RFID vs. Barcode Comparison

Both RFID and Barcodes have essentially the same purpose, data collection.
However, they use completely different technologies. Below is a chart describing the differences.

RFID

Barcode

 1. Technology

Radio Frequencies

Optical Laser

 2. Read Range

Passive (no battery)
UHF: up to 45 feet

Inches to a few feet

Active (with battery)
UHF: up to hundreds of feet

 3. Read Rate

Can read thousands
of tags simultaneously

One at a time

 4. Basic Capabilities

Can be read from and written to

Can only be read

 5. Automation

RFID can be automated with
minimal effort

In very few cases can it be automated,
thus requiring much labor

 6. Level of Identification

Down to individual item
(every item is separate)

Down to item type
(cannot identify between individual items)

 7. Read Issues

Certain frequencies have issues with liquids and metal

If barcode is dirty, torn, scratched or folded it becomes unreadable

 8. Direct Line-of-Sight Needed?

No

Yes

 What this means for Healthcare Inventory Management:

 (Read Rate) Taking inventory takes minutes instead of days

 (Basic Capabilities) Expiration dates can be written onto the individual RFID tags

 (Level of Identification) Individual items can be tracked more closely

 (No direct Line-of-Sight) The contents of an entire cabinet can be read without taking everything out

 (Read Rate) Increase charge capture of products during a procedure

 Comparison Statistics

 RFID is 15-20 times faster than manual and barcode processes for inventorying IT assets. (Source: RFID Journal)

 Some companies experience a 95% reduction in time using RFID (Source: Motorola)

 The #1 RFID application being deployed is IT asset tracking (Source: Aberdeen)