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RFID Antennas: Alien
What is an RFID Antenna? An RFID antenna is attached to the RFID reader and is the source that emits radio waves. For passive tags, this enables the tag’s antenna once it has entered the RF field to power up its microchip to send and receive RFID data. The type of RFID antenna determines the type of RFID field generated. Circular-polarized RFID antennas emit radio waves in a circular pattern and are used when the orientation of the tag to the reader cannot be controlled. Linear-polarized RFID antennas focus the radio energy in a narrow beam. Although this increases the read distance and provides greater penetration, the tags must be aligned with the RFID antenna in order to be read. Most RFID readers need an external RFID antenna for use, although some units are integrated (reader & antenna in a single product). RFID antennas for fixed RFID readers have a longer range and are more powerful than the RFID antennas for the portable RFID readers.
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