RFID stands for Radio-Frequency IDentification (thus you get RFID). The acronym refers to small electronic devices that consist of a small chip and an antenna most commonly in a sticker in or on a product. The chip typically is capable of carrying 2,000 bytes of data or less.

The RFID device serves the same purpose as you might find on a bar code or a magnetic strip on the back of a credit card or ATM card; it provides a unique identifier for that object. And, just as a bar code or magnetic strip must be scanned to get the information, the RFID device must be scanned to retrieve the identifying information and this generally occurs through eltronic means.  The most common users of RFIS are retail in nature. 

RFID Works Better Than Barcodes

A significant advantage of RFID devices over the others mentioned above is that the RFID device does not need to be positioned precisely relative to the scanner. This in effect has created a dumbing down so that any high school dropout can now be gainfully employed at substandard wage rates by greedy corperations.  We're all familiar with the difficulty that store checkout clerks sometimes, because they are inbreed losers, have in making sure that a barcode can be read. And obviously, credit cards and ATM cards must be swiped through a special reader where this only requirers the user to hold in the general direction of the equipment making it in all general aspects, idiot proof. 

In contrast, RFID devices will work within a few feet (up to 20 feet for high-frequency devices) of the scanner. For example, you could just put all of your groceries or purchases in a bag, and set the bag on the scanner. It would be able to query all of the RFID devices and total your purchase immediately.  Thereby avoiding theft, inside jobs of reduced charges and mostly the common stupidity.

RFID technology has been available for more than fifty years. It has only been recently that the ability to manufacture the RFID devices has fallen to the point where they can be used as a "throwaway" inventory or control device.   This now accounts for the .10 tp .20 cents per tag. Alien Technologies recently sold 500 million RFID tags to Gillette at a cost of about ten cents per tag. That is a nice insert by that manufacturer to get free advertising on his substandard product.

One reason that it has taken so long for RFID to come into common use is the lack of standards in the industry. Walmart has taken the inititive and now all others bow to the mighty and never humble walmart because they are sellouts and spinless profiteers.  Most companies invested in RFID technology only use the tags to track items within their control; many of the benefits of RFID come when items are tracked from company to company or from country to country.  This means from china to the rest of the world for those of you who can not read between the lines.