Back in April 2008, the Omni-ID Prox™ was second runner-up for the “Best in Show” Award at RFID Journal Live. We were all happy to be in the top 3 with our new product. But I immediately said to Tom, “Want to be in the top 3 again? Then we need to make a 100-foot tag.”

Long Range RFID Test Results

It’s over a year later, and the 100-foot RFID tag is now a reality. It’s an incredible breakthrough that we call the “Ultra”™. Before the Ultra, the longest range for passive tags had been about 60 feet. No RFID tag even approached a 100-foot read range. Watch the video to see the test results.

The reason 100 feet is such a big deal is that for the first time, a passive tag can work in applications previously reserved for semi passive and active tags. The annoying thing about active tags is the battery. I don’t mind the source of power, but what bothers me is the maintenance. They fail just when you need them most. I was one of the first engineers using those little solar-powered calculators, and it always had power. Passive tags are the same way – there is no battery to fail, they just work!

Real World Uses for 100 Foot Read Range Passive Tags

I live in New York, and we East-Coasters have to pay to use freeways. We all have an EZPass on our car, and in it is an active RFID tag. Passive tags have never worked for that application before, because a) cars are made of metal, and b) the signal just wasn’t strong enough to read from a tollbooth to a moving car.  In the current market, windshield passive tags are already taking over, and the Ultra can handle just about any traffic pattern or transport situation. Clearly there is a savings here not to mention the batteries that don’t have to be recycled.  Imagine, 100,000 people with EZPass changing their batteries every two years, in ten years that’s 500,000 batteries that have to be recycled!

RFID enthusiasts are always looking for better ways to track assets.  The Ultra passive tag is a cheaper and greener solution, and it won’t take long for this great technology to find all kinds of applications.   I can imagine – and I’ve discussed with customers – some interesting new uses for this long-range, battery-free tag, including:

• Use by airlines on Unit Load Containers to enable RFID asset tracking in air transport
• Use on parade floats – RFID signals would trigger special effects as the float passes an area
• Tracking of vehicle rental fleets – RFID ensures accurate vehicle return information
• Use on large equipment for asset tracking and maintenance records
• Use on containers for port entry identification
• Use on Public transit vehicles for real time tracking, buses, trains, taxis, etc.
• Use on power stations, transformers, and transmission line poles, as long range ID
• Use in shipyard and oil rig asset tracking systems

I’m sure you can think of many more uses that haven’t yet occurred to me!

Andre Coté

CTO and Vice President of Product Management

In 2009, Omni-ID launched a suite of industrial RFID products, including the new Max Pro tag, Max HD tag, and the Ultra.

As the company’s CTO and VP of Product Development, I’d like to say a few words about how and why these products were developed. Omni-ID has a development team in the UK that includes scientists, engineers, and product developers. This is the team that developed the Prox, and it’s their expertise that has taken our technology to the next level.

VIDEO: See How It Works

Modeling Software for RFID Design Optimization

Our scientists have created world-class modeling software. It took some time to build, but with this software, we can truly understand every aspect of how our RFID tags work, including each point where signal is lost. Using this modeling software, we were able to test and optimize designs for minimal signal loss – and maximum read range. Really, this software is what enabled us to take advantage of the plasmonic structure and develop tags with such long read ranges. It’s also the modeling software that has allowed us to create a broadband tag.

Once our scientists have a good product concept model, they hand it to our team of engineers and product developers, who use the latest materials and design techniques to make the model work. Our line of industrial tags has an extremely robust design. We use silicon grommets between the inner core and the polycarbonate case, isolating it from shock and vibe and from heat transfer. Once these products are closed up, you can throw them around, drive over them, or whatever, and they won’t be damaged. We could have called the largest of these tags “The Tank” but marketing wouldn’t allow it.

Broadband Capability in Industrial-Strength RFID Tags

On top of the amazing read range and rugged design, two of our industrial tags have broadband capability. We have several patents pending on the dielectric core and the antenna design. It’s these two technologies, working together in an optimized design, which enabled us to create a tag with a broadband RF range instead of a single peak. Effective broadband read range on metal for a passive tag – another first for our industry.

The credit for these new developments belongs with our stellar development team, and I’d like to thank them publicly for the work they’ve done. I doubt, however, that they’ll come and read this blog – they’re already heads-down, working on our next set of products!

Andre Coté

CTO and Vice President of Product Management