RFID asset tracking is a powerful tool for businesses to have real-time visibility, reduce loss, and optimize business activities. Yet, as with any technology, the success is execution based. For the business owners who are investing in an RFID asset tracking system, a single mistake in the setup, strategy, or scaling can become underwhelming and a waste of resources.
Here are the most common RFID asset tracking pitfalls as well as the ways to avoid them when rolling out your asset tracking to drive your business with control, efficiency, and ROI.
Choosing the Wrong Type of RFID
RFID tags are not made equal. One of the most made mistakes is the use of generic or cheap tags that are not suitable for your physical environment.
For instance, regular RFID tags can be unsuccessful within high-temperature areas, on metal, or in proximity to liquids. When you are carrying out your business in a factory, warehouse, or outside, using the wrong tag may result in poor read rates, issues with the systems, or even tag failure.
How to avoid it:
Work with a vendor that is aware of your industry and application. Select special tags that are intended for your conditions – the ruggedized tags for industrial applications or metal mount tags for heavy equipment. Always test in the real world before full deployment.
Wrong Tag Placement and Orientation
Though the right tag is there, wrong placement can spoil the read accuracy. Labels that are placed at the back of thick materials, hidden at the corners, or out of orientation may not be seen by the readers regularly.
This may create tracking gaps, inaccurate data, and a false feeling of control — the very aspect that defeats the purpose of using RFID in the first place.
How to avoid it:
The positioning of tags has to be intentional and tried. Always place tags in such a manner so that there is continuity in line-of-sight from readers, or they must be near antennas. Work with your deployment team and come up with guidelines on tagging for each type of asset, and leverage this into your SOPs.
Underestimating Reader Coverage
A lot of business owners think RFID will work like magic – put a few readers and have perfectly tracked stuff. In effect, the read range and coverage do matter. One reader may not be enough to cover a large area and various asset types, as well as mobile workflows.
A wrong location of the reader or an inadequate number of antennas may create blind spots in your tracking system.
How to avoid it:
Begin with a customer survey to identify customer location, coverage requirements. Use fixed readers for choke points (door, gates) and mobile and/or handheld readers for flexibility in tracking—plan for expansion, particularly if you are going to scale up the operation or open additional outlets.
RFID asset tracking can be really transformational — but only if it is deployed with the right strategy and support. The secret of success for business owners is the need to start smart, scale strategically, and build the system based on the real needs, not assumptions.
