User's Manual

USER MANUAL – ActivDuo Active RFID Tags
Configuration No. Wavetrend Technologies Ltd Master File Name Issue Date Page
00000-0000-150-1 User Manual ActivDuo Tag-00.8-UM-LT 3 DECEMBER 2008 7 OF 42
1 THE ACTIVDUO RANGE OF ACTIVE RFID TAGS
1.1 Product Overview
Wavetrend
®
ActivDuo tags are Active Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) beacon tags (i.e. self-
powered tags, that transmit their data at periodic intervals without being ‘asked’ to transmit by a reader) and
are to be used in conjunction with the Wavetrend
®
range of Active RFID readers or OEM products that
support reading Wavetrend’s tags. All ActivDuo tags have –A included in their part number, e.g. L-TG501-A.
ActivDuo Tags can be used in various applications such as access control, personnel monitoring, asset
location & status monitoring, vehicle monitoring and building management applications. Standard on-board
sensors identify attempts to tamper with or move the tagged asset and the tag transmits alerts immediately,
allowing the RFID system to raise real time alerts for the RFID system users. Temperature, humidity and
other digital sensors can be added to the tags to transmit the data from these sensors wirelessly. Please
enquire with Wavetrend
®
if you require such advanced sensor functionality.
The tags are suitably packaged in sealed plastic housings to meet the most common requirements for
different tag usage applications; although it is advised to check with Wavetrend
®
and the local standards
authority that the tag(s) of choice meet all regulatory requirements in the country and location of use before
specifying or using it in that country and/or location. For instance, tags used within a petrochemical plant will
be required to hold nationally recognized intrinsic safety (IS) certification, and many countries require that
their own IS certification is obtained for the tags.
1.1.1 L-Series & W-Series Explained
‘L-Series’ and ‘W-Series’ refer to two different proprietary communication protocols used between ActivDuo
tags and Wavetrend’s readers. An L-Series reader must be used with Wavetrend L-Series tags. A W-Series
reader must be used with Wavetrend W-Series tags. Both types of reader can operate on the same reader
network infrastructure. Please refer to the various Wavetrend reader user manuals for more information on
using Wavetrend readers.
L-Series and W-Series each offer different functionality for the user from the ActivDuo tag. Generally, L-
Series tags offer greater read range, function as a simple identity tag, and are better suited to RFID
systems where fewer tags are in range of any one reader at any one time.
W-Series tags offer a greater flexibility of the amount and type of data that is transmitted and offer
more transmit interval options, but are better suited to applications where many hundreds or thousands
of tags are deployed on a site and where shorter read ranges are suitable or preferred i.e. where it is
more important to detect a large number of tags quickly than it is to achieve very large read ranges.
W-Series data options: The user is able to choose which fixed data elements are to be transmitted by the W-
tag, for instance the battery age counter is an optional data element. In addition to the fixed data elements,
the user can also program the tag with their own data (up to 25 characters) for the tag to transmit.
Note: The total amount of data the tag can transmit at maximum is fixed, so the more fixed data elements
that are selected for the tag to transmit, the less data space will be available for the user data, and vice
versa.
The user data can only be changed through reprogramming the tag using the tag programmer, it cannot be
changed at will during normal use of the tags, and as such W-Series tags are not read/write tags.
Tags are manufactured to use one of the protocols and cannot be changed afterward to use the other
protocol. The tag range is available in identically designed and shaped tags for each protocol, but are
typically colored Grey for L-Series tags or Black for W-Series tags. The Series prefix (L- or W-) in the tag’s
part number denotes the protocol the tag uses. e.g. L-TG501-A denotes an L-Series tag, W-TG501-A
denotes a W-Series tag.