Durable Asset Tag Overall Benchmark Test Analysis

Last Updated on Wednesday, 19 October 2011 09:38

Vibration Survival Tests and Durability

All of the tags evaluated were able to withstand the shock and vibrations found in truck and air logistics operations. This means they all live up to their manufacturers’ claim that they can hold-up in during transport.

Looking beyond vibration, when you compare the IP Rating and other certifications that each tag has, there are some variances. The Confidex Ironside™ FCC, Omni-ID™ Max ABS US, and Omni-ID™ Max HD ABS all have IP68 ratings, meaning they can be used in applications where the tag is immersed in water beyond 1 meter of depth. The Confidex Survivor™ FCC and Omni-ID™ Ultra both have IP67 ratings, meaning they can be used in applications where the tag is immersed in water up to 1 meter of depth. For the majority of applications, either IP67 or IP68 should be sufficient. The only tag evaluated that did not have a published IP rating is the Intermec IT65 Large Rigid. Our team has used the Intermec IT65 Large Rigid in multiple real-world deployments and found the durability to be very good – but that opinion is not equal to a certification.

All of the tags had fairly comparable temperature tolerances for cold, while the Intermec IT65 Large Rigid stands out with a +121° C high end temperature rating.

Supply Chain Logistics Operations Tests

Mixed Pallets with an RFID Enabled Portal & Handheld RFID Reader - Read the test deails

The Omni-ID™ Ultra and the Intermec IT65 Large Rigid were the only tags that achieved 100% successful reads in every test. The Omni-ID™ Max HD ABS achieved 100% successful reads with the fixed position reader in the portals, and 97% with the RFID –enabled handheld reader. When the cumulative average number of interrogations per successful read are examined, the Omni-ID™ tags are the clear leaders. What these test show is that achieving 100% read rates for container tracking applications is absolutely achievable even with less than ideal tag positioning.

Asset Tracking Tests

Maximum Read Range Outdoors with a GPS enabled Handheld RFID Reader - Read the test details

When considering how far away an RFID tag can be located from a handheld RFID reader, the maximum read distance represents the length of the radius of the search area around the person. The graph to the right shows the search areas for each of the RFID tags tested here. The gray area reflects the search area of the Omni-ID™ Ultra tag, while the yellow band represents the Omni-ID™ Max HD ABS – the second place winner for distance. The inner bands are the remaining tags. Each of the brown cubes represents a shipping container. Hopefully, this visually shows why maximum read distance is so important. If all of the containers were tagged with Ultra’s, an operator standing in the center could be audibly directed to the appropriate container using the tag search feature of the handheld. If any of the other tags are used, the operator would have to walk up the aisle. This latter method is still much faster than visual or bar code inspection, but not nearly as efficient as the former.

Manufacturing Work-In-Progress Tests

Maximum Read Range Indoors with a Fixed Position RFID Reader - Read the test details

As with the handheld testing, the Omni-ID™ Ultra unquestionably reads further than any of the passive RFID tags tested here and so we have graphed the results both with and without the Omni-ID™ Ultra data. Otherwise the test results were fairly consistent with the other tests performed.

Overall Results

Omni-ID Ultra	Product Rating: A Best-in-class product	The Omni-ID™ Ultra dominated in performance among the RFID tags tested here. Given that it is a global tag, has an IP67 rating, passed MIL STD 810-F, and has excellent temperature tolerances, the only reason not to use it is because it doesn’t fit on what you’re tagging. The Omni-ID™ Ultra is ideally suited for both indoor and outdoor applications including tracking containers, trailers, durable goods, and WIP manufacturing, but not the ideally suited tracking a laptop. Overall, if you have the real estate, then this is unquestionably the tag to use.
Omni-ID Max HD ABS	Product Rating:	We had a lot of difficulty selecting our second place winner but ultimately, we had to give it to the Omni-ID™ Max HD ABS over the Intermec IT65 Large Rigid. They are both global tags that very performed well across the tests. The Max HD is larger than the IT65 and outperformed it in both or our maximum read distance tests. What pushed it up to second place is the fact that it’s IP rated and has passed both MIL STD 810-F and BS EN 60068-2 certifications – the IT65 has not.
Intermec IT65 Large Rigid	Product Rating:	The Intermec IT65 Large Rigid performed well across all of our tests. Even though the IT65 does not have a published IP rating, it has the highest temperature tolerance of all the tags evaluated here. It is smaller than the Ultra, the Max HD, and the Survivor, making it easier to place on smaller assets. Overall, our team feels the IT65 definitely earned a bronze metal here.
Omni-ID Max ABS US	Product Rating: A Best-in-class product	The Omni-ID™ Max ABS US and the Confidex Ironside™ FCC are the smallest tags we evaluated and are tuned specifically for operations in regions that adhere to FCC certifications. The Max performed better than the Ironside in all tests and it also had the second highest Cumulative Average number of interrogations per successful read measures of all the tags. Given the great performance and low price point, we are giving a Best-in-Class award to the Omni-ID Max.
Confidex Ironside FCC	Product Rating:	The Confidex Ironside™ FCC is the smallest and has the squarest shape of all the tags tested and performed well given its size. Although we would not recommend it for container tracking, the tag should perform well in small spaces.
Confidex Survivor FCC	Product Rating:	Confidex Survivor™ FCC Scored the lowest on the mixed pallet configurations and the Intermec handheld reader tests. Using the CS101 handheld, it only had slightly better performance than the Omni-ID™ Max but below the Intermec IT65 Large Rigid. Given that the tag is over 2.5 times the length of the Max, and more than 2 inches longer than the IT65, this is extremely disappointing. There are much better tags on the market that take up a lot less real estate.

Omni-ID Product Reviews and Awards

Best RFID Passive UHF Tags, Durable Asset Tracking:
Omni-ID RFID Tags

Exclusively through The RFID Network:
Get Free Sample RFID Tags from Omni-ID

About Omni-ID

Omni-ID is the leading supplier of passive, low profile UHF RFID solutions. Omni-ID's patent-pending technology enables a broad range of new applications to improve asset tracking, supply chain management and work-in-process. Omni-ID's family of versatile RFID tags works reliably in the harshest environments, including on, off, and near metal and liquids, and excels in solving tracking and identification challenges with unprecedented accuracy. Read more about Omni-ID in the RFID & Sensor Supplier Directory.