What type of RFID readers one should use?
New applications for RFID technology are constantly emerging to solve an age old problems across industries. In the retail industry, every store has inventory which may range into the thousands, even hundreds of thousands of pieces and dollars. Jewelry stores have millions of dollars invested in thousands of earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. With RFID jewelry tags, accurately tracking inventory becomes a viable option.
Placing a tag on every piece of jewelry is a constant in every jewelry tracking application, but the method of reading the tags will change depending on the setup. You can go with a handheld reader or a fixed reader with shelf antennas under the jewelry.
Handheld RFID Readers: If you have all your inventory on the showroom floor, perform a quick sweep of the inventory by waving the handheld reader from side to side capturing all the tags. To get an accurate inventory check, bring the handheld reader within a few inches of each tag. You need a base count of inventory for your baseline number, but this is a pretty fast and easy method to track your jewelry.
Fixed RFID Readers: If you need a constant inventory check, you can setup a fixed reader and shelf antennas. Once you have the shelf antenna installed, the tagged jewelry would be placed on top. When a piece of jewelry is removed, the reader immediately detects the change and removes the jewelry from the inventory count. This is a real-time method of tracking your jewelry inventory. If you are simply showing jewelry and take a piece off the shelf antenna, the system will detect the removal, but will add the item back into inventory as soon as the piece is returned to its original position.
article by :About Suzanne Smiley
"Suze RFID" writes and manages content at atlasRFIDstore.com and is a frequent contributor to RFIDinsider. She has two cats and loves riding horses every week.
