RFID, James Bond’s Newest Foe

Pretty soon James Bond is going to have to deal with not only hidden lasers, guards, and trap doors, but RFID secured enclosures as well. This may seem far-fetched, but actually it is very much reality. Armed Response Team (ART) uses UHF Gen 2 RFID tags to secure electrical service boxes of local businesses. http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/view/8667/1.

In Albuquerque, copper theft has been on the rise. The half hour to hour long process involves stealing copper wire from an electrical service box. This puts businesses out of commission for days at a time, not including the cost of labor and materials needed to replace the wire. To say the least, this is an exasperating problem wherever it is found.

Traditional security measures were full of problems. First, false alarms frequent the system. The alarm will be triggered anytime power goes down (through a manmade event or otherwise). Think about it, anytime a power outage or surge happens the alarm will sound. This is not the only problem with the old system, however. The alarm is only triggered when power is cut, which can occur much later in the process of stealing the copper wire. Thus, the perpetrator can be long gone before anyone responds to the alarm.

In 2004 a retired police officer saw the need for a better system. This new system includes an innovative use of RFID technology. The Gen 2 tag, located within the box itself, signals at preset intervals, which indicates that everything is correct with the system. However, if the box is opened, the RFID tag reads this action and sends an alert signal to a nearby reader which sends the box’s identification information to the Armed Response Team headquarters. At this point the nearest ART guard (most often a retired police officer) rushes over to investigate.

This system is superior in that it signals at the first sign of entry, instead of at a much later point in the process. Also, it continues to work even during a power outage with the installed backup battery. This greatly reduces the frequency of false alarms.

As always, let’s take a look into what else this could be used for. Could this system be used to make sure houses are not broken into? Could it provide a second line of defense to secure vaults and banking boxes? Experts in these areas would be the people to ask as they know these systems the best. However, one thing is for sure, RFID can be useful in ways currently not thought of.

If you would like to use RFID in a creative and innovative way, come to the experts. Ron Pulvermacher and his team at Matrix Product Development can help you find that perfect solution. Contact Ron at (608) 834-1661.

Many thanks to Rainer Topf for the photo.