Handheld RFID readers

A handheld RFID reader can detect dozens of RFID-tagged assets in seconds without needing a direct line of sight to each one, which is the main thing that sets it apart from barcode scanning. For very large estates that need to be swept quickly, a warehouse floor, a store room, a fleet yard, this speed advantage can be substantial.

It only works, though, in combination with RFID tags rather than our standard barcode or QR tags, and RFID equipment and tags both cost considerably more than the barcode equivalent. Whether that trade-off is worth it depends heavily on asset count and how often you need to verify.

We'd rather tell you plainly when RFID isn't the right answer than sell you an expensive reader that sits underused. Below roughly 2,000 assets, verified once a year, barcode scanning does the same job for a fraction of the cost.