01 basic BUYER’SGUIDE

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

INTRODUCTION

02
OVERALL APPLICATION

03
RFID TAGS

05
ANTENNAS & CABLES

07
RFID READERS

09
PRINTERS & ACCESSORIES

11
CONCLUSION

13

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02 basic BUYER’SGUIDE

INTRODUCTION
Buying the right RFID equipment can be a tedious process, but we want to
make it easier.

The goal of this Basic RFID Buyer’s Guide is to make the RFID equipment
decision making and purchasing process as simple and easy as possible.
Because of that, we have narrowed this guide down to 35 beginner-level
questions designed to kick-start the process.

If you are looking to deploy a more complex RFID system with advanced
functionality, our intermediate Buyer’s Guide should be used instead. If you
have any questions while reading through this guide or during the buying
process, don’t hesitate to contact us.

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03 basic BUYER’SGUIDE

OV E R A L L A P P L I C AT I O N

01 What is the business problem/goal you are trying to solve/achieve?

02 What is your current system for solving this problem?

03 What is the timeframe for deploying the desired RFID application?

04 What is your budget?

05 In which country will you be using/deploying this system?

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04 basic BUYER’SGUIDE

06 What items/assets would you like to tag and track?

Do you require a full solution (hardware, software, installation services)

07 or are you just looking to purchase RFID hardware and tags and imple-
ment the system yourself?

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05 basic BUYER’SGUIDE

RFID TAGS
Before getting started, we recommend reading A Guide to UHF
RFID Tags. If you have a specific requirement for your RFID tags that
is more complex, checkout our intermediate level buyer’s guide, A
Guide to Buying RFID Tags & Equipment.

08 What read range do you desire?

Will the tags need to have one (or more) of the following attributes? If
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so, please add specific details.

A. Rugged, able to withstand impacts or vibration

B. Ability to withstand excessive heat or cold at any point

C. Waterproof

D. Longer than average read distances (i.e. over 25 feet)

E. Ability to be embedded in an item, or shrink wrapped onto an item

F. Ability to withstand corrosive elements

G. Ability to be mounted on metal

H. Ability to be unreadable when tampered with

10 Any size limitations? (x by y by z inches or millimeters)

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06 basic BUYER’SGUIDE

11 What type of surface will you be tagging? (i.e. Metal, wood, plastic, etc.)

12 How long do the tags need to last?

13 Do you require custom encoding or printing?

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07 basic BUYER’SGUIDE

ANTENNAS & CABLES

Before getting started, we recommend reading 9 Tactics for Choosing
an RFID Antenna. If you have a specific requirement for the antenna
or cable that is more complex, checkout our intermediate level
buyer’s guide, A Guide to Buying RFID Tags & Equipment.

If you require a mobile RFID reader, skip to the next section.

14 How much read range will you need?

15 Will the read zone be indoors or outdoors?

Will the antenna be exposed to any of the following environmental

16
conditions? If so, please add specific details.

A. Excessive Heat

B. Excessive Cold

C. Dust

D. Water or Moisture

E. Impacts

F. Vibrations

G. Chemical Exposure

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08 basic BUYER’SGUIDE

17 Any size limitations? (x by y by z inches or millimeters)

18 How large is the read zone? Will there be more than one?

19 How and where will the antennas be mounted?

CABLES

Which reader & antenna(s) are you using? Please note the specific
20
model numbers.

21 How far will the antenna(s) be from the reader? Please note the number
of linear feet (or meters).

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09 basic BUYER’SGUIDE

RFID READERS
Before getting started, we recommend first reading An Intro to RFID
Readers: Basic Options & Features. If you need a specific feature on
your reader (such as a barcode scanner or certain number of antenna
ports), be sure to include that information at the end of the section.

If you need a reader or module with more complex abilities, checkout

our intermediate level buyer’s guide, A Guide to Buying RFID Tags
& Equipment.

Are you looking for an out-of-the-box reader, or do you have

22 engineering experience and want to purchase a reader module to
create a custom product?

Does your reader need to be mobile? If so, will you be using your own
23 mobile computing device (e.g. smartphone, tablet, etc.) or will the mo-
bile reader need its own computing system?

24 How quickly will the tagged items be moving through the read zone?

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10 basic BUYER’SGUIDE

Will the reader be exposed to any of the following environmental

25
conditions? If so, please add specific details.

A. Excessive Heat

B. Excessive Cold

C. Dust

D. Water or Moisture

E. Impacts

F. Vibrations

G. Chemical Exposure

How large do you think the read zone will need to be? Will there be
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more than one read zone?

27 Will the read area be indoor or outdoor?

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11 basic BUYER’SGUIDE

PRINTERS & ACCESSORIES

Before getting started, we recommend reading When to Invest
in an RFID Printer, and Layers of an RFID Printer. If you require a
specific feature on your printer that is more complex, checkout our
intermediate level buyer’s guide, A Guide to Buying RFID Tags &
Equipment.

If you answered NO to Question 23 - does one of the following apply to

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you?

A. You want your tags to have printed on the tag face - e.g. a number,
human readable information, or a graphic - and you have the capabili-
ties to do this with the right software program?

B. You will be using so many RFID tags in your application that manu-
ally encoding each one will be too labor-intensive to support.

If you answered YES above and are using an RFID label or wet inlay,
you should consider an RFID printer for your application. The
following questions will help to narrow down which printer will fit your
application. If you answered NO, skip this section.

How large are the tags that you will be printing? (x by y by z inches or
29
millimeters)

30 Will you need Wi-Fi capabilities with your printer?

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12 basic BUYER’SGUIDE

Below are a few questions to help narrow down the choices regarding
necessary printer accessories.

31 Will you be printing on paper-face tags or poly-face tags?

32 What type of printer will you be using? Specify brand and model
number.

33 Do you need additional functionality the RFID printer does not offer?

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13 basic BUYER’SGUIDE

C O N C LU S I O N
Hopefully, these questions were able to help guide you in the decision-
making process and provide a better idea of each piece of equipment
needed for an RFID system.

After completing this guide, contact us and we can effectively recommend

RFID tags, readers, antennas, and more based on your information. If
you would like to send us your finished Basic RFID Buyer’s Guide and be
contacted about your specific needs, email the completed guide to sales@
atlasRFIDstore.com or fax it to 212-993-6075.

Chat Us. Call Us. Email Us.

atlasRFIDstore.com | (205) 383-2244 | sales@atlasRFIDstore.com

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