Questions to answer before approaching a Vendor

If you recall my post dated January 3rd, 2005, I had mentioned few questions that need to be answered before we approach a vendor. Please read the "big" idea post to get a clear perspective about the answered questions.

1. What type of environment will the RFID system be in?
RFID Tags and GPS Devices will be residing in the vehicle and RFID Readers will be located at Truck stops and other strategic locations, mostly exposed to diverse climatic conditions

2. Will there be electrical noise, temperature extremes, high humidity or harsh chemicals?
A combination of all or some of these hazards are possible most of the time as RFID Readers will be located outside in a non-protected environment.

3. How many tags will be needed?
Tags will depend on number of vehicles used, but it will easily in the range of buying bulk quantities. Typically a truck fleet of a reasonable sized transportation company is in excess of 100 vehicles.

4. How many read stations will be needed?
A wild estimate can be thousands of readers, if the fleet travels all over the country.

5. How fast will the tags be moving?
Depending on speed limits of each state, speeds of the vehicle can range from 45 to 75 miles per hour.

6. What read range is needed?
Read range may vary from 5 feet to 50 feet

7. How much information will be transferred to and from the tags?
Tags will be sending Truck ID, Next Destination, goods on truck, Information from previous reader to the current reader. Tags will be receiving Reader ID and Information for the next reader. This information will be at bare minimum. Other information will depend on the application.

8. How often will the tags be read and written to?
This will depend on route selected, but a typical route will require reading and writing of tags at least 10 times

9. Will the RFID system be reporting to a PC or a PLC?
RFID system will be reporting to PC

10. Will more than one tag need to be read at the same time?
Yes. There is a distinct possibility of such a occurrence, multiple times.


These responses are very generalized and can vary from application to application. Feel free to comment if you have worked previously with a similar application.

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