RFID Network Infrastructure: Backgrounder IEEE LANMAN 2007

© 2007, Reva Systems CorporationSlide 2 Background UHF ‘Passive’ Radio Frequency ID –Developed through Auto-ID Center (MIT) sponsored research ( ) –Specifications developed and ratified by EPCglobal and ISO –Readers talk first, tags communicate via modulated backscatter Electronic Product Code (EPC) concept –General utility model, but… –Relies on back-end network resolution Broad adoption across vertical markets –Started with Big Retail, DoD, and Pharma –Now add Air Transportation, Manufacturing, Logistics, Food Processing, Merchandising… Expanding across applications –Open-loop, “supply chain” style –Closed-loop, “asset tracking” style Technology is extending UHF applicability –Semi-passive tag technologies –User data memory –Sensor integration

© 2007, Reva Systems CorporationSlide 3 RFID Network Infrastructure building on Global Standards PhysicalLogical

© 2007, Reva Systems CorporationSlide 4 Tag Examples

© 2007, Reva Systems CorporationSlide 5 Reader Examples

© 2007, Reva Systems CorporationSlide 6 Dense Reader Deployments

© 2007, Reva Systems CorporationSlide 7 High-Resolution Locations Applications require accurate determination of tag presence in real-world locations Cross-reads and ambient tags pollute the data How to best satisfy application requirements? Simultaneous workflow and operation compounds the problem

© 2007, Reva Systems CorporationSlide 8 RFID Technology Reaches Critical Maturity in Worldwide Regulatory HarmonizationItem-Level TaggingLow-cost Integrated Reader Silicon Direct Application Interfaces from Major Enterprise SW Suppliers Gen2 Air ProtocolStandardized Reader-Network Interface Today

© 2007, Reva Systems CorporationSlide 9 Worldwide Regulatory Landscape ParameterBest CaseN.A. Europe (Last year) Europe (Next year) JapanKorea Amount of spectrum>6MHz26MHz2MHz 4MHz Channel width~250kHz< 500kHz200kHz <200kHz Specify channelization? YesNoYes No Frequency accuracy+10 ppmNone+20 ppm Listen-before talk?No YesNoYesNo Frequency hopping?NoYesNo Yes Transmission power4W EIRP 3.15W EIRP 4W EIRP Transmission mask?Tight Loose 20dB “hat” Yes Yes, but band edge is too tight Not specified? Regulate tag backscatter? No Yes -36dBm Yes -20dBm No

© 2007, Reva Systems CorporationSlide 10 RFID Infrastructure: Questions and Open Issues… How will RFID impact enterprise networks? Does RFID create any special requirements for network bandwidth, latency, security, etc.? Should RFID infrastructure be built with Edge v. Centralized Intelligence? Fat v. Thin readers? How to define device-level v. system-level performance metrics? What’s the best way to produce RFID identification and location context? What role does configuration or sensing play? Comparison to and cooperation with other locating technologies, like WiFi RTLS, semi-passive UHF, HF, UWB? How useful is RFID for emerging NFC applications? What about RFID-enabled mesh networks? How general-purpose can a locating infrastructure be made across multiple locating or sensing technologies?

Contact info: Dave Husak Founder, CTO Reva Systems