[ale] OT: To catch a thief

[JD]

On 09/05/2012 05:53 PM, David Tomaschik wrote:
> RFID has an effective range of inches.  Not something you can really
> track down over a neighborhood.  (Yes, there are exceptions, but
> generally, RFID is VERY short range.)

Actually, there is powered RFID that has a much larger range - 100-300 feet.
http://www.morerfid.com/details.php?subdetail=Post&action=details&post_id=25&step=show
 No idea what the cost is, but they say it is used for tracking rail cars.
There is probably someone from CSX lurking with more knowledge about these.

Retailers have sensors for passive readers about 4 feet apart, so reading from
24-36 inches seems reasonable.  Not really good enough for this application.

I still like the ink-pack best. ;)