One of the interesting points that came up several times at the recent Smart Labels USA Conference was the fact that companies are utilizing multiple frequencies of RFID. A single company might be using high frequency (HF), ultra high frequency (UHF) and active rfid tags.

Why are they using different frequencies instead of standardizing on a single frequency? They are simply choosing the right solution for the situation.

A variety of factors go into determining how well RFID tags perform in a given situation. Environmental conditions, cost, size, read locations -- these and other factors mean that no single frequency is ideal for every situation. The best solution in one situation may be UHF tags and in another it could be active RFID.

One item on the wish list of companies faced with these choices is a universal RFID reader. They want a reader that interrogates all kinds of tags -- irrespective of frequency or manufacturer or whether it is Gen2 compliant.

Based on that wish list, it sounds like ThingMagic may have the right idea. John Jordan of Early Indications blog writes:

ThingMagic builds tag-agnostic RFID readers that are more like routers than radios. As the company's VP for development puts it, "The new RFID readers are designed to provide the functionality of a gateway for large networks. RF interfaces to the tags reside on one side of a reader, with a database server and a TCP/IP network interface on the other side, fully equipped to be part of a networked-distributed data aggregation and analysis system." Network-friendly functionality, including load-balancing, quality of service, and security, is now provided by the readers. These can handle active and passive tags, including those in any geography and written to any standard.

Link via Emergic.