UHF RFID Tags

How to pick a UHF RFID tag

Passive UHF tags have no battery. They are powered by the reader's signal, so one fixed or handheld reader can identify many tags at once from several metres away. In India, UHF RFID works in the 865–868 MHz band, and tags rated 860–960 MHz cover it. This category is mostly rugged hard tags; for paper and film labels see UHF RFID inlays & labels.

Start with the surface. A standard tag stops reading when fixed on steel, so metal assets need an on-metal tag, while pallet tags are tuned for plastic and wood. Then match size, fixing method and read range to the asset.

Tag types in this range

Find a tag by job

What to check before you order

• Read range. Quoted figures are maximums under good conditions. On-metal tags here run from about 2 m (IDTS-2626) to 15 m or more (UMLT, Encore), and a handheld usually reads shorter than a fixed reader.
• Fixing. Choose adhesive, screws, rivets, a threaded stud, a clamp, a cable tie or magnets to suit the asset and how permanent the tag must be.
• Environment. Check the temperature and IP rating. Parts that pass through ovens, paint shops or autoclaves need a high-temperature tag.
• Memory. Tags carry an EPC number you can encode with your own asset codes. If you need extra data on the tag, check the specs for user memory.

Readers and encoding

For audits, an Android handheld such as the CX1500N reads tags as you walk the site. For dock doors use a fixed reader such as the IHZ4 4-port reader with UHF antennas; for vehicle lanes, a long-range integrated reader such as the IF-12. To write your own numbers into tags at a desk, the 120L desktop reader encodes in batches from an Excel sheet. For more on metal surfaces, read how to choose on-metal RFID tags.