Multi-tags are a New Trend in RFID and Consumer IoT
As part of the international Beontag Group, LAB ID has superb insight into RF market trends and transitions. A shift seems to be occurring there away from utilizing dual-frequency tags in favor of using several tags – one UHF, one NFC and more – on one item.
10 Mar 2023 - Let’s Talk Wireless IoT with Marcio Muniz from Beontag
Interplay between UHF and NFC Tags
An important innovation in RFID and consumer IoT was the combination of UHF RFID-NFC labels containing separate UHF RFID and NFC inlays. Then, some time later, dual-frequency chips combining the benefits of HF, NFC, and UHF RFID were launched. On the one hand, dual-frequency tags allow easy and quick short-range interaction with an NFC-compatible smartphone. In parallel, they can be read up to 10 meters with a UHF reader. Marketing uses and customer interaction can thereby easily be combined with tracking, inventory management, warehouse logistics and traceability.
“The trend is to use more tags for each item”
The new trend in the RF industry is to use more than one tag on the same item. This is particularly prevalent in the fashion industry, says Giovanni Codegoni, Sales Manager at LAB ID: “In fashion, we now have two or three tags on each item: one for logistics, one for NFC and one sown into the garment.” Cases like this are becoming more and more common, he says.
Multi-tags, Digital Twins and Metaverses
Giovanni Codegoni believes that the uses of more tags is an implementation of the digital twins vision. Impinj formulated this vision many years ago. The existence of more data derived from more tags also meets another purpose: “This allows us to populate the metaverse”, Giovanni Codegoni says. Lastly, sensors such as NXP’s new NTAG 223 DNA which launched in February will become more popular in the consumer IoT of the (near) future.
