When hotels first began replacing traditional keys with swipe cards, guests appreciated the simplified security as well as the cutting edge technology. Newer systems are taking this concept a step further by using radio frequency identification. While not a new technology, RFID keycards are benefiting both hotel operators and guests by making the overall hotel experience safe and smooth.
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 correct signal is detected, the card automatically awakes. Once alert, it is then able to speak to an RFID reader, which is sometimes called an interrogator because it asks pointed questions. After collecting data sent by the remote tag, the reader works with a central computer via local network or Internet in order to retrieve or process the whatever is being requested. This system makes sense for large hotels, making the technological transition inevitable.
Although guests may not be thinking about technology, it helps improve their stay. There is no fumbling for the right card, because the chip awakes on its own. Drapes and lighting can be made to open or turn on automatically, and resort guests in swimwear no longer need be concerned about what to do with personal effects. A private locker opens and closes automatically, making storage simple.
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 chips have even appeared on foods and drink. Many guests have already learned the hard way to be wary of opening the hotel beverage refrigerator, because electronic sensors record and charge for usage. RFID takes this concept a little further, attaching electronic flow sensors to liquor bottles, which can report precisely not only how much liquor has been used, but when the drink was actually 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 correct signal is detected, the card automatically awakes. Once alert, it is then able to speak to an RFID reader, which is sometimes called an interrogator because it asks pointed questions. After collecting data sent by the remote tag, the reader works with a central computer via local network or Internet in order to retrieve or process the whatever is being requested. This system makes sense for large hotels, making the technological transition inevitable.
Although guests may not be thinking about technology, it helps improve their stay. There is no fumbling for the right card, because the chip awakes on its own. Drapes and lighting can be made to open or turn on automatically, and resort guests in swimwear no longer need be concerned about what to do with personal effects. A private locker opens and closes automatically, making storage simple.
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 chips have even appeared on foods and drink. Many guests have already learned the hard way to be wary of opening the hotel beverage refrigerator, because electronic sensors record and charge for usage. RFID takes this concept a little further, attaching electronic flow sensors to liquor bottles, which can report precisely not only how much liquor has been used, but when the drink was actually 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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