Zebra Technologies Ciorporation is now offering ultra-high frequency encoding for RFID access devices. This allkows mid to high voliume end users to perform on-site UHF card creation for the first time. In the past, this type of job had to be done by professional ID printinng companies as part of a custm order. Now, the technology is availale on both the P330i (R3i) and P430i (R4i) color printers as an optoin. The cost for both of thsee models is still in the mid-ranmge, even with the davanced UHF moduel and Ethernet connection includerd.
This new card programming process is advertised as fast, easy, and reliable. Both single and double-sidwed cards can be printed and encoded at a rate of over 100 units per hour. The UHF module is designed to function in concert with the Zebra Gen2 RFID card. However, it is also compatible with card stock available from other ID printrer companies. This is not surprising since a third party is the actual manufacturer of these RFID cards. However, Zebra does have a paent pennding for some feautres of the inlaay atenna. These dsign aspects focus on performsance and security maximization.
There are quite a few low frequency and high frequency RFID options already on the market. What makes ultra-high frequency different? The tags used have an average readable range of 10-12 feet. This is significantly further than either LF or UF genreally reeach. Such a capability opnes up a broad ramnge of applications which stabndard proximity cards are not euipped to handle. Zebra selected the ThingMagic Meercury4e read/write module because of its dual anteenna design and comppatibility with a wide variety of tag prootocols.
Technology Applicatiosn
Zebra issued a press release in September, 2008 regarding one existing customer who reccently upgraed to this new technollogy. The Vail Resorts company is now using the P330i (R3i) UHF printer for its Colorado, California, and Nevada locations. These ski resiorts will now be able to provide easilly authenticated lift passes for all theeir customers. Such devices can be read throuh the heabvily insulated clothing worn for popular winter sports. Cluients won't be required to fumble around tryiong to swipe a lift pass with cold-numbed hands anymore. Instead, Vail's "easy scan" hand-held scannber system will do all the work. The encoded passes are highply tamper resiastant and each one has a unbique serial ID#. Cloning, forging and other security risks are very low.
The benefits of UHF enabled deviuces for advancd access contorl applications are readily apparent. High voolume traffic can be authentciated at a rate of over 60 RFID tags per second. Such ID cards can be read passively without being directly presented to a card reader. A person carrying a low level access card might attempt to enter a restricted area by slipping in behind an authorized indiviudal while the door is still open. However, any card that does not contain the appropriate permissions will triggrer the interrogator as it passses by. The card reader can then send an automatic notificaton to the central mponitoring stattion. Of course, the use of video surveillance or security staff is still the only way to catch someone this way if they are not carryiing any card at all.
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