Most major hotels no longer issue traditional keys, having replaced them with magnetic swipe cards. Consumers were enthusiastic about the introduction of that technology, which made security simpler and stronger. Today, the concept is being expanded through the adoption of radio frequency identification. Although not a new concept, RFID keycards benefit both guests and operators by making visits virtually trouble-free and seamless.
In the beginning, RFID was intended to be a tracking system. A package was tagged with a small device that included an antenna connected to an integrated circuit. These tags easily attach to clothing or other retail merchandise, and are also used to keep track of physical business assets such as furniture or computers. The circuits fit nearly any style label, making the applications nearly limitless.
The integrated circuits used require no painstaking manual labor to produce, and the antennas can be transferred to a paper-like material using vapor-depositing, etching, or stamping processes. Together with the antenna, the circuit is called an inlay, and there may be more than one antenna within a card. The chip itself is the brain of the card, containing not only identifiers, but also any other data necessary.
When the antenna detects the right signal, the card comes alive. It is programmed to connect with a device called an interrogator, or reader, which asks for information and gives instructions per its program. After receiving a radio signal from the tag, a reader communicates with a centralized computer system in order to carry out what has been requested, making RFID ideal for unlocking rooms and other devices.
The result is a more pleasing and trouble-free guest experience. When approached by someone carrying a card, doors unlock automatically, and lights or drapes can be programmed to open or turn on when the door opens. In resort areas, people wearing swimsuits no longer need be concerned about what to do with personal items, because their card already knows which nearby locker to open.
Hotel operators can also place these chips in items that are relatively expensive to replace, but which commonly find their way into guest suitcases at checkout time. These include not only towels and bathrobes, but even bed-sheets and tablecloths. The printed circuits are not only durable but also washable, and help track and control thousands of items which must be laundered daily.
The system even works with food items. Some guests learn after-the-fact that small refrigerators in rooms can detect when their doors are opened, and also have sensors to determine which items inside are moved or taken. RFID methods expand that capability by placing unobtrusive sensors on the lips of bottles. They not only record how much liquor was poured, but the precise time a drink was made.
Chip-embedded cards last longer. While still more expensive to initialize, increased use and greater production is bringing costs competitively lower. Guests are generally enthusiastic, and report fewer glitches or security errors. There are even predictions that it will be possible to similarly program personal smart phones upon arrival, making a separate card obsolete.
In the beginning, RFID was intended to be a tracking system. A package was tagged with a small device that included an antenna connected to an integrated circuit. These tags easily attach to clothing or other retail merchandise, and are also used to keep track of physical business assets such as furniture or computers. The circuits fit nearly any style label, making the applications nearly limitless.
The integrated circuits used require no painstaking manual labor to produce, and the antennas can be transferred to a paper-like material using vapor-depositing, etching, or stamping processes. Together with the antenna, the circuit is called an inlay, and there may be more than one antenna within a card. The chip itself is the brain of the card, containing not only identifiers, but also any other data necessary.
When the antenna detects the right signal, the card comes alive. It is programmed to connect with a device called an interrogator, or reader, which asks for information and gives instructions per its program. After receiving a radio signal from the tag, a reader communicates with a centralized computer system in order to carry out what has been requested, making RFID ideal for unlocking rooms and other devices.
The result is a more pleasing and trouble-free guest experience. When approached by someone carrying a card, doors unlock automatically, and lights or drapes can be programmed to open or turn on when the door opens. In resort areas, people wearing swimsuits no longer need be concerned about what to do with personal items, because their card already knows which nearby locker to open.
Hotel operators can also place these chips in items that are relatively expensive to replace, but which commonly find their way into guest suitcases at checkout time. These include not only towels and bathrobes, but even bed-sheets and tablecloths. The printed circuits are not only durable but also washable, and help track and control thousands of items which must be laundered daily.
The system even works with food items. Some guests learn after-the-fact that small refrigerators in rooms can detect when their doors are opened, and also have sensors to determine which items inside are moved or taken. RFID methods expand that capability by placing unobtrusive sensors on the lips of bottles. They not only record how much liquor was poured, but the precise time a drink was made.
Chip-embedded cards last longer. While still more expensive to initialize, increased use and greater production is bringing costs competitively lower. Guests are generally enthusiastic, and report fewer glitches or security errors. There are even predictions that it will be possible to similarly program personal smart phones upon arrival, making a separate card obsolete.
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