IEEE Computer December 2008 Third-Generation RFID Is on It’s Way
Early tags were passive, using signals from RFID readers to
power up. Newer technologies use active tags, which have their
own battery power. The added power increases their communication
range. The third generation of RFID – called wireless-sensor-
network (WSN) technology – works with active tags. They gather
information and then send it from tag to tag over a mesh network
until it reaches the location at which the data will be
processed.