Nicholas Kinney

Insights

The Physical Data Gap: Why Digital Transformation Loses Touch With the Factory Floor

ERP, MES, analytics and AI can only work from the operational record they receive. This article examines the gap between physical events and digital records, and where RFID can make that record more trustworthy.

July 24, 2026

RFID Printing and Encoding Standards: What Manufacturers Need to Decide

RFID printing works when identity, serialization, media, encoding and verification are designed as one production workflow. This guide explains the decisions manufacturers need to make before the first roll is printed.

July 22, 2026

The Beginner's Guide to How RFID Systems Work

A practical guide to the architecture of a real RFID system, from the tagged object and read zone through event logic, software integration, and the system of record.

May 15, 2026

From Warehouse to Warfighter: RFID’s Role in Defense Logistics

Defense logistics depends on reliable handoffs among suppliers, warehouses, production, maintenance and depots. RFID can make those transitions observable and connect physical movement to the systems that manage readiness.

April 17, 2026

Using Multiple RFID Tags on One Asset: When Redundancy Improves Read Reliability

Multiple RFID tags can improve read reliability when they provide useful orientation or spatial diversity. This guide explains how FactorySense maps several tag identifiers to one asset, when the approach helps, and when tag coupling or poor RF design can make it counterproductive.

April 15, 2026

How Defense Contractors Can Improve Production Throughput with RFID

Defense production is constrained by supply, workforce and capacity, but internal information delays also matter. This guide explains where RFID can reduce WIP, search and transaction friction without overstating what tracking can solve.

March 25, 2026

After RFID Go-Live: How to Keep the System Reliable

RFID reliability is established after installation through real-world acceptance testing, read-zone tuning, event monitoring, exception ownership and disciplined change control.

February 4, 2026

RFID Pre-Installation Guide: What to Prove Before Deployment

RFID pre-installation should remove uncertainty before hardware is mounted: prove the use case, test tags on real objects, validate read zones, confirm infrastructure and define integration and pilot acceptance criteria.

January 21, 2026

RFID and RTLS: Choosing the Right Tracking Architecture

Passive RFID, active RFID, BLE and other RTLS technologies answer different location questions. The right architecture follows the required precision, update rate, asset value and process decision.

November 19, 2025

Why RFID Asset Tracking Systems Fail and How to Fix Them

Most failed RFID deployments are not failures of RFID itself. They are failures of fit between the physical process, RF design, event logic and enterprise integration. A useful audit isolates which layer is actually wrong.

May 29, 2025

RFID Tag Examples: Which Tag Type Fits Which Object?

RFID tags range from disposable labels to rugged on-metal tags, reusable hard tags, high-temperature tags and active beacons. These examples show how the object and workflow determine the right construction.

April 3, 2025

What is RFID and How Does It Work?

RFID identifies physical objects with radio and turns selected physical events into digital records. This visual guide explains passive tags, readers, antennas, software, frequency families, read physics and where RFID fits in industrial operations.

What Blocks RFID? Metal, Water, Orientation and Read-Zone Problems

RFID is rarely blocked by one universal material. Metal, water, tag orientation, dense packing, shielding and radio interference change the RF link in different ways, so the fix depends on what is actually failing.

NFC vs RFID: What’s the Difference?

NFC and industrial RFID use related radio technologies but support different workflows. NFC is built around deliberate close-range interaction; passive UHF RFID is often used for automatic identification and movement capture.

Understanding How RFID Works Without Power: A Simple Guide

Passive RFID tags have no battery. They borrow energy from the reader, then return data by coupling or backscatter depending on the frequency. Here is what is actually happening at the radio layer.

How to Use an RFID Scanner: Handheld and Fixed Reader Basics

Using an RFID scanner is less about pointing at a label and more about controlling the read zone. This guide explains handheld search and inventory, fixed readers, tag selection, power settings and how reads become useful events.

How Long Do RFID Tags Last? What Determines Tag Lifespan

RFID tag lifespan depends less on a universal year count than on tag type, enclosure, attachment, environment and battery use. This guide explains what usually fails first and how to select tags for the required service life.

RFID Frequencies Explained: LF, HF, NFC and UHF

RFID frequency changes how tags couple to readers, how far they can operate, how materials affect them and which standards apply. This guide separates LF, 13.56 MHz HF/NFC and passive UHF without reducing the choice to read range alone.

Can RFID Tags Be Reused? When Reuse Works and When It Does Not

Many RFID tags can be physically reused, but successful reuse depends on durability, memory state, software identity mapping and whether the tag was locked or permanently disabled.

RFID vs Barcode vs QR Codes: Which Fits the Process?

RFID, barcodes and QR codes are different ways to connect a physical object to a digital identity. This concise comparison shows which capture method fits which industrial workflow, where hybrid systems make sense, and when RFID automation earns its added complexity.

Active vs Passive RFID: What Changes in the System Design

Passive RFID and active RFID are not simply short-range and long-range versions of the same system. Power source, radio behavior, infrastructure, maintenance and the kind of location data they produce all change.