Technology Showdown: The Bar Code Versus RFID
The much-hyped RFID challenges the UPC bar code, for decades the tried-and-true, black-striped workhorse of businesses everywhere. Putting them head to head, let's see who wins.
Geek Quotient | |||
BAR CODE | EDGE | RFID | |
| Print out label, stick on object, scan. Not rocket science. |  | Hmmm...do we know anyone who studied radio waves? | |
Do You See Me? | |||
BAR CODE | EDGE | RFID | |
| Line-of-sight on item is necessary. |  | Even if you don't see the tag, the RFID reader will. | |
The Money, Honey | |||
BAR CODE | EDGE | RFID | |
| A label costs fractions of a penny. | | Tag costs vary from 20 cents to a couple of dollars (for specialized tags). | |
You're How Old? | |||
BAR CODE | EDGE | RFID | |
| First commercial use 33 years ago, at a Marsh's supermarket in Troy, Ohio. First item scanned: a pack of gum. | | British forces used RFID-like technology to identify friendly airplanes in World War II. | |
UPS and FedEx Factor | |||
BAR CODE | EDGE | RFID | |
| They can't run their businesses without it. | | Lots of pilot testing and problems with read rates of tags. | |
Immutable Laws of Physics | |||
BAR CODE | EDGE | RFID | |
| Scanner reads bar code—if nothing is in the way, no problem. | | Metals and liquids don't play nicely with wireless waves. | |
Storage Appetite | |||
BAR CODE | EDGE | RFID | |
| POS (point-of-sale) data volumes are growing, but the number of gigabytes is manageable. | | RFID-enabled supply chains can generate 10 to 100 times more information than traditional bar code technology. | |
Toll Booth Suitability | |||
BAR CODE | EDGE | RFID | |
| Not on this highway. | | Turns your toll experience into the Indy 500, if you're willing to risk a speeding ticket. | |
The Wal-Mart Promise | |||
BAR CODE | EDGE | RFID | |
| The boys from Arkansas have been riding this horse for decades to manage shipping and POS data. | | The tantalizing future of retail supply chain—after all of Wal-Mart's suppliers figure out how to actually get it to work. | |
Pharmaceutical Power | |||
BAR CODE | EDGE | RFID | |
| Works great for manually tracking product. | | Security and tamper-proof features make for safer medicine. | |
Privacy, Please | |||
BAR CODE | EDGE | RFID | |
| Printed bar code labels can't tell anyone much. | | Passive and active RFID tags can tell anyone a whole lot. | |
Hospital Hotshot | |||
BAR CODE | EDGE | RFID | |
| Often found on patients' wristbands and stuck on diagnostic equipment, but needs to be seen to be located. | | Can be attached to or implanted in patients and affixed to equipment; can be located anywhere inside the building. | |
WINNER: BAR CODE! | |||
SOURCES: CIO.com; About.com; Computerworld; ESJ.com; Informatica.com; RFIDJournal.com.
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