The scope of the automated asset tracking software is no more limited to big complex inventory management. It has grown to different fields, like courier, construction industry, education, aviation, healthcare as well as hospitality. With the increased scope of asset tracking in the different fields, the types of asset tracking systems have also evolved. Today, you have got different asset tracking means, including barcode and RFID tags.

Barcodes, being the oldest, are the most popular. But, RFID is also gradually making its place in the industry. Since the installation of the RFID based tracking systems is a bit expensive, it took a little while for them to get the limelight. But in the past decade, there has been an abrupt rise in the number of organisations that have switched to RFID tags for their asset tracking method. In fact, according to some of the experts, RFID will be taking over the place of barcode soon. But, is RFID worth the hype? So let us see which is better and why?

What is Barcoding?

There would be rarely any person who has never seen a barcode in his/her life. Barcodes are everywhere, from the products you buy from a grocery store to the mail you receive in your mailbox. A bar code is a square or rectangular image that includes black coloured vertical lines of different thickness, numerals and characters. These lines and characters are nothing but encoded data. This data is decoded by an optical device, say a barcode scanner.

The barcodes are capable of storing the accurate data related to an item, like the manufacturing date, name, expiry date, type or the category of the item, or even its price. In most of the cases, a barcode consists of the country code, product item code, manufacturer code and the check code.

A scanner is used to read the barcode through laser, which scans code form left to right. The data is scanned in the form of 0 and 1 binary code, which is immediately stored or displayed on the computer.

The history of barcodes backs to 1960s, and since then, it has been the most loved medium for automated asset tracking in inventories, and various other operations in all types of organisations. So there is no fixed pattern on what type of information a barcode will hold.

What is RFID?

RFID or Radio-Frequency Identification is another method of asset tracking. It took ten years for this method to get into the limelight and replace the old methods of asset tracking. An RFID asset tracking system is of two types, i.e. active and passive, and most of the times, includes an RFID reader, RFID tags (chips or smart labels), and at least one antenna.

The RFID tags are comprised of an integrated circuit and the antenna, through which it holds and transmit the encrypted data. The reader reads this encoded data through radio waves, converts it to more readable form and through a communications interface stores into the database. The RFID systems can work independently or with little human intervention.

Comparison Between RFID and Barcodes for Asset Tracking:

Though barcode has been a standard in automated asset tracking for the past four-five decades, RFID being more accurate and efficient, it is slowly taking over the industries. Here is the comparison between barcodes and RFID asset tracking system:

1. Line of Sight: This the basic reason, that makes RFID better than barcodes, as to scan the RFID tags, the items do not have to be in the line-of-sight of the reader. If the tags are passive ones, these can be scanned from a fixed reader to a distance equal to 40 ft., and a handheld reader can read the tags from a distance of 20 ft. In the case of an active tag, the maximum distance from where the reader can read the tag is 100 ft. But for the barcode, the item can only be on the distance of a few feet, and that too, in the line of sight of the scanner.
2. Modification to the Data: Once printed, there are no options to modify or change the barcode. These are only readable. But the RFID tags can be read and re-written based on the requirements, even after the encryption.
3. Durability: Most of the times, you will find a barcode printed on a paper, and cannot handle the wear and tear situations. Whereas, the RFID tags are built from tougher material, and often, uses a hard case, such that these can sustain in harsh conditions, like heat, moisture, and even the changing weather conditions.
4. Data Security: Barcodes are easy to decode, so the security of the data is always at stake. But on the other hand, since the data is in the encrypted form, it becomes difficult to read the data through an RFID tag. Also, an RFID tag can store 100 times more data than barcodes, so it becomes safer from data replication.
5. Productivity: Since the barcodes need to be in the line-of-sight, only a single barcode is scanned at a time. But with the RFID system, multiple RFID tags (up to 200 tags) can be read at a time. With the increased read rate, productivity is also increased. In most of the cases, RFID readers don’t even need human help.

Even though barcodes are lighter for use and cheaper, using RFID for automated asset tracking, streamlines and automates all the processes as well as reduces the cases of human errors. This way, efficiency, as well as productivity, is always higher in the case of RFID asset tracking systems, as compared to the barcode systems.

Are you ready for your asset tracking software development, or still have confusion between RFID and barcodes? Feel free to contact us to know more.