Most major hotels replaced traditional key rings with swipe cards years ago, impressing guests with the latest security technology while bolstering safety and convenience. Today, hotel operators are upgrading security once again, this time with devices using radio frequency identification. Although not new in concept, RFID keycards are proving beneficial both to guests and managers by making the overall hotel experience smoother and safer.
RFID was originally intended to be a tracking tool. A package or similar item receives a tag with a built in integrated circuit connected to a small antenna. The tags vary according to intended use, and can be attached to clothing in retail stores, or placed on computers or other inventory in business settings. The electronics fit nearly any size or style of label, and are unlimited in application.
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.
Even food and drink are subject to these controls. Some guests quickly learn to take care when opening room refrigerator doors, because sensors can detect the smallest movement, and sometimes charge per use. RFID security expands on that principle, and is now being included in sensors placed on the lip of a liquor bottle, recording exactly when and how much has been poured.
Non-magnetic cards wear out less frequently. The overall cost of this technology has steadily decreased, and will eventually become nearly as inexpensive as mag-stripe card security. Once in place, customers using these new systems report fewer incidences of unreliability. Ultimately, guests will ultimately even be able to program their smart phones to act as room keys.
RFID was originally intended to be a tracking tool. A package or similar item receives a tag with a built in integrated circuit connected to a small antenna. The tags vary according to intended use, and can be attached to clothing in retail stores, or placed on computers or other inventory in business settings. The electronics fit nearly any size or style of label, and are unlimited in application.
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.
Even food and drink are subject to these controls. Some guests quickly learn to take care when opening room refrigerator doors, because sensors can detect the smallest movement, and sometimes charge per use. RFID security expands on that principle, and is now being included in sensors placed on the lip of a liquor bottle, recording exactly when and how much has been poured.
Non-magnetic cards wear out less frequently. The overall cost of this technology has steadily decreased, and will eventually become nearly as inexpensive as mag-stripe card security. Once in place, customers using these new systems report fewer incidences of unreliability. Ultimately, guests will ultimately even be able to program their smart phones to act as room keys.
About the Author:
You can visit www.frontdesksupply.com for more helpful information about RFID Keycards Are Improving Hotel Security.
No comments:
Post a Comment