Cambridge U.K.-based Internet of Things software company RedBite (a spinoff of the Auto ID Labs) has developed a low-cost solution known as itemit, consisting of iOS- and Android-based apps and an enterprise Web portal.
"Until now, RFID has still been a very exclusive technology," says Alex C.Y. Wong, RedBite's CEO, with software installations that are too cost-prohibitive for many companies. In the case of itemit, on the other hand, if a single user employs QR codes to identify and track items, the service is free. If the user wants to share asset data with others within his or her company, the firm would pay a monthly subscription upgrade for itemit Enterprise for each user. If the system employs ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID, it costs approximately $200 a year per user, with an additional charge to share the data with other individuals.
The itemit app has been available for the past six months for use with QR codes. This month, RedBite launched its RFID version for iOS devices, and the technology is expected to be available for Android devices as well by next month.
The app is designed for simplicity, the company reports. Users can download it to their smartphones or tablets, then begin setting up profiles of assets — taking pictures, adding attachments, setting expiration dates or other alerts, and inputting any comments about each item on that item's page. In the case of QR codes, they then scan the QR code to link it to that item.
