Nigel Young, Sales Director at APT Skidata, says that there is a clear need for such technologies in applications where ANPR may not be cost-effective or practical to install and manage: "A low-cost long-range RFID technology is ideal in certain scenarios where the full cost of an ANPR solution cannot be justified," he says.
"For vehicle drivers who may move from site to site, or visit the same site on multiple occasions such as universities, hospitals, company car parks etc the ability for a vehicle to be 'recognised' and its identification linked to a driver and a driver's 'virtual' account is a clear advantage," he adds.
Being hands-free, and without the need for the driver to wave or press a card against a reader, the long-range tag is considerably more convenient than other forms of identification/authorisation and greatly speeds traffic flow.
The RFID tag is a passive device (ie it requires no batteries) that is permanently attached to the window of the car. As the car approaches the barrier, the tag is read by the reader from a range of up to 10 metres, allowing the barrier to open in good time and with an accuracy of almost 100%. The tag can be configured to allow the user access only on particular times or days of the week, and can be integrated with the latest e-ticketing solutions.
APT Skidata is part of the APT Controls Group and supplies both car and pedestrian access control equipment. To date, it has made over 500 installations throughout the UK that include locations such as shopping centres, airports, theme parks and city centre car parks.
