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I am working on a project where I have 3 boxes and a RFID reader (MFRC522) attached at the bottom of each box. I keep my wallet/keys/etc. in these boxes and an LCD screen displays what is in each box by reading the RFID tag on the wallet/keys/etc.

But sometimes it has trouble detecting my keys which I assume is due to other RFID tags and keys (metal surfaces) and also it simply won't detect my phone or other electronic devices. Hence, I am looking for an alternative to RFID that I can use to monitor the stuff in these boxes. I need the tags to be super thin (for RFID I was using RFID stickers) so that I can attach the tags to anything.

PS. This is just for an educational project. I am relatively new to item tracking systems and thought of making something simple to learn more about it.

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    \$\begingroup\$ #offtopic - just out of curiosity - what is the purpose of this project? \$\endgroup\$
    – Eugene Sh.
    Commented Sep 13, 2018 at 15:33
  • \$\begingroup\$ It is just a personal project. I generally keep all my daily use things in three boxes and I always struggle to find what is in which box. So I decided to create a small tracking system that displays everything inside a particular box. \$\endgroup\$
    – Prakhar Pradeep
    Commented Sep 13, 2018 at 15:35
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    \$\begingroup\$ Sounds like you should make a habit to put certain things in a specific box rather than creating some system to track it for you. \$\endgroup\$
    – SolveEtCoagula07
    Commented Sep 13, 2018 at 15:39
  • \$\begingroup\$ Well, I would put stickers on the boxes :) Or write with marker. Anyway, probably will go as educational project. \$\endgroup\$
    – Eugene Sh.
    Commented Sep 13, 2018 at 15:40
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    \$\begingroup\$ @Passerby Please don't use all-capitals. This is considered yelling on the web, as you know. Deleting. \$\endgroup\$
    – Nick Alexeev
    Commented Sep 14, 2018 at 6:09

2 Answers 2

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I've tried to optimize the readbility of UHF RFID tags in a library application, and one suggestion I can give is the use of multiple stickers per item. For something like a phone, place the sticker away from the top and bottom speakers (magnets), and make sure it is on a thick phone case or use a thin layer of foam. Alternatively, try using the phone's NFC to talk to the reader. For keys, having two independent tags would increase the chances by a ton. Also, consider using bigger tags.

Overall RFID UHF is you next best option, or use a camera and plaster everything with barcodes. Active RFID cannot or BLE cannot be sticker.

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There are RFID stickers which are suitable for metallic surfaces. They might require a UHF reader (915MHz in North America) rather than a 13.5MHz reader.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Yeah I searched into that, but I guess that is a bit more expensive for this kind of project. I was think of BLE or something like that, but most of the BLE beacons are not as slim as RFID tags. \$\endgroup\$
    – Prakhar Pradeep
    Commented Sep 13, 2018 at 17:49
  • \$\begingroup\$ Anti metal rfid tags won't work if you flip them the wrong side up. Very directional. May make things worse. \$\endgroup\$
    – Passerby
    Commented Sep 14, 2018 at 18:19
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Passerby yea I figured that out. That's why I'm planning to shift either to active RFID tags or maybe BLE beacons. But as I stated before I can't find them in thin sticker form. \$\endgroup\$
    – Prakhar Pradeep
    Commented Sep 17, 2018 at 11:18

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