The article is about RAIN RFID.
So when did we become enamored with the thermostats and fitness bands that the public seems to think is the IoT and how is this leading us astray? The idea of wearing a band that tells us how “healthy” we are being, or monitoring the temperature of the house from our smartphones are things that we view as “cool and sexy”, so naturally we want to be involved and the manufacturers are keen to oblige. The possibility that we are able to somehow control our lives in a new way is something that is driving us forward, and with all the talk of the Internet of Things it makes us feel that we are a part of the modern world.
Obviously this is really only a very small part of the IoT and yet the market for the devices is very large, hence the interest to provide us with the technology. My fitness band talks to my phone and if I have the correct brand of fitness band it will even talk to the app that connectors me with my medical records and my doctor would be able to see how good (or bad) I am at making sure I walk my 10000 steps every day. So I am connected, and I have a chance that the information can be used to better my life.
If we go back to Kevin [Ashton]’s problem, we can see that he was interested in locating something that does not have electronics embedded, that does not have an IP (Internet Protocol) address, that does not have an electrical connection to anything, AND may only cost a few dollars. The problem of identifying, locating, authenticating and engaging with these “things” is very real and needs to be addressed.
The answer to many of these problems lies in a technology that has grown massively over the past few years. Passive UHF Radio Frequency Identification technology (now called RAIN RFID ) is small, inexpensive, does not need batteries, and can communicate with a host portal over a distance of many meters. The technology is standardized by SO and there are many companies providing the various parts of the technology. The group is represented by an industry alliance (RAIN RFID Alliance) in the same way that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are represented by their industry groups.