Omni-ID Promotes Open Standards Approach to Active RFID

ROCHESTER, NY--(Marketwired - Jun 11, 2014) - Omni-ID, the original inventor of the on-metal tag and leading global supplier of high-performance, RFID tags and visual tagging systems has announced its support for the IEEE 802.15.4f-2012 standard to increase interoperability for asset tracking using active RFID based tags and systems. The company today also announced that it has developed an active tag operating on this standard -- the Power 415.

"Passive RFID tags are based on a universally accepted standard protocol (EPC Gen 2) to provide interoperability between products, which has increased market acceptance -- active RFID on the other hand is based primarily on proprietary protocols," said George E. Daddis, Jr., PhD, CEO of Omni-ID. "The proprietary nature of these products not only continues to limit market acceptance but customer choice and competition for providers. As a leading developer of RFID technologies, our aim is to participate within key industry groups and support open standards for active RFID. A standards-based market benefits customers and manufacturers alike. As a start, we've launched an industry-leading product operating on the IEEE standard for active RFID, the Power 415. We're also very pleased to announce the interoperability of the product with a GuardRFID reader -- further demonstrating the possibilities."

Omni-ID has recently participated in several industry group events and has presented its recommendations to utilize a popular IEEE protocol for North Sea Oil asset tracking operations to the standards group GS1 at their Norway Smart Centre Partner Day event.

Swire Oilfield Services is also a sponsor of the GS1 Norway Smart Centre. Chris Hook, Commercial Manager, Track & Trace Solutions at Swire, presented Swire's view of the application of auto-ID solutions in the Oil & Gas industry at the GS1 Norway Smart Centre Partner Day. Hook commented, "Swire consistently advocates the use of international standards compliant auto-ID components and interoperability in our industry, which we know benefits our customers. We were pleased to see the material presented by Omni-ID and look forward to continuing our participation in promoting the utilization of standards compliant solutions in the Oil & Gas industry."

IEEE is widely recognized as a universally accepted standard for wireless communication networks. The IEEE 802.15.4f-2012 standard was specifically developed for active RFID and RTLS applications.

"We live in an age where the Internet of Things is driving down costs and establishing standards at many new applications across our target industries," said Ed Nabrotzky, EVP Sales and Product Development for Omni-ID. "For example, adoption of smart meters with remote data acquisition capability is driving tremendous growth in many communities around the world based on related IEEE standards. This adoption drives down component costs and increases interoperability."

"As we worked through research and discussions with industry groups and key end users -- IEEE 802.15.4f emerged as a clear winner in providing both an opportunity for utilizing an open standard with no licensing fees or legacy encumbrances, and technical performance. We are convinced that this standard provides the best basis for encouraging innovation and product interoperability in industrial active RFID going forward. At the end of the day, customers will be better served and no longer be tied to one provider, they will have a choice," added Nabrotzky.

The company today unveiled its first product operating on this standard -- the Power 415. The Power 415 is also the first combination UHF passive/active RFID tag. This powerful combination allows standard 96 bit encodings (EPC Gen 2) to be commissioned through standard passive readers and broadcast across the active network. Standard GS1 encoding formats such as GIAI (Global Individual Asset Identifier) or GRAI (Global Returnable Asset Identifier) and several others are supported. This provides the ability to create systems that include barcode, passive and active RFID to allow vendors and operators to encode and identify assets over a common format.

Certified as intrinsically safe (ATEX and IEC-Ex), the Power 415 active RFID tag is ideal for tracking assets in harsh outdoor environments where high impact, temperature fluctuations and exposure to chemical or other hazardous materials are part of the day-to-day use case. The tag has been designed for extreme durability and use in dangerous environments, such as the energy industry. Additionally, the combination of passive and active provides the assurance to end users that even if the battery fails, the tag information can still be retrieved.

Omni-ID has also collaborated with active RFID technology developer GuardRFID to test the interoperability of their Tag Reader Receiver (TRR) with Omni-ID's Power 415 tag.

"We are excited to announce this successful demonstration of active RFID product interoperability based on the IEEE 802.15.4f-2012 standard," said Dalibor Pokrajac, GuardRFID's Executive Vice-President of Engineering. "We think this is the first such demonstration carried out by two independent companies in compliance with the standard. Proliferation of standardization within the currently fractured active RFID/RTLS market will offer greater choice to users, leading to higher adoption of active RFID technology based products."

Product specifications for the Power 415 tag can be found at: www.omni-id.com/products

Product specifications for the Tag Reader Receiver (TRR) can be found at: http://guardrfid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/02-00007-104-Tag-Reader-Receiver.pdf

About Omni-ID
Based in Rochester, NY, Omni-ID has developed original, patented technologies for on-metal and visual tagging to enable a broad range of applications to improve asset tracking, supply chain management and work-in-process. Omni-ID is the leading supplier of RFID tags and visual tagging systems for Manufacturing & Logistics, Energy, IT Assets and Tool Tracking. Omni-ID's versatile family of products provides a complete range of tags and auto-ID solutions for tracking and identification challenges, with unprecedented accuracy, in any environment. For more information, visit www.omni-id.com.

About Guard RFID
Guard RFID Solutions, Inc. develops Active Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies and products for Healthcare, Industrial, and Enterprise applications. Guard RFID Solutions, Inc.'s products can accurately track and locate equipment, materials, and people for enhanced automation, workflow, monitoring, and security solutions -- all on one flexible platform. Guard RFID Solutions, Inc. is federally incorporated in Canada, with its head office in British Columbia sales offices in Chicago, IL and West Palm Beach, FL. www.guardrfid.com