MARK OF THE BEAST INFRASTRUCTURE ALERT

RFID vs. Wi-Fi ID
By Andy Dornan
07/01/2005 12:00 AM EST
URL: http://www.networkmagazine.com/shared/article/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=164901582

Wireless networks and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) have always been closely linked: One of Wi-Fi's first applications was transferring data from portable RFID readers. But the popularity of RFID has led some to envision whole networks of readers embedded throughout a building's infrastructure. Start-up Reva Systems has announced what it calls a Tag Acquisition Network (TAN), an array of RFID readers that work with passive, batteryless tags. Meanwhile, established networking vendors led by Cisco Systems are promoting Wi-Fi itself as a way to enable RFID-like applications.