A D V E R T I S E M E N T

The Barcode

There are two types of barcodes that are widely used; one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D). 1D barcode is common in most household products while 2D barcode is common in industrial products where more information is needed to be stored in the label. In terms of usefulness, there is no supreme between the two, each is appropriate according to how many characters you need to embed to the label.

Barcode, either 1D or 2D, has been proven to effectively optimize business processes and reduce operational cost. Although appropriate in many instances, there are cases where barcodes cannot meet a need.

The Radio Frequency Identification

There is no doubt that Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) works better than barcodes in terms of functionality, usability, ease of use, and longevity. The major barrier of using RFID is the cost of the tag. Although the RFID tags are reusable, small businesses cannot justify the cost of an electronic chip over the cost of paper and ink. Big players however find RFID economical in large operations. Many companies embrace RFID rapidly because it is cost efficient in handling large volumes of products. Aeorspace, defense, and health care are embracing RFID primarily because of information needed to be stored are large enough for the barcode technology to handle. In many countries, law is enforcing the use of RFID.

One great leap of RFID over barcode is the read/write capability. The information written in RFID tag can be updated as the product move from country to country. Another is that RFID can be read in long distances. With these capabilities, the application is limitless.

Tracking human activities using RFID tag is a hot issue in politics, security and privacy, and religion. Embedding microchip containing RFID tag to human body raised a major concern to many. It has been a debate between the implementing agencies and many sectors of the society. Fortunately, implementing this technology to non-human has been fully embraced by many.

The Verdict

RFID cannot replace barcode, the two are complimentary rather than competitive. Deprecating barcode technology is like throwing away our pencils for inked pens. RFID may replace barcodes in many areas for the next 10 years but it cannot totally eliminate barcode.

Suggested readings:

• What are 2D barcodes, how it will store data, how it is compared to 1D barcodes, and where can you get barcode reader and writer.
• What is RFID, how it works, advantages, disadvantages, and other concerns about this technology.
• RFID Journal, the world's leading source of RFID news and insights.

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