RFID

Perhaps 10 years ago, the RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) concept seemed, at least to this writer, like the answer to many problems.

RFID is simply the technology of combining a radio frequency tag/transponder, a transmitter and a receiver. The tag, when queried, sends a signal that relates needed information to the receiver.

Per Wikipedia: "RFID tags are used in many industries. For example, an RFID tag attached to an automobile during production can be used to track its progress through the assembly line, an RFID-tagged pharmaceuticals can be tracked through warehouses, and implanting RFID microchips in livestock and pets enables positive identification of animals. Tags can also be used in shops to expedite checkout, and to prevent theft by customers and employees."

Another possibility would be tracking documents in a law office or any other location where significant items such as a case file or evidence or tissue samples other other original material may be "checked out" of its home base. Being able to track it can save valuable time, or even track down the material in cases where it could go missing.

Once you begin to think about the possibilities of implementation, it's clear why the technology market value has roughly doubled in the past ten years.

Curiously, the original idea was put to use as a sort of spying device in the 40's - "curiouser" still by Leon Theremin. Theremin was the inventor of The Theremin, one of the first electronic musical instruments to be mass produced. The Russian genius inventor stumbled upon the device while researching motion detection. He discovered that a device he was testing responded to movement with musical tones, and as he played with it further still, he began to give concerts featuring his Theremin, as it was fondly known in Russia. The Theremin became especially famous when it was used to create  unique and unsettling sound tracks for spooky movies. That device was patented in 1928, and is still used by fans and musicians today.

By 1945, however, Theremin had moved from music to espionage, and it was in that year that he, working on listening devices, created "The Thing," a device hidden in a replica of the Great Seal of the United States. Designed to intercept and pass along confidential conversations, the seal containing The Thing was presented to the U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union by Soviet school children, and remained in the ambassador's Moscow office for seven years before being accidentally discovered -  having succeeded in passing along secret information.

And that, of course, raises the downside of RFID technology. As we've seen with most technological advances that promote communication - notably our computers and mobile phones - the data mining potential from them is massive. Alexa or Siri are actively listening for requests; our cell phone is at hand every minute of our days and nights; our computers anticipate our needs, wants, and actions. 

The many ways in which a signal of location or status could be helpful in maintaining security, knowing whereabouts, or tracking inventory or usage. But that same information can always be put to negative purpose.

It is perhaps in the differentiation among the three basic types of RFID that the possibility for security lies.

A PRAT system is a passive reader, active tag. The passive reader simply receives messages transmitted by an active tag. So an item in a store sends signals to a reader under certain conditions: it's moved, or scanned, or moved outside of a certain point in space, and provides for asset protection and supervision.

An ARPT system has an active reader, which sends our queries, and receives replies from passive tags, that sit and wait to be activated.

And an ARAT system has an active reader and an active tag. Either side, receiver or transmitter, can initiate the transmission of a signal.

Depending on the requirements, and the needed security, systems can be deployed that provide the best security - and lifespan - of a particular type of system. 

Of course, RFID isn't the only technology which can transmit/receive information. RFID, WiFi, and cell networks are three of the most commonly used of these types of systems. 

Each mode of transmission uses a slightly different basic technology. Traditional AM/FM radio and TV broadcasts communicate information through analog, or continuous, signals. Wi-Fi, though using radio waves, communicates information digitally, as discrete values – the 0's and 1's of binary data.  The technology used in WiFi networks is typically less complex than in cellular networks, which is why it is often considered less reliable than a strong cellular network. Cellular networks use a combination of radio waves and cellular towers, but is more complicated than WiFi. However, if configured properly allows for better range than WiFi, and can support a larger number of data-heavy devices working at once. But, the work capability and range depends on the number, placement, and strength of cell towers. Pluses and minuses for each form of transmission.