RFID Links

The RFID industry is changing quickly. The web is the best place to find new information and updates on what's going on with various vendors and products, inventions and innovations, new standards and protocols, as well as to learn more about RFID and related technologies and solutions.

The following links are mainly to RFID magazines and sources of vendor-neutral information. I will also show you links that I use for reference or when doing research on various RFID topics.

RFID Journal Online

www.rfidjournal.com

The online version of RFID Journal offers original articles and case studies related to RFID and its applications. Most of the articles are accessible to everyone; some of the content, such as key feature articles, is for subscribers only. RFID Journal online is a trusted source for RFID news and unbiased opinions on RFID matters. At the website, you can also subscribe to a free weekly newsletter that will bring links with new articles to your mailbox (this is the good kind of junk mail!).

EPCglobal

www.epcglobalinc.org

The EPCglobal website provides information about the EPCglobal organization, its activities, standards, and EPCglobal Network. Some of the content is accessible only to EPCglobal members (subscription to EPCglobal costs from $2 to $200,000, depending on the size of the subscribing organization and its yearly revenues). EPCglobal provides its published standards on the website for free, which is quite a relief. (You will see what I mean if you try to find some of the international standards and view them for a hefty fee.)

RFid Gazette

www.rfidgazette.org

The RFid Gazette lacks a bit in web design and original content, but not in the number of articles related to the RFID industry. The articles are grouped related to industry verticals (air-line, DoD, healthcare, libraries, and so forth); therefore, you can search the information by the area you are interested in. The articles are also archived by the month when they were published, which makes it easy to go back and read up on the history of a certain event to see the way it played out.

UsingRFID

www.usingrfid.com

The UsingRFID website is full of original content related to RFID technology and supplies, news, analysis, research studies, and other information. The website is trying a bit too hard to make you a member (although the membership is free, in exchange for your personal information that is promised to never be sold), but that may be because of the marketing background of its editors. The site also provides RFIDIQ tests that range from beginners to advanced RFID users. The tests are quite basic (… now I sound like a Mr. Know-It-All), but are a fun feature.

Auto-ID Labs

www.autoidlabs.org

This website is an information source about the Auto-ID Labs (you must have heard about Auto-ID Center), which is an independent network of seven academic research labs that are concentrating on developing new technologies that support and improve global commerce. My favorite part of this website is its Publications section, which includes all Auto-ID Labs white papers, academic publications, pilots, software packages, presentations at workshops, and other information, all of which is searchable by paper type, topic, title, author, year, and text. This website is a great source of information on early research behind the RFID EPC technology.

RFID Switchboard

www.rfidsb.com

RFID Switchboard is an interesting type of RFID website. It is not only an information tool consisting of RFID news, but also a tool for learning and creating useful connections that could help you implement the RFID technology. This website includes RFID Guides with an interactive index and the articles sorted related to specific topics; Buyers' Guides, which intend to provide you with information you need to know in order to successfully select products or services (the information is general and vendor-neutral); and discussion forums. You can also sign up for a free weekly newsletter with a witty column by RFID Switchboards's chief. So far, none of this is terribly unusual. That comes now. Through this website, you can anonymously request proposals and pricing information, which can help you compare and select the best provider of the requested products and services. The technology providers can participate by paying a $650 monthly fee to become partners, and in exchange receive qualified leads and use various advertising and marketing features.

RFID Update

www.rfidupdate.com

RFID Update hits my inbox every day with great news and views on the RFID market as they happen. It has been responsible for breaking some of the biggest stories in the industry. Launched in early 2004, RFID Update publishes a free editorial briefing every business day for executives deploying RFID. Each issue delivers breaking news and analysis pertinent to successful RFID implementations, helping readers understand global RFID developments as they happen.