JNXRFID · Know-how Series
RFID Know-how: The Problems Behind the Symptoms
Most RFID disappointments are not solved by a faster reader. They are solved by naming the actual failure — a reflective room, a misaligned tag, an oversized read zone, a record that was never written. Every article here starts from a question operators actually ask, then works through the environment and the data until the cause is specific enough to act on.
5 published · 3 in preparation · Each article names one problem, its measurable cause and the order of diagnosis that avoids wasted hardware
Published
Engineering intent · environmental interference, tag placement, density
Lab Works, Factory Doesn’t
The single most common deployment question. What a bench test actually measures, why it does not transfer to a production floor, and a diagnostic order that rules out hardware before you buy more of it.
Decision-maker intent · data reconciliation, EPC validation, ownership
RFID Count vs ERP
A physical count and a stock record disagree. Neither is automatically right: one is an observation, the other an interpretation. The reconciliation order, coverage ceilings and handover ownership.
Engineering intent · zone geometry, polarisation, power trade-off
Stopping Cross-Reading
Two antennas that each test fine read each other's stock once both run. Why the boundary is a physical outcome, why raising power makes it worse, and which controls actually set it.
Engineering intent · orientation, material, null zones, measurement
Why Read Range Collapses
The datasheet figure holds four variables constant and a deployment changes all four. How to tell orientation from material from null zones, and how to measure a range you can plan with.
Engineering intent · on-metal construction, spacer, mounting position
Tag Placement on Metal
An ordinary inlay on steel is shorted. What the spacer distance does, how to choose a mount that survives handling, and how to specify tags so reader upgrades stop being the first answer.
In preparation
These follow the same structure. They are listed so that you can tell us which problem you would rather have answered first — the order we write them in is partly driven by reader demand.
- Tag Density and Lag — Queueing, tag coupling and why a correct count feels slow.
- Planning for 95% Coverage — The exception process, decided before go-live rather than after the audit.
- Antenna Cable Length — Attenuation over long coaxial runs, and the point where external antennas stop working.
How to use this series
- Start from the symptom you have, not from the component you think is at fault.
- Measure before you change hardware. The articles list the specific measurement that separates the reader from the environment.
- Decide process questions before go-live — coverage ceilings, exception handling and ownership are documentation decisions, and they are free.
If you would rather test these questions on your own assets before reading further, an evaluation unit can be arranged. Product context lives in RFID readers, UHF antennas and smart cabinets.