Free Alliance

 
by: RFID Journal News. February 11, 2010

Free Alliance, an RFID company based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has introduced a new 2.4 GHz active tag that also has a built-in slot to hold a passive RFID card. The active tag does not have a passive built-in card reader, but merely holds the passive card.

By adding passive RFID to the active tag, says Fairuz Mohd Azrul, the firm's CEO, companies will be able to leverage their existing passive card investments and/or infrastructures, and apply active RFID to enhance their operations, all while using one personnel card. The nuRF tag, designed for use as a personnel ID card, also incorporates a distress button, an LED and a piezoelectric audio feedback device.

The new active personnel tag can support any passive RFID card that has a maximum thickness of 1.3 millimeter (0.05 inch), the company reports.  

The tag leverages a proprietary protocol for active RF communication, Azrul says, noting that Free Alliance decided to use its custom protocol in order to provide higher-capacity device handling (tens of thousands of tag detections per second), and better security (it supports AES 128bit). "We are considering to embed the ISO 24730 [RTLS] standard into our communication protocol for ease of integration to other systems this year," Azrul states.

In testing, the company was able to achieve bi-directional RF communication between the nuRF tag and a reader from a range of 150 meters(492 feet). The tag is also RTLS-ready, and is supported by Free Alliance's nuRF Locate triangulation algorithm, enabling users to determine the tag's whereabouts with an accuracy of 1 to 3 meters (3.3 to 9.9 feet). This combination allows users to maintain existing passive card investments or infrastructures, and to apply active RFID to enhance operations.

The tag is currently available in Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea and Europe. Pricing starts at $39, depending on the built-in features, and volume pricing is available to systems integrators.

In addition, the company offers complete hardware and software solutions consisting of tags, enterprise readers, handheld interrogators and enterprise software. The nuRF Tag series offers bi-directional RF communication, anti-tamper capability and various programmable features, and one version of the nuRF tag has built-in motion and temperature sensors. The enterprise-level nuRF Point (access reader) comes with Power-over-Ethernet (POE),USB and RS232 connectivity options. For users with mobile workforce and handheld-type applications, Free Alliance also offers a mini USB-enabled reader. The new active personnel tag works with all Free Alliance products.