RFID: Radio Frequency Identification (McGraw-Hill Networking Professional) (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

consumer's and supplier’s perspectives. Covers…in broad terms and…escorts…reader through…subject with amazing deftness…address[es]security issues…crisp and clear…information…vital…to understand…changing aspects of…world. Interesting...Recommended -- Electric Review, Oct. 2004

Review

This manuscript by Steven Shepard (a Vermont writer with deep expertise in international telecommunications) marks the first technology text to explore radio frequency identification from both the consumer’s and supplier’s perspectives.

Basically, RFID is the foundation of the wireless communications industry and it stands at the forefront of a market that is expected to boom in the next decade. Shepard’s text covers the topic in broad terms and he escorts the reader through the subject with amazing deftness - giving us an over-view of the business side of RFID and then segueing into its pertinent technical aspects: explaining each of the components of radio frequency identification and then noting how these labyrinths interlock to create a multi-layered system. Throughout the course of his treatise, Shepard is careful to thoughtfully address security issues that could develop as a result of using high-grade radio frequency systems - especially important at a time when threats of terrorism dominate. Mr. Shepard should be commended for his work here: the writing is crisp and clear, bringing the ability to dissect an ultra-complex topic and speak to it in practical terms.

For the majority of the populous, the way their electronic gadgets work is secondary to the fact that they actually work. However, RFID is written in a way that illuminates how advances in technology have revolutionized our lives and will continue to instigate change as we move deeper into the 21st century. Since the industry is predicted to generate over 10 billion in earnings over the next decade, the information contained here is vital to beginning to understand the changing aspects of our world. Interesting not only for the wealth of technical information presented, but also for the social issues that are revealed as a result of the way we now communicate.

Recommended to all college-level libraries as a general reference text. Also should be considered by technical science instructors whose courses over-lap with this subject matter. A burgeoning area of study that is addressed in concrete and thorough terms. (Electric Review )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional; 1 edition (August 16, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071442995
• ISBN-13: 978-0071442992
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #776,445 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not worth the cash., March 10, 2005

By	A poorer but no wiser reader (Mountain View CA) - See all my reviews

If you want a fluffy, executive-level overview of RFID, save yourself $60 and read an inflight magazine article about it. This book's relevant content is about the same.

Fully 1/3 of the book is taken up by a glossary and a list of acronyms, both of which are very clearly regurgitated from previously-published material. The author didn't even bother to cull out the terms that are utterly not relevant to the topic, not mentioned in the text, and not interesting to the target audience. To further pad the book, it's printed with large type on thick paper, with photos of things like container ships to illustrate such highly technical points as "container ships are big." The price is bulked up by adding a hardcover binding, which is inappropriate for a book of this type.

It's obvious to me that this book was a moneymaker for the publisher because they could get it on the shelf fast, so anyone looking for ANY book on RFID wouldn't see much besides this one. You know why it was so quick to write? Because there isn't much actual content in it. Thank goodness there are a few other books on the shelf now, so others won't get stuck with this one like I did.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not worth the money!, September 27, 2005

By	Jenny, C. (MA) - See all my reviews

The book seems incoherent, repetitive, almost like glued together with materials from different sources? If the author understand the subject, he is not communicating.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not comprehensive enough, January 25, 2005

By	A Reviewer (Cupertino, CA USA) - See all my reviews

After buying the book based on the reviews here, I found the book quite disappointing. It is long on providing historical perspective, appendices on terminology, acronyms and glossaries, but short on substance.

Technology coverage is limited to low-level communication protocols and the standard OSI 7-layer model. Those looking for integration of RFID into middleware, business applications and end-to-end architecture will find very little.

The size of the book is on the smaller side but uses a lot of print space for photos, which are not useful. Font size and paper thickness are also on the larger side.