RFID systems can be generally categorized under these 4 categories:

• EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance) systems
• Portable Data Capture systems
• Networked systems
• Positioning systems

Electronic Article Surveillance systems

Electronic Article Surveillance systems are systems that detects the presence of a particular item. The presence of the item is detected when it passes through a area where the reader is placed. This technology is commonly used in retails to detect theft of items by placing large antenna readers at the point of exit and the items are tagged with the apporiate information.

Portable data capture systems

Portable data capture systems are characterised by the use of portable data terminals with integral RFID readers and are used in applications where a high degree of variability in sourcing required data from tagged items may be exhibited. The hand-held readers/portable data terminals capture data which is then either transmitted directly to a host information management system via a radio frequency data communication (RFDC) link or held for delivery by line-linkage to the host on a batch processing basis.

Networked systems

Networked systems applications can generally be characterised by fixed position readers deployed within a given site and connected directly to a networked information management system. The transponders are positioned on moving or moveable items, or people, depending upon application.

Positioning systems

Positioning systems use transponders to facilitate automated location and navigation support for guided vehicles. Readers are positioned on the vehicles and linked to an on-board computer and RFDC link to the host information management system. The transponders are embedded in the floor of the operating environment and programmed with appropriate identification and location data. The reader antenna is usually located beneath the vehicle to allow closer proximity to the embedded transponders.