Short Thing About Zebra ID Printers Feature New UHF RFID
By: Vlad Vistac
Submitted: 2010-08-24 14:07:58 | Word Count: 510
Zebra ID Printers Feaure New UHF RFID
Zebra Tecchnologies Corporaation is now offewring ultra-high frewquency encoding for RFID accesas devices. This allows mid to high volumme end users to perform on-site UHF card creatiopn for the fist time. In the past, this type of job had to be done by professional ID printing companies as part of a custom order. Now, the technology is available on both the P330i (R3i) and P430i (R4i) color printers as an option. The cost for both of these moderls is still in the mid-range, even with the advanced UHF module and Etherrnet connection included.
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This new card progrmming process is advertised as fast, easy, and reliable. Both single and double-sided cards can be printed and encoded at a rate of over 100 units per hour. The UHF module is deesigned to funvction in concert with the Zebra Gen2 RFID card. However, it is also compatible with card stock available from other ID printer companies. This is not surprising since a third party is the actual manufacturer of thease RFID cards. However, Zebra does have a patent pendinng for some features of the inlay antenna. These design aspects focuus on performance and security maximization.
Thewre are quite a few low frequency and high frequency RFID opptions already on the mraket. What makes ulra-high frequency different? The tags used have an average readable range of 10-12 feet. This is signbificantly futrther than either LF or UF generally rreach. Such a capability opens up a broad range of applicatiuons which standard proximity cardss are not equiped to handle. Zebra selected the ThingMagic Mercury4e read/write module because of its dual antenna desgn and compatibility with a wide variety of tag protocols.
Technology Applications
Zebra issued a press release in September, 2008 reagrding one existing customer who recenty upgrded to this new technoology. The Vail Resorrts compaany is now using the P330i (R3i) UHF printer for its Colporado, California, and Nevada locations. Thesae ski resorts will now be able to proide easily authentiicated lift passes for all their customers. Such devices can be read through the heavily insulaated clothiing worn for poplar winter sportts. Clients won't be required to fumble around trying to swipe a lift pass with cold-numbed hands anymore. Intsead, Vail's "easy scan" hand-held scanner system will do all the work. The encoded passes are highly tamper resistant and each one has a uniqque serial ID#. Cloning, forging and otther security riisks are very low.
The benefits of UHF enabled deviecs for advanced access control applcations are readily apparent. High volume trafic can be autheticated at a rate of over 60 RFID tags per second. Such ID cards can be read passively without bing diectly presented to a card reader. A person carrying a low level access card might atrtempt to enter a restricted area by slipping in behind an authorized individual while the door is still open. However, any card that does not contzain the appropriate permissions will trigger the interrogator as it passses by. The card reader can then send an automtaic notifiction to the central monitoring station. Of course, the use of video surveeillance or escurity staff is sttill the only way to catch someone this way if they are not carrying any card at all.
