What are the common causes of reading failures?

Created by Gary Straker, Modified on Thu, 14 Jul 2022 at 06:28 PM by Gary Straker

  • Tag is too far from the reader
  • Tag is placed on a surface it was not intended for
  • Reader signal is blocked by an object between the reader and the tag
  • Reader signal is being reflected off an object or flat surface
  • For fixed readers, the cable connecting the reader and antenna is loose
  • Reader transmit power is not set to the maximum level
  • Reader antenna is not aimed at the tag
  • Reader is not set for the correct region, e.g., ETSI instead of FCC
  • Dynamic range of the sensor is exceeded, especially in the case of moisture sensors
  • With software that supports registering sensors, trying to read unregistered tags can give the appearance of a read failure
  • All antennas have a pattern of blind spots, called nulls, and so pointing the reader into a null can lead to read failure or greatly reduced read range.

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