some technological terms

Bartronics specializes in offering a labeling solution to the AIDC industry in the form of conventional barcode labels and the powerful new RFID 'smart labels'. We operate state of the art equipment allowing us to manufacture bespoke labels tailored to meet the exacting requirements of the end users.

Bartronics aims at keeping the tag cheap enough to be disposable or left on a product through its life. However, the focus is also on more sophisticated labels and cards costing up to a few dollars to address the potential high volume sales needs. The emphasis will be on the needs of real and potential users and the capabilities of exceptional low cost RFID products.

Memory Cards

Memory Cards are designed primarily for storing information or values and are commonly used for applications such as disposable prepaid telephone cards for public telephones.

Secure Memory Cards

Secure Memory Cards have a read-only memory chip but no processor. Secured memory cards are used for telephony and stored-value (credit and debit) card.

Crypto Controller Cards

Crypto Controller Cards uses Cryptography, made possible by an embedded Micro Processor, which confers high degree of security making them Chip Operating System based Crypto Controller cards.

GSM Cards

GSM Cards, better known as SIM cards are used for initial authentication and providing various utility based service facilities such as Call Counters, Billing & Payment Data Transaction management, Phone Number Memory Storage etc.

Contactless Cards

Contactless cards have the ability to communicate data without physical contact of cards with the reader. The antenna etched on card with Capacitance based power is able to emit Wireless Signals, carrying the electronic data to remote located Read/Write unit, within certain proximity of the card activation device or target.
They are ideal for mass transit, parking, and access control, toll ways and other high-throughput environments. These cards exhibit high reliability and promise lower maintenance costs.

Bio-Metric Cards

Bio-Metric Cards are used in the fingerprint, the handprint, and the retina / iris scan, in which the hand or eye is electronically scanned and the output is stored as a unique number which can be easily compared

Bar Code is perhaps the oldest of the AIDC technologies. The automatic identification industry has played a key role in the advancement of identification technology. With its primary focus on capturing information both quickly and accurately, automatic identification provides the fastest and most efficient means of gathering data.

The structure of the barcode consists of the height and the widtth. Information is encoded into spaces and bars of various widtths. The number of characters is represented in a linear inch called the barcode density. The density depends on the symbology.

Currently there are more than 400 barcode symbologies in use. Some are alphanumeric, while others contain the full ASCII set, or only numeric data. Only 10 are standardized and prevalent in industry. Barcodes can also be produced easily and inexpensively. They can be printed on most dot matrix, laser, and thermal transfer printers depending on the quality you demand.

Biometrics falls under the umbrella of what is referred to as AIDC. Automatic Identification and Data Capture is the term used to describe data collection by means other than manual notation or keyboard input.

The optimum significance of automatically captured data includes a more efficiently run organization; improved and more timely decision making; and efficient use of time, people, and materials. Discrete biometrics technologies include: fingerprint identification, iris identification, retinal identification, hand geometry, hand, palm, and wrist subcutaneous vein pattern identification, signature identification, voice identification, keystroke dynamics identification, facial feature identification, body salinity (salt) identification, body odor identification, and ear identification. Collectively, biometric technologies are defined as "Automated methods of verifying or recognizing the identity of a living person based on a physiological or behavioral characteristic".

The significant advantage of all types of RFID systems is the no contact, non-line-of-sight nature of the technology. Tags can be read through a variety of substances such as snow, fog, ice, paint, crusted grime, and other visually and environmentally challenging conditions, where barcodes or other optically read technologies would be useless.

RFID Tags are:

• Manufactured in a wide variety of shapes and sizes
• Categorized as active and passive
• Classified according to the frequency

The significant advantage of all types of RFID systems is the no contact, non-line-of-sight nature of the technology. Tags can be read through a variety of substances such as snow, fog, ice, paint, crusted grime, and other visually and environmentally challenging conditions, where barcodes or other optically read technologies would be useless. RFID tags can also be read in challenging circumstances at remarkable speeds, in most cases responding in less than 100 milliseconds. The read/write capability of an active RFID system is also a significant advantage in interactive applications such as work-in-process or maintenance tracking.

Radio Frequency Data Communications is a technology that uses radio frequency (RF) waves to transmit information, allowing real-time portable data collection and interaction with a host computer. RFDC is normally used for mobile remote data communication where wired terminals cannot easily be used.

When an RFDC system is implemented with appropriate technology, such as warehouse management, software and bar coding or Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, you should see significant, measurable operational improvement.

Reliable Information

The point-of-use capabilities of RF systems provide an organization with reliable information on processes such as receiving, storing, picking, material handling, shipping, inventory control, quality control, distribution and Just-In-Time manufacturing processes.

A Sharper Competitive Edge

Applying the information that RF data communication systems provide can lead to:

• Increased inventory accuracy to between 99.5 percent and 100 percent (inventory management).
• Increased throughput and productivity (task interleaving and labor management).
• Paperless systems (task management with computer-based audit trails).
• More flexible work force (directed work requires less training).
• Overall, extending the reach of your existing computer systems with RF-based network segments and point-of-use applications positions your organization for the information needs of the 21st century. Data flows, attributable to specific users and locations, facilitate better task management and provide detailed audit paths for operational analysis and trouble-shooting. RF is the intuitive link to the powerful trend in bar coding and automatic identification that your customers and suppliers are expecting.

Bar Coding with RF is a key to more precise management of inventories. Cost - conscious businesses can no longer support vague, inaccurate inventories and "just-in-case" safety stocks. RF systems help improve customer service through enhanced responsiveness and increased order accuracy.

Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) is a technology used to identify items as they pass through a gated area. Several EAS technologies are widely used today, including electro magnetic, acousto- magnetic, swept radio frequency, and microwave. Each technology functions on the same basic principle: a transmitter sends a signal at defined frequencies to create an electromagnetic field (EMF) that functions as a surveillance area.

This field operates usually between two pedestals placed at the exit of a store or building. Upon entering this area, a security tag or label that has not been removed or deactivated creates a signal in the electromagnetic field, which is detected by a companion receiver. An alarm sounds when the signal is detected.

EAS systems are used anywhere where there is a chance of theft from small items to large. By placing an EAS tag on an item, it is not necessary to hide the item behind locked doors and so makes it easier for the consumer to review the product.

Point-of-Sale Technology is one such subset of IT widely used in retail. POS systems are dedicated systems designed and developed specifically for the use of retailers. They are a total solution to any type of retailer and offer a host of benefits to the retailer to derive maximum profits. They can be used at the front end and connected to servers at the back end to fulfill the needs of different operating areas.

Bartronics POS products find application in different retail outlets like Super markets, Restaurants, CSD Canteens, Textile Showrooms, Footwear, Medical shops, Jewelers showrooms and other general-purpose retail outlets. POS facilitates the retailer in the management of the core processes of retail like Merchandise management, Store operations, Stock maintenance, Customer Transactions etc, which are intrinsic to every retail business and come together to reach the right product to the consumer.