PowerID Battery Assisted Passive RFID Tags Read at 160+ Feet

Traditional passive Gen 2 passive RFID tags and labels read at distances up to 40 feet away. PowerID claims that their Battery-Assisted Passive RFID durable tags and labels can be read from over 150 feet away.  In fact, the PowerM is currently the only battery-assisted passive RFID tag designed to work directly on metal assets.  PowerID designed this version on the PowerM with an IP-67 rating – so it’s a lot more durable than the previous version. In this edition we’re going put that claim to the test and see just how much power the PowerID tags really have.

Get a Battery-Assisted Passive RFID Tag Starter-Kit $190.00 Watch the previous video Have your product reviewed: Contact us

Having trouble viewing this video? Try YouTube.

PowerID Battery-Assisted-Passive (BAP) Tags & Labels Specifications

Manufacturer / Product Name	Optimized Frequencies	Memory	Dimensions & Environmental
PowerM™ – RFID Tags for Tracking Metal (Click here to view the datasheet)	902-928 MHz (FCC) or 865-868 MHz (ETSI)	96-bit EPC memory 720-bit on-chip user memory 64-bit tag unique identifier	150 x 69 x 8.6 mm IP67 Rating Operating temperature: -20 °C to +60° C Humidity: 5%-95% non-condensing
PowerG™ – RFID Labels for General Purpose Logistics (Click here to view the datasheet)	860-960 (Global)	96-bit EPC memory 720-bit on-chip user memory 64-bit tag unique identifier	85 x 54 x 0.9 mm Operating temperature: -20 °C to +60° C Humidity: 5%-95% non-condensing
PowerP – People Tracking RFID Tags (Click here to view the datasheet)	860-960 (Global)	96-bit EPC memory 720-bit on-chip user memory 64-bit tag unique identifier	85 x 54 x 1.5 mm Operating temperature: -20 °C to +60° C Humidity: 5%-95% non-condensing

Our Battery-Assisted Passive (BAP) RFID Tags and Labels Performance Benchmark Tests

Our team tested two different RFID labels from PowerID: the PowerG and the PowerM. Designed for general purpose logistics, the PowerG RFID label is designed for tracking of freight and mixed pallets from distribution centers to stores or final destination points.  The PowerM is a durable on-metal RFID tag for tracking metal assets such as automotive and aerospace parts. Remember, the PowerG is a labelsand is extremely thin and even somewhat flexible.

We compared the these BAP RFID labels to the most commonly used ISO 18000-6C durable tags and passive labels to understand just how much difference the battery makes.

All tests are designed based on real-world scenarios that a tag will encounter. At least three trials of every test is performed. When possible, a different tag is used for each test in order to account for production variances. This also eliminates having a really good tag or a really bad tag that skews the results. Although tags may read briefly at further distances, each tag must maintain a 3 second read before the distance results are recorded. In some cases a tag would be read very briefly at a much greater distance than the recorded result demonstrates. Our team selected 3 seconds because it helps to eliminate tags reads resulting from stray reflections. After extensive testing by our team of experts, the results were captured and the averages are calculated and published below.

PowerM Durable RFID Tag Maximum Read Distance on Metal with CS-462 RFID Reader

In our stationary reader tests the PowerM durable RFID tage achieved an average of 162 feet on-metal. The PowerG RFID label, which is designed for general purpose logistics applications, achieved an average read distance of 157 feet on cardboard. This is significantly more than the read distance of a traditional passive Gen 2 RFID label which read at distances between 20 and 35 feet away.

Tag Read Performance with Hand-held RFID Reader

In our hand-held reader tests the PowerM RFID label was read about 45 feet away on metal while the PowerG RFID label achieved read distances just under 50 feet on cardboard. The battery also helped overcome read challenges when working with pallets of liquids and metals traveling through RFID-enabled portals.

How Battery-Assisted Passive (BAP) RFID Tags and Labels Work

Traditional passive RFID tags rely on gathering energy from the reader’s signal to wake up the chip and provide the backscatter required for identification.  Battery-Assisted Passive RFID technology, or "BAP" as it’s often referred to in the industry, tags contain their own integrated power source. PowerID provides long-range, high performance BAP RFID labels for selected applications in industries involving freight, metals, chemicals, paper, people tracking, race timing, and the cold supply chain.

The PowerM durable RFID tags have a battery life of 5 years. Inside the thin PowerID RFID labels (such as the PowerG) as well as the PowerP, there is a very thin 1.5 volt battery. PowerID publishes that the battery life for this thin battery is 2 and half years at room temperature, even while reading the tag 10,000 times per day. What’s important to note is when a battery finally does die, the tag still reads, but only at a shorter distance of up to 12 feet. This is true for all of the PowerID tags.

BAP tags can backscatter about 90% of the energy that they receive. Traditional passive tags typically backscatter 10-15% of the signal that reaches them.  In real world terms, that means these tags can be read from further away and more importantly, they provide increased reliability and read rates even in the most challenging environments, such as those containing liquids and metals.

It’s important to point out that the PowerID labels are not a proprietary technology, but fully compliant with the ISO 18000-6C and EPCglobal Class 1 Generation 2 standards.

It’s also very important not to confuse BAP tags with active tags.  Active tags transmit a beacon at a defined interval.  BAP tags do not transmit.  They use the battery to improve the signal strength when they respond to a reader.

Getting Maximum Performance from Battery-Assisted Passive (BAP) RFID Tags & Labels

Obviously, some RFID readers perform better than others, but this is especially true when working with BAP tags. Because of the high sensitivity of the BAP tag, the RFID reader's receiver sensitivity also should be high to be able to receive this signal. Keep in mind that high sensitivity does not help the performance of standard passive labels because performance in this case is limited by the reader-to-tag link. This is why our team is using the CSL CS462 reader powered by Impinj.  Other, lower sensitivity readers will still work, but they will provide lower performance.

With handhelds RFID readers, BAP tags will still outperform most passive tags but the difference in read range will be less significant. The reason for degradation is that the small size of the handheld limits the size of the antenna which in turn limits the gain and beam width of the antenna. Additionally, many handheld readers limit the output power of the reader in order to conserve battery life. That’s why our team recommends the CSL CS101: it not only has a larger antenna, but allows full control over the transmit power.

For more information, download PowerID's Technical Guide: Getting the Most from your BAP Starter Kit.

A Best-In-Class Award to the PowerID PowerM Durable Tags and PowerG Labels

The durable PowerM RFID tag reads further than any other ISO-18000-6C compliant tag we have tested with a stationary reader: 157 feet.

The PowerG label reads further than any other ISO-18000-6C compliant tag we have tested with a stationary reader: 157 feet. What's surprising about this distance is PowerG is a global tag, meaning it is optimized to perform well across regions. It also has a lot more memory than comparable tags: 96-bit EPC memory + 720-bit on-chip user memory, as well as a 64-bit tag unique identifier. All of these features earn the PowerG a 5-star rating. Since PowerID set a price tag of under $1.00 in high volumes, we have to give the PowerG a RFID Network Best-in-Class Award.

If your current passive RFID labels are working for your application, great.  However, if you’re occasionally missing tag reads and especially if you’re working with liquids or metals, then we encourage you to try the battery-assisted RFID labels from PowerID. Click here to get a BAP RFID Starter Kit from PowerID. Remember, these labels can be incorporated into an existing Gen 2 infrastructure with no hardware changes whatsoever.

PowerID Battery Assisted Passive RFID Labels Read at 150+ Feet (Previous Video)

Traditional passive Gen 2 RFID labels read at distances up to 35 feet away. PowerID claims that their Battery-Assisted Passive RFID durable tags and labels can be read from over 150 feet away.  In this edition we’re going put that claim to the test and see just how much power the PowerID tags really have.