More research required.
This is way out of my area of expertise but there was a reddit discussion on a similar topic that indicated extending the range wasn't really possible:
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskTechnology/comments/17mlwha/long_range_pet_microchip_reader/?rdt=58074
The response seems plausible to me but hopefully a forum member with RF knowledge will be able to provide a better answer.
Even if it were possible, do you know how to design, build and test a custom PCB?
Do you have the necessary equipment to program and test this PCB?
Do have even the basic knowledge to do all of this?
Sounds like an interesting application, given how many pets have these chips installed and how many pets go missing, a Worldwide problem I guess.
Which makes me think that if 'long range' operation were practical and legal, you would expect such long range scanners to be readily available, lots of people would want one I assume.
Remember the power for the chip comes from the scanner, if you want to double the range you need 4 times the scanner power so the power the scanner needs for several meters can become a bit not practical.
And that in that chip, more power means more heat.
I expect that the answer to longer range is more sensitive readers.
I have read this and many other posts. There seems to be conflicting responses on whether or not it can be done. There is already technology that can read pet microchips from 30cm so why not more?
The honest answer to all of that is no. I am just in the research phase. Hopefully with some help I can learn along the way.
I have spoken with a few people and the basic idea is that the device would need to be quite big with a larger antenna and power source. This is one of the reasons many people would not be interested in pursuing it. If I could figure out the basic requirements then adaptions could be made at a later stage regarding portability or accuracy. One step at a time.
You have a long road ahead of you.
You are probably right, but the one thing I know for sure is I can't do it alone.
What distance are you after ?
A few basic sums would suggest that to go from say 8cm to 10metre range would need the power of the scanner to increase by a factor of 16,000 or so.
I'm sure that is true but you need to know enough to know when someone is just handing you a bunch of nonsense, has no idea about what they are doing or just making guesses.
I think that it is even worse than that:
- The power received at the 'chip' falls off as an inverse square law.
- A fraction of the power received is re-transmitted, back to the scanner.
- The returned signal also falls off as an inverse square law.
- Then the two inverse square laws need to be combined to give an inverse fourth power law.
- This means that to double the distance, you need to transmit 16 times the power.
See The Radar Equation for more details.
See what I mean.
Ideally as far as possible, I have a few ideas for applications depending on the range. Even a device that was increased to say 60cm would have some uses.
I see cooked kitties in your future, as alluded to in post #5.
"I'm about to fire this thing up! All pets with chips must leave the nearby area!"
There is a reason why GPS pet collars have been invented.
From Google's AI:
The range of a pet chip RFID scanner is low because pet microchips are designed as "passive" RFID tags, meaning they have no battery and rely solely on the signal from the scanner to activate, resulting in a very short read range, usually only a few centimeters, due to the small size of the chip's antenna and the low power needed to read it safely within an animal's body; this is also to minimize interference and ensure accurate reading when scanning near other electronic devices.
Key points about pet chip RFID scanners:
- Passive technology:
Unlike active RFID tags which have their own power source, pet microchips are passive, requiring a close-range scanner to read them.
- Low frequency:
Pet microchips operate on a low frequency (usually around 125 kHz or 134.2 kHz), which allows for better penetration through tissue but limits the reading range.
- Small antenna size:
The tiny antenna embedded in the microchip limits its ability to pick up a signal from far away.
- Safety considerations:
A short read range is necessary to prevent overheating of the microchip when scanned.
Some commercial readers claim up to 100 cm range so that may be possible although not something that you personally could achieve.
Now you are getting advice form AI.
Do you believe it or not?
Just imagine if you could have a high powered scanner designed for long range but used at short range. The tag would probably not be able to safely absorb the high amount of induced power and explode. Nice.
Probably the very first step in a project such as this is to find out what the legal restrictions are for the scanner.
Longer distance suggests more transmit power from the scanner and that might well be limited by regulation.