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No More Barcodes? RFID by Barcoding Offers Solutions and Services that Could Phase Out Barcodes

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No More Barcodes? RFID by Barcoding Offers Solutions and Services that Could Phase Out Barcodes

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January 28, 2014

By Daniel Brecht, Contributing Writer


Fifteen years after its launch, Barcoding, Inc. is still going strong today as a national systems integrator, specializing in the development of complete, end-to-end enterprise mobility solutions that are customized to meet its clients’ needs for automated data capture and wireless technology, says Jay Steinmetz, CEO of Barcoding, Inc. Based in Baltimore, MD, serving a nationwide customer base of more than 2,500, the company continues to focus on its areas of expertise: to expand its RFID capabilities and advance its barcode solutions to improve the hardware and software programs that are used to generate a barcode.


For years, Led by industry veteran Tom O’Boyle, Barcoding, Inc. has been focusing on its latest data capture solutions using practical implementation of RFID technology (passive and active RFID tags) that can empower clients to achieve greater visibility in their business. An RFID tag (News - Alert)/chip is an electronic component that uses intelligent bar codes to track things. It features read/write technology, which enables tag reading (from a great distance). RFID eliminates the need for a direct line of sight to the tag in order to read it. Tags are configured to respond and receive signals from a RFID transceiver. The RFID readers can simultaneously read and write to hundreds of tags within their read field.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology can automate operations in a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, warehouse and distribution. Eventually, modern RFID chips could phase out old-fashioned barcodes because “[they] can be programmed and reprogrammed, making them a dynamic part of a data collection solution where barcodes are printed once and then reprinted each time information changes”, explains Barcoding, Inc. on its website. However, due to the low cost of manufacturing barcodes, unlike RFID tags that are expensive to produce, the change may not happen right away. For the moment, RFID is gradually replacing the barcode system and has gained wide acceptance in several businesses. Near-term futurists do believe the day will come (not too far from now) when RFID will be as cost-effective as bar code labels.

Vendors like Socket Communications (News - Alert) has even created the CompactFlash (CF) RFID Reader-Scan Card Series 6, the scanner that combines RFID and barcode scanning technology in a single device to provide for data collection implementations requiring both technologies.

For now, both the barcode and RFID (that consists of an antenna, transceiver and transponder) are commonly used as wireless technologies to either to read or write (or both) information; unlike barcodes, RFID tags can be used as write and read devices. There are, of course, some other dissimilarities that makes one more practical than the other depending on the use. A barcode uses optical laser whereas the latter uses radio frequency (RF) that automate the process of collecting data. Nonetheless, each method is apt to keep track of inventory or equipment count (checked in and checked out).

The advantages of RFID over barcode readings is as follows: RFID is the more established automatic identification and data collection (AIDC) technology that is able to outperform a bar code system. RFID is a unique item-level identification system that can process dynamic data (having the memory capacity for more data, unlike the barcode that is static, read-only). RFID offers a better read rate (is 15-20 times faster than the barcode process), range (several feet compared to inches as the barcode requires line of sight to capture readings) and data storage (2KB, in contrast to a typical barcode that represents just 10-12 digits).

Such factors make RFID a good choice and more suited for some customer’s needs: It does not require human intervention, which is different for barcoding that requires an individual to scan items, and has a 98 to 99.9 percent inventory accuracy rate. Furthermore, barcodes are limited in the type and amount of data they can present, unlike RFID that has different tag types and frequencies, each designed for specific types of applications.

According to a post by PRLog on its website on Monday, Barcoding continues to grow (its RFID products such as tags, readers, software/services are selling vastly as shown in the market and per findings reported by IDTechEx that conveys RFID is evolving as a major technology) and expand their team of experts. The company is taking a systematic approach in the design, development, implementation, and advancement of RFID to provide clients with the best solutions tailored to their industry.

RFID by Barcoding offers the following solutions and services:

  • Its premier asset-tracking software, RFID RealView. “Using UHF standard passive RFID tags and readers, RFID RealView gives companies real-time location visibility of user-definable assets... It allow for better inventory control and optimized manufacturing lines,” reports the PRLog post on behalf of Barcoding, Inc.
  • The hardware needed for a completely integrated RFID system – tags, readers, printers, handhelds, and antennae.
  • A line of CaptureTech RFID Specialty Products, including the KeyCop (an RFID-enabled key management system) and the IntellEseal I (a tamper-evident, indicative seal), which can “provide customers with flexible, customizable solutions to meet their business’ needs,” as noted PRLog.
  • Accompanying Barcoding’s Chicago office, the Technology Integration Center (TIC), a real-world warehousing and manufacturing environment, is available to help “companies understand and compare RFID, barcode and voice-directed technology to determine the best fit.”

As stated by PRLog, all solutions are deployed via the Barcoding GoLive Services & StayLive Services – full lifecycle management. To learn more about RFID by Barcoding and its solutions and services, companies and individuals alike can visit the official website. Coming soon: A close-up presentation of Barcoding’s RFID solutions, including RFID RealView, in booth #3027 at Modex 2014, to be held March 17-20, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. 




Edited by Cassandra Tucker

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