RFID wristbands are often called also ‘RFID bracelets,’ ‘RFID armbands,’ ‘smart wristbands,’ etc., and are special kinds of wristbands containing a contactless RFID transponder with radio-frequency chip and the antenna. These wristbands are used for identification purposes and are not the same as smart watches and other wearable devices for tracking sports activity and monitoring health.
More than 30 kinds of RFID Wristbands
We can produce more than 30 kinds of RFID wristbands. They can be made from different materials and in many shapes:
- Soft silicone wristbands which are also available in specific Pantone colors
- Tyvek® wristbands which are paper-like synthetic material, but very hard to tear apart
- Soft Vinyl wristbands
- Plastic pre-manufactured wristband with rigid housings for RFID chips
- Watch-like PVC wristbands
- Cloth wristbands with a rigid RFID tag and locking mechanism.
RFID chips for wristbands
The RFID wristbands contain RFID chips (Radio Frequency Identification) which operate in three frequency bands: Low Frequency Chips operate at the frequency 125 kHz, high frequency chips operate at 13.56 MHz, and ultra-high frequency chips operate at 860~960 MHz. The individual chips then differ in the amount of memory, read distance, supported protocols, additional protection, or other functionalities.
The RFID chips we use the most are:
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13.56 MHz: Mifare Classic®, Mifare DESFire®, NTAG, ICODE®, Mifare Ultralight, Fudan F08, etc.
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125 kHz chips: EM4200, TK4100, T5577, etc.
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UHF chips: Alien Higgs-3, etc.
When selecting the best chip, the client should consider the following factors:
- the supported protocols and compatibility with existing equipment
- the chip’s memory size
- reading distance
- additional security features
- and other functionalities if needed.
NFC chips are a subset of 13.56 MHz RFID chips and they can be built-in wristbands as well.
NFC wristbands work accordingly to NFC protocols and can be read with NFC-compatible mobile phones, tablets, etc. The chips for NFC wristbands we use the most frequently are NTAG213, NTAG216, Mifare DESFire® EV2 (NFC protocol ISO/IEC 14443 A and B), and the ICODE® SLIX chip, which supports the protocol ISO/IEC 15693. Sometimes, we are asked by our clients if they could use a NFC wristband for payments instead of their credit card, but unfortunately this is not possible. To be able to use NFC wristbands for payment purposes, you need a payment service provider, and the wristbands have to be enrolled in their system.
Reading distance
RFID wristbands which contain a 13.56 MHz or 125 kHz proximity chip have a reading distance up to 5 cm. If a wristband contains a smaller antenna than 20 mm, the reading distance will be affected and it will be smaller. The usual silicone RFID wristband has at the top a larger round or oval where the chip is placed. To use RFID wristbands, you need to place this area close to the reader. The most discrete wristbands with very small antenna require better RFID readers, and many readers cannot read them at all.
Dual frequency RFID Wristbands
We can combine two chips with different frequency into a single wristband and produce a dual frequency RFID Wristband.
Some of our dual frequency wristbands contain a combination of chips:
- 125 kHz EM4200 + Mifare Classic® 1k
- 125 kHz TK4100 + NTAG213
- 125 kHz TK4100 + 13.56 MHz F08
Other combinations are available by request.
Printed RFID wristbands
If you need printed RFID wristbands, we will help you to select the best kind of wristband for your application. Tyvek® wristbands can be custom printed to the whole area, silicone wristbands may contain just a laser engraved or printed logo or serial number, cloth wristbands can carry a domed RFID tag, which can be printed with high quality offset printing technology and re-used many times. Material like silicone is not suitable for printing with UV technology because it wears-off easily. Printing on silicone wristbands requires special colors. Soft Vinyl wristbands can be made with shiny materials in gold, silver, or other colors with glitter, and custom printed with black or CMYK colors.
Serialization with the chip ID code
When a client asks for RFID wristbands with a printed or engraved chip ID code, we take extra care that the code is in the proper format. Most RFID chips contain a preprogramed serial number which is usually used as identifier in many applications.
The chip ID code is usually 4–7 bytes long, and can be read in more than 50 different ways. It can be read in decimal or hexadecimal format, the sequence of read bytes can be from MSB (most significant byte) to LSB (less significant byte) or the reverse, and even the single bits can be read in multiple ways.
For 125 kHz chips, the usual reading format is 10-digit decimal number (8H-> 10D conversion), some MIFARE® chip readers read 8-digit Hexadecimal (8 HEX) by default, but we saw many applications which used the 8 HEX reverse byte format as well. NFC devices like mobile phones and tablets read the ID code in the format 14 HEX Reverse byte format.
How to order RFID wristbands?
You are welcome to visit our web shop and check if RFID wristbands from our stock suit your needs:
https://rfidspecialist.eu/store.html#p=226
You may select the RFID chip or the operating frequency.
Other colors, chip variations, and customization are available upon request.
If you need larger quantities send an email to info@rfidspecialist.eu or call +38641 884 124 and we will be happy to help you.
If you are an integrator or reseller, we offer special discounts.