Press release
Faster
–
better error-proofing
–
higher sensitivity!
This year’s EECC study documents and thoroughly
explains existing and new possibilities of 288 UHF
transponders
Neuss, September 2015. Today, the European EPC Competence Center (EECC) released the largest UHF-RFID transponder benchmark study worldwide. As a true benchmark study, our research serves as an important comparison tool to all industry players while it is an invaluable orientation and even purchasing guide for end-users and service providers alike. Included are technical capabilities, new developments and innovation, performance and situational applicability factors.
In this light, the study illuminates the market, its players and all products in great detail. With now 288 UHF tags included, readers receive invaluable performance information on each tag and manufacturer in a practical context, using real-life business processes in many of our tests.
This year, our research also included a close reevaluation of previous studies on tag write speeds and reliability along with tests on multiple active read points since these processes have taken on increasingly important roles for manufacturers and retailers. At the same time, all test batteries performed over the past nine years have been continued so that readers can compare every tag that has been available on the market for this time.
Faster Write Speeds
Why do some transponders work better in certain situations than others, e.g. what makes a transponder successful in, say, the textile industry while other, on the surface comparable ones are not? The new tag benchmark study investigates this question from the perspective of tag performance and finds that some transponders can vary by a factor of 2.5 in
performance. These astounding results are caused by the chip design, which greatly affects write speeds, on one hand and, of course, by the antenna design, which determines the amount of available energy, on the other.
Robustness – Interference Rejection
Another new development is the fact that current RFID implementations are often
characterized by a hybrid field of tags and read-write terminals. Under these circumstances some tags clearly outperform others. Operators often resort to turning the readers up so that weaker tags can be read, which can lead to false positives in many cases. Our study
explains, for the first time, how error-free some transponders work when they are in multiple read fields. We found that some tags are 10 times more performant than others. Thomas Holtstiege, EECC’s lead engineer, explains: “There can be a tremendous competitive
advantage when high-performing tags are deployed in environments where many portals stand right next to each other. Obviously, some tags won’t work very well while yet others pass with flying colors.”
30% Increase in Sensitivity – A New Generation of Microchips
As in previous years, the underlying technology has been greatly improved over the past 12 months. Nowhere is this more apparent than in tags with the new Monza R6 chip, which is a robust 30% more sensitive than previous generations. The resulting benefit is a smaller form factor of the chip itself, which enables new application scenarios, but also could create new problems when a tag responds so quietly that the reader does not notice. This latter issue is described in great detail in the Backlink Matrices section of our study (see diagram 1 – Chip Sensitivity 2014 versus 2015).
Down the road, the increase in transponder sensitivity alleviates material-specific obstacles and allows for optimization of the chips and application materials in automated ways. Mount-On-Metal Competition Heats Up
Impinj bears good news for mount-on-metal (MOM) users as they are finally able to offer a viable alternative to the Alien Higgs chip. More specifically, the Monza 4 tags are up to par in terms of performance and exceeded our expectations in terms of privacy and adjustable chip sensitivity. Conrad von Bonin, EECC’s CEO, says: “This renewed competition is excellent news for the marketplace as it lowers prices for this important segment. Subsequently, lower cost to end users opens up additional business cases, which enables additional application spaces to thrive. In the end, everybody wins.”
For our readers, these new possibilities are shown in well over 1,700 diagrams within the study, which was co-sponsored by the SMART NRW and the EFRE “Regional
Competitiveness in NRW” projects.
The new UTPS 2015/2016 Study is available for purchase as a one-time buy (€995) or as a five-year subscription (€495 /pa). Please contact EECC at the address below to order your copy today.
About EECC
The European EPC Competence Center (EECC) is the European market leader for products and services around EPC-enabled RFID technologies. It was founded by GS1 Germany, Deutsche Post DHL and Metro Group in 2004 with the specific objective to bring technical acumen and transparency to the RFID industry.
In 2005, EECC became the first EPC competence center in Europe by achieve the
prestigious certification of “EPC Global Performance Test Center.” In 2006, EECC founded its industry-leading “RFID Academy”, which provides all relevant industry training ranging from standards and software applications to EPCIS networks and broad architectural considerations in conjunction with Auto-ID Lab St. Gallen / ETH Zürich and RWTH International University.
In addition to our educational and research activities, we offer software and traceability technology that ranges from standardized to highly custom-tailored solutions to enable visibility throughout entire supply chains independent of individual data input technologies such as barcodes, RFID or other forms of data entry.
If you would like to obtain more information about our training and consulting services or our software products, please contact us at any time. We would love to hear from you.
History of the study
The internationally acclaimed UHF Tag Benchmark Study is now in its ninth release and has long set the international standard for RFID technology testing. In fact, many of today’s RFID testing standards and the majority of current lab best-practices were initially invented at EECC. In 2008 we were the first lab to establish the material-independent modelling for tag selection processes. A year later, we were the first lab to consider mount-on-metal
applications and in 2010, we were the first lab to conduct proximity tests for every single transponder under review.
A certification program of tag performance was launched in the year 2011 by EECC; tag manufacturers can certify performance of their products for specific applications.
In the year 2012 EECC introduced for the first time backlink matrices depicting material dependency on tags. In 2013 a new chapter was added to the study investigating the chip sensitivity. Performance indicators influencing the writing process of tags have been included since the study publications from 2014.
Contact:
European EPC Competence Center GmbH Conrad von Bonin
Mainstrasse 113 – 119 41469 Neuss
Tel: +49 (0) 221 947 14 87 50 E-Mail: [email protected]
http://www.eecc.info.
Attachment: List of evaluated tags
List of Included Transponders 2015-2016.pdf List of Included MOM Transponders 2015-2016.pdf Pictures/Diagrams
Diagram 1: Chips sensitivity 2014 vs. 2015: Tags below the line receive and respond to signals from a standard reader (-80 dBm), however, the same reader isn’t capable to capture the tags’ subtle response.
Logo 1: SMART.NRW