The reliability of a RAIN/RFID system depends on the reader, the tag, the software and the physical RF environment in which it operates. This environment is part of the system.
ISOCOVER works on this environment to control read zones, limit stray reads and act on RF propagation around RFID installations.
Aligning the RF boundary with the physical boundary
A wall, a partition, a door or a glazed surface physically separates two spaces without necessarily forming an RF boundary.
An RFID read can then extend beyond the intended zone and pick up tags located in an adjacent space. These stray reads, or cross-reads, do not come from a misidentified tag: the read has simply crossed the physical boundary that was meant to contain it.
Depending on the configuration, controlling the RF environment can mean aligning the RF boundary with the physical boundary, containing a read zone, or reducing reflections that interfere with reading within that zone.
Block, absorb or contain
The phenomena to be controlled are not always the same.
BLOCK: Prevent reads beyond a separation. ABSORB: Reduce the RF reflections that interfere with reading. CONTAIN: Keep reads within a defined volume.
Depending on the environment, these principles can be used separately or combined to obtain the behaviour required.
Continuity and physical configuration determine the treatment
Treating a surface correctly is not always enough to create a complete RF separation. Openings, passageways, glazing, junctions, interfaces with the floor or the ceiling and other discontinuities must be considered as part of the same boundary.
The solution depends on the geometry of the zone to be treated and on the surfaces that define it. The choice of materials and the way they are installed must make it possible to create an RF boundary consistent with the intended physical configuration.
Inside a metal volume or near a conductive surface, the issue can be different: it is no longer only a matter of blocking propagation, but also of reducing the RF reflections that can interfere with reading within the zone.
Materials are part of the RF environment
A wallcovering, a paint, a conductive mesh, a panel, a gasket or an absorbing material does not act on waves in the same way.
ISOCOVER's role is to use these properties according to the element to be treated: creating a separation, maintaining its continuity, preserving a transparent area, containing a volume or reducing reflections.
The product comes after the problem to be solved.
Complementing the RFID ecosystem
ISOCOVER works alongside integrators, manufacturers and other players in the RFID ecosystem to control the physical RF environment of installations.
Its expertise covers RF boundaries and read zones, complementing the equipment and software deployed on the RAIN/RFID system.
This approach makes control of the RF environment part of the deployment itself, with each party contributing in its own field of expertise.