Below are three of the top stories in automated data collection, RFID and the Internet of Things in recent weeks.
Feig Electronics with Wearable Bar Code Scanner and RFID Reader
An Atlanta-based company called Feig Electronics has recently released a new hybrid wearable device that can read bar codes and read RFID tags.
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| Action Fraud told Digital Trends that there has never been any verified reports of fraudsters using someone's credit card data as the result of a surreptitious RFID chip read. |
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The new HyWEAR device like any wearable allows for hands-free product handling by logistics workers, with workers placing the compact unit attached to a glove-type form factor.
While of course there are many handheld devices that read both bar codes and RFID tags, Feig claims the unit is the first wearable device to do so.
Both one-dimensional and two-dimensional bar codes can be read up to about three feet, while the RFID read range is about 12 inches to provide more precise control and reduce reads of nearby tags. It can read a range of UHF tag signals to meet US and Euro standards
The company says that the device is a good fit with companies that are scanning bar codes on items currently but want to phase in RFID.
The list price for the device is $1800, but unlike other wearables the unit has no display or keyboard. With no display, LED lights and an audible tone indicate to workers that a successful bar code or RFID tag read has been achieved.
RFID Blocking Products Nearly Worthless, Expert Says
We've reported several times in recent years on so-called RFID blockers, usually wallets that contain metal shielding that blocks the possibility of someone stealing a person's RFID credit card information from a surreptitious scan.
That even included at least one local TV station that demonstrates with an expert help such digital thievery, often called skimming, could in fact be done, using an RFID reader readily available for as little as $100.00.
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The RFID blocking products range from simple, low cost sleeves to high fashion wallets. (There is a luxury segment for everything.)
But none of them are worth the investment, one expert says.
"They're a waste of money," Roger Grimes, data-driven defense evangelist at KnowBe4, recently told the Digital Trends web site. "You shouldn't spend one cent. There has still to this day not been a report of a single real-world crime that an RFID blocking product would have stopped."
An UK organization called Action Fraud told Digital Trends that there has never been any verified reports of fraudsters using someone's credit card data as the result of a surreptitious RFID chip read. It also says that no verified incidents of contactless fraud have ever been recorded on cards still in the possession of the original owner in the UK.
The story is the same in the US.
Add to that the fact that even if you are skimmed your losses will almost surely be covered by the credit card issuer.
Still want protection despite all that? As SCDigest has reported from the start, wrapping an RFID credit card in aluminum foil will do the job on the cheap.
RFID Blocking Wall Paper from Avery May be More Useful
While RFID blocking wallets may not be worth anything, the case may not be the same for a new RFID signal blocking wall paper from Avery Dennison.
The product is called ShieldSense, which the company says is a lightweight, easy-to-apply aluminum foil material that allows retailers to maximize the effectiveness of RFID-enabled inventory systems by isolating waves within specific environments.
 When applied to surfaces such as walls and doors, ShieldSense creates a barrier that blocks RFID waves from traveling beyond in-store locations such as the retail floor or stockroom. This can allow more accurate inventory counts by eliminating extraneous reads when reading tags on the store floor.
According to Avery Dennison, ShieldSense installs easily in new or retrofit applications due to its pressure-sensitive adhesive construction and small, lightweight rolls. Available in multiple length and width configurations, it is installed by peeling back the liner 1-2 inches, while unrolling the material a bit at a time (using the liner removal to help control application. It adheres upon surface contact with limited hand-applied pressure and can easily be repositioned even an hour after application.
"This is a unique product that allows retailers and other users of RFID label or tag technology to take full advantage of one of the most useful wireless communication tools available today," said Chris Blackwell of Avery Dennison Performance Tapes North America. "ShieldSense can help ensure retailers are able to receive precise readings for enhanced inventory detail and control, with the ability to better use RFID for their exact needs."
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