In this technology battle, the much-hyped Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags goes head to head with the UPC bar code.
Geek Quotient |
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BAR CODE |
EDGE |
RFID |
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| Print out label, stick on object, scan. Not rocket science. |  |
Hmmm…do we know anyone who studied radio waves? | |
Do You See Me? |
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BAR CODE |
EDGE |
RFID |
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| Line-of-sight on item is necessary. |  |
Even if you don’t see the tag, the RFID reader will. | |
The Money, Honey |
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BAR CODE |
EDGE |
RFID |
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| 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? |
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BAR CODE |
EDGE |
RFID |
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| 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 |
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BAR CODE |
EDGE |
RFID |
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| They can’t run their businesses without it. | |
Lots of pilot testing and problems with read rates of tags. | |
Immutable Laws of Physics |
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BAR CODE |
EDGE |
RFID |
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| Scanner reads bar code—if nothing is in the way, no problem. | |
Metals and liquids don’t play nicely with wireless waves. | |
Storage Appetite |
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BAR CODE |
EDGE |
RFID |
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| 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 |
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BAR CODE |
EDGE |
RFID |
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| 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 |
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BAR CODE |
EDGE |
RFID |
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| 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 |
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BAR CODE |
EDGE |
RFID |
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| Works great for manually tracking product. | |
Security and tamper-proof features make for safer medicine. | |
Privacy, Please |
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BAR CODE |
EDGE |
RFID |
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| Printed bar code labels can’t tell anyone much. | |
Passive and active RFID tags can tell anyone a whole lot. | |
Hospital Hotshot |
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BAR CODE |
EDGE |
RFID |
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| 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! |
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SOURCES: CIO.com; About.com; Computerworld; ESJ.com; Informatica.com; RFIDJournal.com.
