Internet of Things (IoT)

Tags for networking objects existed long before the advent of digitalization. RFID/NFC solutions have been successfully developed, manufactured and marketed by smart-TEC for over a decade. In the context of the Internet of Things, these technologies are now coming more into focus than ever before. RFID and NFC have several advantages over other approaches. The tags are very small, which means they can be used almost anywhere. Even passive RFID systems, i.e. tags without their own power supply, achieve ranges of 5 to over 10 meters. With active transponders, which are larger and also more expensive, reading ranges of up to 100 meters are possible.
Tag information is the basis of the IoT in several respects and therefore also of the currently much-discussed Industry 4.0. Core elements are information transfer, location recognition and the unique identification of objects such as machines, devices, storage and transport containers, (intermediate) products and tools. All these objects must not only be able to disclose current information about themselves, they must also be able to network with each other in order to communicate.
Machine data can also be read out with the help of RFID/NFC, which is sent to a defined group of recipients in the form of automatic status information. This means that faults, for example, carry far less weight than before. The reason: thanks to IoT, production facilities are able to redirect workpieces to other systems so that there is no interruption. In the meantime, the defective machine autonomously requests maintenance. Of course, transponder technologies are also the basis for functioning machine-to-machine communication (M2M) in general.
RFID/NFC tags can also remain on a product, which offers numerous advantages in terms of traceability. It is therefore possible to track the entire life cycle of a product. Production, storage, transportation, use by the customer and disposal or recycling - all steps become transparent and can be traced. This results in benefits for all parties involved in the process, including logistics companies, dealers, maintenance and repair service providers and disposal companies in addition to the manufacturer.

Information on RFID/NFC tags - unlike barcodes, for example - can not only be read, but also changed. This is achieved through bidirectional communication with a reader. This results in numerous advantages for the production process. In the Industrial Internet of Things, every material carries a tag that contains all the information required for production processes. On the one hand, this can be classification features such as material number, material or dimensions. Even more important, however, is the current status information, which the tag carries in up-to-date form at all times thanks to bidirectional communication. For example, production facilities can use this data to determine the processing status of a particular workpiece. This in turn enables production facilities to decide autonomously on further process steps in production and to react flexibly to unplanned changes: The modern factory completely controls its own material and goods flow using smart objects equipped with RFID or NFC tags.

Of course, the Internet of Things is not limited to industrial production and logistics. Intelligent objects will find their way into every conceivable area in the not too distant future. One rapidly growing NFC application area is mobile payment. Here, payment systems are used that process financial transactions via smart card or cell phone. This saves users from having to use small change - for example at checkouts, at vending machines, on
buses or in streetcars.
Intelligent labels, so-called RFID/NFC labels, also enable highly interesting applications in the "smart home" sector. Just a few examples are access control for apartments and houses, burglary and theft protection and energy control. In principle, objects in households can communicate with each other using RFID technology. Due to the small size of the transponders, they can be easily integrated into objects such as heaters, lights, smoke detectors or blinds. However, developments go much further than this. A prominent example is the refrigerator, which can independently provide information about its current contents and missing products. The prerequisite here is that the objects in the refrigerator - i.e. the food and its packaging - can transmit data to the household appliance. The products could also provide information on origin, delivery routes, production and best-before date. RFID/NFC technology can also be used for this purpose. It is also conceivable that the user could be directed to the required items in the supermarket via an app.
Even intelligent clothing would be possible. In this case, an RFID chip could tell the washing machine via radio which wash cycle and temperature is required.