Customer Reviews

RFID Sourcebook

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RFID Sourcebook by Sandip Lahiri is a very well done title that you should investigate if you're starting to look into how RFID technology might be used in your organization...

Contents: Technology Overview; Advantages of the Technology; Limitations of the Technology; Application Areas; Privacy Concerns; RFID Versus Bar Code; The RFID Strategy; Creating Business Justification for RFID; Designing and Implementing an RFID Solution; Standards; Closing Thoughts; RFID Vendors, News Sources, and Conferences; Passive Tag Manufacturing Overview; Glossary; Index

I found this book to be the type that you could legitimately use in order to plan your company's approach to RFID. It's not a "rah rah" book that pretends that RFID is a panacea to all the manufacturing problems that exist. It's an even-handed coverage of the subject, and he doesn't have any qualms about covering the pros and cons that you'll have to consider if you use RFID. There's a degree of technical information in the book, but not so much that a higher-level decision maker would get bogged down in details. I guess I'd consider it more of a strategic book to make good fundamental initial decisions, and to get your project moving in the right direction early.

If RFID is something that your organization or industry is pursuing, grab this book to get grounded in the fundamentals.

Introduction

I was interested in reading this book because I intend on deploying a large-scale RFID solution in the future and wanted to enhance my knowledge on the technology. I figured this would be a good start since the author is an IBM RFID Solution Architect, and perhaps something he would state could disqualify my intentions.

"Learning more about the technology" is a very broad statement, and in my case covered just about everything from Frequencies and Business Applications to Public Scrutiny of the technology. Sandip does an excellent job of staying concise, unbiased and objective throughout this publication. Additionally, he provides insight as to why certain "sides" of public RFID critics/advocates may view things the way they do. The book mentions "getting beyond the hype" on the back cover, and Sandip does exactly that.

Sandip wrote:
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology uses radio waves to automatically identify physical objects (either living beings or inanimate items). Therefore, the range of objects identifiable using RFID includes virtually everything on this planet (and beyond). Thus, RFID is an example of automatic identification (Auto-ID) technology by which a physical object can be identified automatically. Other examples of Auto-ID include bar code, biometric (for example, using fingerprint and retina scan), voice identification, and optical character recognition (OCR) systems.


I come from an environment where my RFID hypothesis is already laid out; I just need additional information on the technology to ensure my deployment is a success. Not only does he give consideration to the variations of RFID technology, he discusses the necessity of businesses using RFID versus other technologies available today and the processes of evaluation, experimentation, deployment, and post-deployment.

Contents

The book starts out with a quick preface that gives a general blurt about RFID and narrows down who could find themselves reading the book.

Sandip wrote:

* Corporate decision makers who have received an RFID mandate from a customer or who want to adopt RFID for their enterprise
* IT managers who want to initiate a first RFID program
* Architects or developers who want to get practical tips and guidelines on implementing an RFID system and avoid the potential pitfalls
* Teachers who want to teach a course about RFID
* Students who want to know more about the technology to prepare for the RFID job market
* Consumers who want to be aware of how the technology is being used and its capabilities and limitations
* Anyone who is interested to know about the technology and its aspects


Although I can see "consumers" and "anyone interested" quickly becoming lost in his intelligent vocabulary, technical specifications and continuous references to variables and infrastructure.

Recommended experience in a technical environment before jumping into this book...and NOT intended for your "everyday Wal-Mart shopper".

Table of Contents wrote:

Preface
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1 - Technology Overview
Chapter 2 - Advantages of the Technology
Chapter 3 - Limitations of the Technology
Chapter 4 - Application Areas
Chapter 5 - Privacy Concerns
Chapter 6 - RFID Versus Bar Code
Chapter 7 - The RFID strategy
Chapter 8 - Creating Business Justification for RFID
Chapter 9 - Designing and Implementing an RFID Solution
Chapter 10 - Standards
Chapter 11 - Closing Thoughts
Appendix A - RFID Vendors, News Sources, and Conferences
Appendix B - Passive Tag Manufacturing Overview
Glossary
Index


Style and Detail

Each chapter starts with introduction to the topic, then dives into specifics relevant to the topic. His organization throughout the book is very structured and is incredibly easy to follow. If you miss something or don't understand it, you will probably find that in the next paragraph he will discuss it once again except in further detail.

Beware of chapter 1, it is quite lengthy and very technical although necessary for those reading later on to fully understand the concepts he discusses.

Throughout the book, there are plenty of illustrations and pictures of products pertinent to the context. Most illustrations were very "bird's eye view" on topics, but realize he is coming from the position of a high level executive considering a RFID implementation, who instructs all those in charge of the various departments to comply, then supervises and evaluates accordingly.

Because of the "high level executive" standpoint, Sandip doesn't dip into mega-specifics of RFID tags and readers. You are not going to learn how to interact with a RFID tag or reader by reading this book...you're going to learn how to determine implementation considerations (such as environmental factors, etc), the overall purpose, how to evaluate that purpose, select a vendor, comply with standards, implement the solution, and evaluate accordingly. Overall, pretty much covers the 7 P's concept...to cross your t's and dot your i's before spending too much money.

Conclusion

From a business perspective, this book is a must read. If you are considering a RFID solution, reading this book will give you some good pointers and ways of evaluating effectiveness and efficiency. Perhaps you don't even need RFID (that's covered too).

I thought reading this book was going to help me write data to RFID tags in my RFID Solution...instead it gave me new insight as to the scope and path of my Solution. There is no "one stop" book, but this one should be your "first stop". He gives direction as to where to head if you're looking for more specific or technical information, so you're not left in the dark at the end.

His Closing Thoughts (Chapter 11) was probably the most valuable chapter in the book. Here he cuts through all the hype and anti-RFID/pro-RFID sentiment and addresses issues from both sides. Yes RFID is young, and yes its use needs to be responsible. Its capability is directly proportional to the complexity of the infrastructure. If your infrastructure is secure, the implementation will be secure. What good is "10110011101100111011001110110011" going to do anyone if they don't have access to your infrastructure? Crossing the t's and dotting the i's...

Jon Kleinhans
(...)

RFID is a technology that has the good fortune of being forced upon end users from major players like Walmart and the DOD. Soon therefore, many IT managers should expect to get involved in RFID assessment and deployments. Unfortunately however, much of the information about the technology comes from the marketing material put out by vendors. Though useful, such literature does not provide a complete picture of what it takes to successfully deploy RFID. That is where this book is handy. I think it offers one of the most balanced coverages of managerial and technical issues in any book I have read concerning any information technology.

The author's experience on the topic is evident throughout and the book is structured to guide the reader from an introduction to RFID to guidance in implementation. The first few chapters offer an overview of the technology, including frequency specifications and specifications of popular readers and sensors. To help answer some of the most frequently asked questions there are comparisons of RFID with Bar codes and a discussion on privacy issues, and many other issues.

Some of the most practical offerings of the book are the templates for all phases of an RFID implementation. There are templates for building the business case, creating use cases and the actual implementation. Though there is no substitute for experience, this book provides a sound footing for managers to prevent shooting in the dark.

I would have loved to see a description of a real case of a company implementing an RFID solution along with a discussion of the gotchas along the way. However, it is understandable that most companies are averse to providing such information for publication. Overall, this book is strongly recommended to any reader looking for a companion handbook on RFID.

Radio frequency identification or RFID is not a new technology. The earliest US patent for a passive (no battery) RFID tag that I know of was issued in 1973. Others trace the beginnings of RFID to the use of radio transponders for aircraft identification in World War II. In recent years, RFID has become a pervasive technology; its use is widespread. The users do not often realize that they are using it. Examples include electronic toll collection, electronic credit cards like the Speedpass, employee access control, pet identification, and automobile immobilizers. These applications total tens of millions of users.

The recent interest in the subject of RFID has resulted from the implementation of passive tags for the tracking of pallets and cases in the retail supply chain. The numbers of tags that may be used here figures in the tens of billions per year. If the RFID industry can make the tags at a low enough cost, the potential for labelling individual items is around one trillion per year. No wonder this industry is experiencing explosive growth and the interest to go with it.

In this book, the author gives us a comprehensive introduction to the world of RFID. The presentation is quite clear, readable, and without technical jargon. It does not require a technical background. Details are kept at a high level. The author is careful to present the benefits and drawbacks to every technology discussed. Individual chapters include: Technology Overview, Advantages of the Technology, Limitations of the Technology, Privacy Concerns, RFID vs. Bar Code, Strategy, Business Justification, RFID Solutions, and Standards.

The book is named appropriately. This is a sourcebook. There are lists of standards, vendors, conferences, organizations and their web sites. This is the best book on RFID that I have read.

I am just getting up to speed on RFID and found this book to be both authoritative and approachable, clear and complete. Mr. Lahiri lays out the important details and limitations of RFID technology and applications as they exist today and as they will evolve in the future. Helpful appendices provide very useful information on industry players, organizations, web sites, etc.

I highly recommend this book.

I have been working as an Asst. Project Manager in a software development and maintenance company. I was looking for a good book on RFID for a long time. The good thing about this book is you will get all the required information to start a new project confidently. Especially, the advantages and the limitations of RFID. One of the first thing you need to do to initiate a project is to define the scope of it. This book is very helpful and provided the strong guidelines in this area. The cost-benefit analysis is very commendable. This book gives the detail real life figures and that is extremely useful to start a new project. I also liked the discussion between bar code and RFID.

I would like to recommend this book for those who want to start a new project on RFID or just want to know all about it.

The RFID field is very topical right now. It offers the prospect of much finer grained inventory control and management. But along with the improving technical feasibility has come controversy.

Lahiri gives a sober assessment of where things stand in RFID these days. The book is a primer on all aspects of the subject, and can be usefully read by someone new to RFID. He explains the various hardware elements that make up a system. From sensors, readers, actuators, and, above all, the contactless tags. A reader might be stationary, or perhaps a mobile handheld device. The latter is envisioned in places like warehouses. Simply being able to "point" a reader at a box, and get readout of its contents is a wonderful timesaver. Compared to the alternative of having to open up the box.

For shipping containers, this ability to inventory the contents is attracting intense interest in current milieu of fears of terrorism, and what might be smuggled inside those containers.

But there are indeed limitations in the current technology. Lahiri does not gloss over these. You should certainly pay close attention here. If you are considering a deployment, many of the constraints are here.

The book also gives extensive coverage of the privacy issues. These vary from country to country, and awareness of your region's policies is recommended. And the book also warns that you should not expect RFID to replace standard bar codes anytime soon.

Overall, it's a pretty balanced treatment. Very promising future.

This book is a great resource as it covers RFID from the many perspectives anyone considering the technology needs to consider. It is well organized and easy to read cover to cover or by topic. It continuously reinforces three of the most basic ideas a project manager needs for a successful RFID pilot or roll out. First, understand the current state of the technology and manage the stakeholder's objectives so that they are not oversold. Second, learn now and pilot if you can, so that you are ready when the myriads of standards referenced in the text coalesce making RFID system integration easier. And third, use the tools provided to look into the the long term benefits of the technology so you are prepared for RFID requirements from your customers as this technology will become as pervasive as barcodes in the not so distant future.

This is a valiant effort from Sandip to provide right mixture of content appopriately and right point. The content flow is really amazing and it brings hardware engineer , software engineer , project managers and executives to be able to have differnt orthogonal understanding of the same topic.It provides foundation to further explore the possibilities of RFID which is still in infancy.Great piece of work !!!

Sandip has been one of the good experts in RFID area and I believe anyone entering in this space must read this book.
This book explains basics of RFID from both technical and business perspective. Once you plan to implement RFID in your organization, the project management section helps you to plan for the pilot and then implementation.

This book is a great companion for RFID consultants and end users alike.

Hoping to see a sequel to this book.