A radio frequency identification (RFID) system is a sensor network to identify an object or a person using radio frequency transmission. A typical RFID system includes transponders (tags) and interrogators (readers): tags are attached to objects / persons, and readers communicate with the tags via radio signals.

The applications for RFID technology at present can be categorized as follows:

• Retail and Consumer Packaging — Inventory and supply management chain management, point of sale applications, and pallet and crate tracking.
• Transportation and Distribution — Trucking, warehouses, highway toll tags, and fleet management, etc., to monitor access and egress from terminal facilities, transaction recording, and container tracking.
• Industrial and Manufacturing — In a production plant environment, RFID technology is ideally suited for the identification of high-value products moving through a complex assembly process where durable and permanent identification from cradle to grave is essential.
• Security and Access Control — High value asset tracking, building / facility access control, identification card management, counterfeit protection, computer system access and usage control, branded goods replication prevention, baggage handling, and stolen item recovery.