Table 1.
Main characteristics of the identification technologies selected.
| Technology | Frequency Band | Range | Features | Popular Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcode/QR | - | <4 m | LOS, very low cost, visual decoding | Asset tracking and marketing |
| LF RFID | 30–300 KHz (125 KHz) | 1–5 cm (<10 cm) | N-LOS, durability, low cost | Smart Industry and security access |
| HF RFID | 3–30 MHz (13.56 MHz) | 30 cm (<1 m) | N-LOS, durability, low cost | Smart Industry and asset tracking |
| UHF RFID | 30 MHz–3 GHz | 10 m | N-LOS, durability, low cost | Smart Industry and toll roads |
| NFC | 13.56 MHz | 4–10 cm (<20 cm) | Low cost, no power | Ticketing and payments |
| BLE | 2.4 GHz | <50 m | Low power | Wireless headsets |
| Wi-Fi | 2.4–5 GHz | <100 m | High-speed, ubiquity | LAN, internet access, broadband |
| Infrared (IrDA) | 800 to 1000 m | <1 m | Security, high-speed | Remote control, data transfer |
| UWB | 3.1 to 10.6 GHz | < 10 m | Low power, high-speed data | Radar, video streaming |
| Ultrasound | >20 kHz (2–10 MHz) | <3 m | Inspection of industrial materials | Medicine, positioning and location |
| ZigBee | 868 MHz (EU), 2.4 GHz | <10 m | Mesh network | Smart Home and Industry |
| DASH7 | 315–915 MHz | <5 km | BLAST network technology | Smart industry and military |
| ANT+ | 2.4 GHz | <10 m | Low power | Health, sport monitoring |
| Z-Wave | 868 MHz (EU) | <30 m | Simple protocol | Smart Home |
| WirelessHART | 2.4 GHz | <10 m | HART protocol | Smart Industry |
| LoRa | 2.4 GHz | >15 m | Long battery life and range | Smart city, M2M |
| SigFox | 868 MHz | 3–50 km | Global cellular | Internet of Things, M2M |
| RuBee | 131 KHz | 1–30 m (15 m) | Harsh environments | Mission-critical scenarios |