I am starting a project for book management in a library. The primary concern is I need to verify which book is being taken out and raise an alarm if the book being taken out is not issued. So I am planning to use some form of RFID (or NFC) tags for this. I have noticed that some of them come in the form of stickers that I can easily put on the back of each book.
I am planning to use an RFID reader with an arduino uno to properly detect the tags as the first step. I will be adding the alarm part later on.
I have some experience with mfrc522 rfid reader but its read range is very less (almost contact). But I want the tags to be scanned as people walk out through the door of the library with their books. The door of the library is some 1-1.5 meters wide.
Can someone please help me in selecting the appropriate rfid reader and corresponding tags?
Our local library uses tags that are read at "contact" range but also has large "frame antennas" at the exit through which people have to walk. So i think it's mainly an issue of how you design the exit sensor.
I have already tried this. What I'm getting mainly is how can we issue and return books using rfid. That's not my main problem. I can do that since I have already worked with mfrc522. They are low range (almost contact) rfid's. I am looking for long range rfid because my main concern is
and
So I wanted help in selecting the rfid reader and tags that i should use for this application.
I have some medium level experience as I've been working on some arduino and related projects for quite some time now. I have even used mfrc522 in one of my earlier projects.
Well, the system in our local libraries just seem to have the standard tag labels in the books which are read at short range by the issuing terminals. There the sending antenna is quite a small coil, but a larger coil, possibly driven with more power, should have longer range. The ones at the egress are about 1m wide, 1.8m high, there are at least two mounted parallel about 1.5m apart, either side of the pathway to the door. I assume that they work as "Helmholtz Coils" to create a fairly uniform magnetic field in the space between them to excite the tags. I can't see any obvious reason why the same book tag should not work both at short and long range, given a much bigger antenna for the latter. This must surely be a well documented technology?
Can you please help me design a similar antenna? which rfid reader should I use? and which rfid tags?
Actually, yes. I am enthusiastic about electronics and arduino related projects and thus I want to build it myself even if gets a little technically complicated.
You might be, but the only passive long range reader you will get is a UHF reader. That is a design job for a serious, professional, licensed engineer.
I know because I used to work in the access control sector, designing RFID readers, but I would not attempt to design a passive UHF RFID reader.
Also, this has very limited availability and this might be not easy to get my hands on. Can anyone please suggest similar alternatives that might be more easily available?
The board has adjustable power output from 0dBm to 27dBm, meaning that with the correct antenna you can read up to 16 feet (4.9m), or 1 to 2 feet with the onboard antenna.
So I am looking for a compatible external antenna that can help me get 4-5 feet (1-1.5m) read range.
So it does. And the circuit board has wording for selecting the antenna connection by removing some capacitors. When you know the frequency the board operates on, you can research antennas.
I see the first general release of the device was 2015 and it is now out of stock, the OP needs to find an alternate device.
The frequency range for the device uses the ISM bands in the 800 mHz and 900 mHz range. Depends on where the device is deployed. Any similar UHF RFID device will use the same frequency range. So the OP can investigate appropriate antennas.
The thing is that the SparkFun readers were very well priced. Comparable readers where about an order of magnitude more expensive the last time I looked.
