The term Asset Management is often used to describe retail shop clothes tagging systems that are only used to detect tags passing through the field of the readers. This does not inform the system user what's gone through the portal but just that something has!

Other products using RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) enable the tracking of individual items, knowing their whereabouts, when they were moved and who is the owner. The hardware can be linked into software systems to provide Management information for Health & Safety reports (for example, how many times a piece of machinery has been used compared to its maintenance schedule) and detecting illegal movements of valuable items. Even computer manufacturers such as DELL and Compaq have been fitting short-range tags inside their PC's for management purposes.

Many products are available, each one being targeted towards a specific market, but they generally fall into two categories due to the licensing of radio frequencies.

Low frequency systems (around 125khz) generally mean relatively short range (up to 3m) with large readers and bulky tags. High frequency systems (413Mhz) generally mean longer range, smaller readers and tags but this is not automatically the best solution.

 
LF products can use loop aerials buried in or around in the walls, floor or wall mounted or recessed reader panels and combinations of either type that are configurable to provide the area of monitoring you require. This produces a well-defined field of detection and with active tags for personnel and/or assets it is a highly accurate method of detection. This technology can be connected to Access Control systems, some of which already have personnel and asset linking options.

Some LF systems use passive tags (no internal battery) and therefore work on a lower range should be considered for narrow doorways or for special installations only, such as glass capsule tags as used in animal tagging.

HF products are easier to install due to the physical sizes of the readers and tags but the operational characteristics may not suit the location. Higher frequencies tend to spread around the local area more easily and without a well-designed system, the detection areas can vary considerably. However, if you are protecting item such as paintings or other static items, this technology is ideally suited. The tags can utilise movement sensors so that if they are moved by small amounts they can transmit to any receiver units in the area (up to 100m) and warn of possible theft.

Some systems now use both LF and HF. LF to wake the tag up and HF to send back to the reader. This enables manufacturers to make smaller tags and still obtain good reading ranges. These are at the high end of the technology ladder and cost more than the other two technologies.

Due to the complex nature of RF products, it is best to request professional advice and even perform test installations to determine which solution is best for you. Evolution can provide the solution that best suits your requirement.

IP based Positioning Systems can be used where the site in question has Wi-Fi Access Points throughout the floor plan and can be used to track wireless laptops, PDAs, VOIP phones, Wi-Fi tags and other 802.11 enabled devices.

If you require any further information on Asset Management or Personnel tracking/linking please contact us at info@evolutionsecurity.com with the word Asset in the subject line or call us on 01628 530 380.