by William Eduardo Barrera F
Nowadays many companies are dedicated to selling equipment and very few listen or care about the customer's problem; it is for this reason that before investing in electronic security it is advised that clients are advised by consultants, to get the best out of their "investment". Electronic security is an investment, NOT a cost.
Among the many advantages of the access control system, asset management is presented as a novelty, which allows the control of the portable elements of a company. Assets are known as items that are owned by a company, sometimes these are assigned to different areas of the company or to an employee.
Active User
Asset management is understood as the association of an asset with an employee. This is done with the use of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), which is a remote data storage and retrieval system, which uses elements called tags, transponder or tags, which are placed on the asset to be controlled. The fundamental purpose of RFID technology is to transmit the identity of an element using radio waves. An antenna that acts as a reader is connected to the access control panel, reading the information of the element's tag and verifying it with the authorization associated with it; generally these reading antennas have a range of one to 10 m around and are installed in places not visible to users, such as false ceilings.
This means that in the access control software there are two authorizations that are given to an employee, one is the code of his card and another the tag number of the asset that this person can manipulate (PC, office items).
When this user-asset partnership exists, you can control the movement that the user makes with the asset or simply the location of the asset or the user.
In the software you can create several user authorizations with the asset, including:
•Door lock: when the user transports an asset, which is not associated with his authorization, the door that controls the access panel is blocked.
•AntipassBack output: when an asset has to leave a certain area first, so that it can exit through the front door so that the user has the transport authorization. This case is very common with laboratory elements that must first be read by the laboratory reader.
• Schedule: occurs when the asset is associated with a schedule or time zone so that it can be removed from the company, regardless of the user or users assigned to it.
•Inventory: it is used in places where assets are lent (libraries), and when the amount of assets that can be lent is completed, the exit of these is blocked.
In any of these cases an alarm signal is generated, which is stored and displayed in the access control software. This asset control application is being widely used in companies that have access control systems (software-hardware), which allow this option, just buy the RFID readers, connect them to the panels and associate them in the software.
To use RFID technology for asset management does not matter the technology used in access control readers (magnetic stripe, proximity or biometrics).
Other applications of RFID
Currently RFID is being used for several applications, such as:
Tolls: a tag is installed, the vehicle and in the tolls are installed long-range RFID antennas that read the information when the vehicle passes, and transmit it to a system where a collection account is created, which is invoiced with the payment of taxes, or can be deducted from a prepaid system. This system allows to reduce the traffic jam that occurs with the toll booths and guarantees the payment of the same. It is currently implemented on some highways in Mexico, USA, Chile, Argentina and some countries of the European Union.
•Logistics: in some chain warehouses and companies, RFID tags and antennas are used to verify inventories. RFID antennas are located in different locations in warehouses and multiple readings of items can be performed.
• Industrial control: with RFID you can have a product located within the assembly line and when this process is finished, the item enters a warehouse where logistics control can be carried out.
• Identification: RFID systems are used for the identification of animals, especially for the monitoring of their movements.
Depending on the application of RFID, different kinds of readers or antennas, and tags are used.
In the EEC (European Economic Community) it is desired to implement, in the future, the use of RFID for all products that are marketed there and to be able to make purchases without payment being made at a cash register. This can be carried out by installing RFID antennas at the payment points of the warehouse, tags to all the items that are marketed there and an automatic payment system with debit to the buyer's credit card. Once the user passes with the items that he is going to buy through the payment point, the different antennas, strategically located, have read the information of these and the system has already settled the value that will be automatically debited from his credit card. This application will enable time saving, congestion and online inventory management in chain warehouses.
SEE vs RFID
VEA (Electronic Item Surveillance) systems, used to detect when an item is removed from a warehouse without being cancelled, worked with RF (Radio Frequency); like RFID, tags are installed on the items and are detected by the RF antennas, located at the exits of the warehouse. When an item is purchased from it, the tag is deactivated or removed so that it can leave the warehouse, if the item is not deactivated the tag, an audible and / or luminous alarm will be produced in the antenna. The difference between VEA systems and RFID systems is that the former only control the output of an article without identifying it, and in the RFID system if an element is recognized.
*William Eduardo Barrera F is an Electronic Engineer, advisor and consultant in electronic security in Latin America and is part of the Insetrón Ltda team. If you wish you can write to the email [email protected]
