Adopting RFID and EAS technologies has become important for several industries to improve everyday commercial operations and safety, with a particular emphasis on retail. These technologies, like EAS (electronic article surveillance) and RFID tags (radio frequency identification), play an important role in addressing issues such as shoplifting and stock shrinkage, which are the main ones that contribute to retail losses.
EAS and RFID are wireless tools widely used in retail and departmental stores. As they share the similarity of the use of radio frequency for communication between tags and interrogators, it is important to explore the differences between these two technologies.
What is EAS?
EAS, or “electronic article surveillance, is like a guardian for your stores, helping monitor products and prevent theft.
This is how it works: each article in the store obtains a small EAS tag. When someone tries to leave without paying, the EAS door at the exit acts as a detective. It reads the radio signal from the tag on the unpaid item and establishes an alarm, alerting everyone that something is incorrect.
These tags come in various sizes and can be hidden in important items, such as clothes and jewels. The most common type, magnetic (AM) tags, work at 58 kHz and 8.2 MHZ.
EAS is ideal for stopping theft, but stores must protect their stock. Making sure the items are visible and restocking them to inventory in time is important for smoother store operations.
RFID, short for Radio Frequency Identification, acts like a super smart ID card for items. It is a commercial tool used to grab and recognize data, which helps keep an eye on items, whether they are their operations, inventory management, or supply chain.
This is how the RFID system works: It consists of an RFID tag, an antenna, and an RFID reader. The RFID reader took the signals of the RFID tag through the antenna. Then, decode this signal, revealing the stored information. Sometimes, the antenna is hidden inside the RFID tag itself.
In retail, they often use UHF passive RFID systems. These tags, executed in a certain frequency range, are small and do not require batteries, making them effective. When these tags are close to an RFID reader, they wake up, thanks to the reader’s signal, and share their data through the antenna. It is like a quiet and excellent language that helps companies manage their things without problems.
Before choosing any technology, it is important to understand the differences between RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and EAS (electronic article surveillance) tags. These two technologies, while both serving anti-theft goals, have unique functionality and applications. Let us explore the key differences between RFID and EAS systems:
Purpose:
- RFID primarily monitors and manages inventory in specific industries, providing detailed storage and recovery.
- EAS: It is primarily used for anti-theft purposes in retail environments, which activate alarms when unauthorized articles pass through the discovery doors.
Industry Applications:
- RFID: widely used in manufacturing, medical care, transportation, and warehouses.
- EAS: Mainly confined to the retail sector to prevent stealing in stores.
Tracking Skills:
- RFID: It offers reading and writing capabilities, which record and recover specific details about items, such as brand, model, color, and many more.
- EAS: mainly designed to see safety tags in elements, providing an anti-theft basic function.
Reading Scope:
- RFID: It can be read from a distance, giving up the good monitoring of the elements in many situations.
- EAS: usually requires closer proximity to read the tags, which is limited to the range of detection doors.
Tag characteristics:
- RFID: Tags can be read/write, passive or active, and store detailed information. They are versatile and can be used in many environments.
- EAS: Tags are usually passive and designed for security purposes, with an alarm activation approach.
Flexibility:
- RFID: Flexible in terms of data storage and recovery, applicable to a variety of monitoring requirements.
- EAS: Designed to avoid theft, providing less flexibility for managing greater data.
Cost and Size:
- RFID: The costs can vary according to the properties, but passive RFID tags usually are cost-effective and come in different sizes.
- EAS: usually more centered on safety, with the expense of the cost of theft of theft.
Reading/Writing Operations:
- RFID: Allows you to read and write data on tags, admitting the management of dynamic and interactive data.
- EAS: Designed mainly for unidirectional communication, activating alarms without the ability to write or change data on safety tags.
(These differences show the different functionalities and applications of RFID and EAS systems, making it easy to choose the one that aligns with your specific monitoring and security needs.)
Deciding between EAS and RFID systems depends on what you want them to be used for. If you only need to avoid losses, EAS may be sufficient. But if you want to do more, like automatically collecting information about your articles, making things run smoother, and making smarter commercial decisions, then RFID is a good choice.