RFID Technology (Radio-Frequency Identification) – thanks to the persistence of competitive costs and its growing penetration in various sectors – is witnessing a market growth high, a trend that seems to be well confirmed also in terms of future scenarios.
Among the applications that make this market flourishing, there is undoubtedly the commercial industry - which represented the largest share of the overall RFID market by sector in 2016 - and the field of access control, understood as a necessity, now increasingly strong and widespread, for companies, offices, finance, healthcare, transport, schools, to monitor the position of the individuals related to them.
If RFID technology allows the commercial industry to identify and track items, thus improving their management and stimulating investments in the systems connected to it, in the access control sector radio frequency identification is certainly the most used solution thanks to its simplicity and effectiveness.
Effective controls, simple technology
As mentioned, low costs and ease of use are certainly among the keys to this technology, which - based on the propagation of electromagnetic waves - allows for safe and effective surveying of people and objects.
The system needed to proceed with access control is made up of an opening - or a support - on which to position the reader, of a transponders which holds the user's identifier, of a controller to which the RFID readers capable of receiving and verifying the information are associated. A highly flexible technology that has reached a top position among IoT resources in the most disparate access control contexts.
The advantages of access control based on RFID technology
Taking as an axiom the fact that in an access control context the aspects related to security are fundamental, we can start by saying that an RFID device is practically impossible to clone, compared to a simple magnetic stripe card. It is also more precise and reliable in control, thanks to the ability to reading without target which - in addition to speeding up processes - reduces possible errors caused by, for example, too rapid swiping of the paper or its deterioration.
Among the fundamental aspects of the technology in question we find the ability to read multiple tags at the same time without producing overlaps; the possibility to act a very low frequencies, without any danger to the health of those exposed to it; “structural” flexibility with the possible customization of the components and the constant updating of information, in synergy with the software tools.
The regulatory framework for CE certification of these products is structured, to cover the multiple bands and methods of use, but well defined. They are carried out security checks, electromagnetic compatibility tests and radio tests. In the field of safety, the aspects of human exposure to electromagnetic fields are also evaluated, as today required for all electrical and electronic equipment.
The future prospects of the RFID market
According to the Markets and Markets report “RFID Market – Global Forecast to 2023”, the RFID market is expected to be evaluated USD 31.42 billion by 2023, confirming an annual growth of 7.7% between 2017 and 2023.
The development of this market, according to various sector studies, is fueled by the growing installation of RFID in industries to improve productivity; from its greater use in the fields of safety And access control; by the high adoption of RFID technology in the retail sector and, finally, by the development of the RFID ecosystem through mergers and collaborations of corporate players.
Furthermore, it is expected that the RFID market of i passive tags – all those tags that do not have their own energy source, but derive it from the electromagnetic field generated by the reader – will grow at a faster rate than that of active tags, between 2017 and 2023, due to factors such as small size, low cost and longer life.
The access control market towards 2025
As highlighted by the Valuates report “Global Access Control Market – Forecasts to 2025", The access control market global growth is expected to grow from USD 4291.15 million in 2018 to USD 7091.56 million by the end of 2025, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.44%.
In the global access control market, the trend of wireless automation will emerge, greater integration between products and cloud, and, quoting the report, one of the highlights of the market will be “badge-based authentication RFID for the evolving industry”, towards which the main market players are already making efforts to offer innovative strategies.
At the end of the design of a new device and before placing it on the market, compliance with the applicable European directives must be verified CE certification of the products. Among other things, the scheduled tests will be carried out electromagnetic compatibility which some call with the name of EMC certification even if it is not separate from the other parts of the process CE marking.
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