RFID labels, or Radio Frequency Identification labels, let you keep a lot of information on a small label, such as tracking information and other authenticating data. Since RFID labels can be used in tags, tickets, and security labels, you can easily use them to carry unique sets of data that can be used in a number of applications. Plus, RFIDs are much easier to use than manual ones, since they can be accessed from a greater distance and with more accuracy.

The Many Uses of RFID Labels

RFID is an emerging technology, and as such, has not realized its full potential. It is already used in manufacturing, food processing, transportation systems, and waste management. In fact, the Japanese have begun using it as a security measure to track younger students who haven't arrived to their classrooms. As RFID labels become cheaper, smaller, and easier to use, they'll be used to an even greater degree, especially in the field of authentication.

Having an RFID label on a shipment of cargo lets the receiver of the shipment easily check the pertinent information recorded on the label. For instance, the label should verify that the goods are genuine--counterfeiting is a multi-hundred-billion dollar industry, and it takes technology to combat it. A quick read with an RFID scanner can confirm that the right goods were delivered to the right place.

Using RFID technology in conjunction with other security measures deters thieves and counterfeiters even more. Theft is always a potential hazard, and each safeguard that you take to make it more difficult, costly, or unattractive to would-be criminals protects your goods. In time, thieves may master RFID technology, but an even more secure system will be available.