Which statement is false about RFID?

• A. An RFID tag includes an antenna and a chip with information about the item
• B. An RFID reader contains a radio transmitter and receiver
• C. An RFID tag remains inactive until RF energy hits its antenna and powers the chip to emit data
• D. An RFID tag can hold 20 times the amount of information a barcode can hold, and the tag can be read through cardboard, wood, and plastic at a range of up to 100 feet

Answer: (D)

RFID works by pairing a tag with an antenna and a tiny chip, and a reader that both powers the tag and communicates with it. A passive tag has no internal battery; it harvests energy from the RF field transmitted by the reader and, once energized, the chip sends its data back. The reader itself is a device with a radio transmitter and a receiver to send commands and collect responses. In practice, RFID can store more data than a typical barcode and can be read without a direct line of sight, which is a major advantage over barcodes that require an optical path to be scanned. However, the statement that a tag can hold twenty times the amount of information a barcode can hold and can be read through cardboard, wood, and plastic at a range of up to 100 feet isn’t generally accurate. Data capacity varies widely—from a few bytes to kilobytes depending on the tag—and read range depends on tag type, frequency, power, and environment. While some systems can reach longer distances under favorable conditions, 100 feet through common non-metal materials is not a guaranteed or universal spec, making that claim unreliable.