about on occasion, I always wanted to do more than scratch the surface of this technology. To clarify, RFID is a method of utilizing radio frequencies that entails a system of tag readers to easily identify items and specific information about the particular object. RFID works by an “interrogator” using an antenna that emits a signal to the tag, which responds with the information its memory bank contains.

The interrogator then transmits the results to an RFID computer program where it is evaluated. While there are some distinct advantages and disadvantages to RFID technology, it’s nonetheless proven to be an efficient system that many industries have adopted in some way. The infographic below gets into more detail on better defining what RFID is, its advantages, flaws, and what specific situations this technology is used.