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Q: How do I know if my access points support WiFi RFID tagging?

A: WiFi RFID tagging is a way to locate your physical assets. To determine whether your access points (APs) can support this type of tagging, you need to check two things.

First, which radio is the WiFi RFID using? Many WiFi RDID tags operate in the 2.4GHz band and support IEEE 802.11b. The 802.11b radio uses a Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) instead of the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) radio that IEEE /802.11a/g/n devices use. This DSSS radio is less expensive and therefore enables manufactures to make low-cost WiFi RDID tags.

Second, can every part of the physical location in which you want to deploy WiFi tagging see at least three APs? To locate a WiFi RDID tag, multiple APs need to receive a signal from that tag and then cross-reference those received signals to estimate where the tag is located. Without at least three APs, the location system can't accurately determine where the tag is.

If you're planning to deploy WiFi tagging, you'll need to conduct a physical site survey to enable every location to see at least three APs. In general, you'll need to have an AP in every corner of the building and along the walls.

TAGS: Security
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