Contents -- Chapter 1: Physics, Math, and RFID: Mind the Gap -- Introduction -- Some Bare-Bones Physics Concepts -- Understanding Electricity -- Understanding Magnetism -- Understanding Electromagnetism -- Electromagnetic Waves -- Types of Electromagnetic Waves -- The Electromagnetic Spectrum -- The Mathematics of RFID -- Scientific Notation -- Logarithms -- Decibel -- Units -- An Overview of RFID: How It Works -- Summary -- Chapter 2: The Physics of RFID -- Introduction -- Understanding Radio Frequency Communication -- Elements of Radio Frequency Communication -- Modulation: Don't Leave Antenna Without It -- Frequency Bands in Modulation -- Understanding Modulation Types -- Amplitude Modulation and Amplitude Shift Keying -- Frequency Modulation and Frequency Shift Keying -- Phase Modulation and Phase Shift Keying -- On-Off Keying (OOK) -- RFID Communication Techniques -- Communication Through Coupling -- Communication Through Backscattering -- Understanding Performance Characteristics of an RFID System -- Cable Loss -- Impedance -- The Voltage Standing Wave Ratio -- Noise -- Beamwidth -- Directivity -- Antenna Gain -- Polarization -- Resonance Frequency -- Performing Antenna Power Calculations -- Effective Radiated Power -- The Travel Adventures of RF Waves -- Absorption -- Attenuation -- Dielectric Effects -- Diffraction -- Free Space Loss -- Interference -- Reflection -- Refraction -- Scattering -- Summary -- Key Terms -- Chapter 3: Working with RFID Tags -- Introduction -- Understanding Tags -- Components of a Tag -- Tag Size -- Operating Tag Frequencies -- Understanding Tag Types -- Passive Tags -- Semipassive Tags -- Active Tags -- Tag Classification -- Class 0 Tags -- Class 1 Tags -- Class 2 Tags -- Class 3 Tags -- Class 4 Tags -- Class 5 Tags -- Read Ranges of Tags -- Labeling and Placing a Tag -- Labeling a Tag -- Selecting Adhesive Types for Tags -- Placing a Tag -- Summary -- Key Terms -- Chapter 4: Working with Interrogation Zones -- Introduction -- Understanding an Interrogator -- What an Interrogator Is Made Of -- Interrogator Types -- What an Interrogator Is Good For -- Communicating With the Host -- Dealing With Dense Environments -- Understanding Collisions -- Anticollision Protocols -- Configuring Interrogation Zones -- Configuring Interrogator Commands -- Configuring Interrogator Settings -- Optimizing Interrogation Zones -- The Network Factor -- Summary -- Key Terms -- Chapter 5: Working with Regulations and Standards -- Introduction -- Understanding Regulations and Standards -- Regulations -- Standards -- Regulating Frequency Usage -- The Regulatory Regions -- Safety Regulations -- RFID Standards -- ISO Standards -- EPCglobal Standards -- Air Interface and Tag Data Standards -- Impact of Regulations and Standards -- Advantages of Regulations -- Advantages of Standards -- Disadvantages of Regulation.