What’s the difference between Wiliot Battery-free Pixels and RFID?

Wiliot is technically a type of RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification), albeit one built on bluetooth that works differently than its popular UHF RFID cousin. Both technologies are used to add digital identifiers to physical assets, however the difference is in the way that identity is recorded and retrieved.

UHF RFID utilizes a proprietary UHF RFID reader to actively read tags on demand. Tags only respond when interrogated by a UHF reader, and always respond with their identity, regardless of who is interrogating the tags.

Alternatively, Wiliot utilizes the familiar and ubiquitous bluetooth technology stack. Wiliot pixels (tags) continuously and passively harvest ambient or intentional RF energy. When enough energy is available, pixels broadcast their identity and sensing data to any listening bluetooth device nearby. Wiliot encrypts the identity and sensing data in a way that can only be interpreted by the Wiliot cloud - enabling only authorized users to read data from tagged assets. 

Further details are summarized below:

• Lower cost infrastructure
  • Wiliot uses Bluetooth infrastructure (phones, wi-fi, smart speakers …)
  • Advanced capabilities available (BLE to Cellular/AoA the cost for the infrastructure is a lot lower and there is much more choice)
• Cloud sensing
  • Wiliot tags use novel sensing that take advantage of the cloud. For example, much of the sensing is derived from our Machine Learning Layer being fed the RF, on chip, and nearby pixel signals, meaning that our sensing capabilities can continuously improve even after deployment
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• Entire product life cycle
  • Wiliot tags provide value across both traditional controlled (manufacturing, distribution, retail) and non-controlled (consumer engagement) environments.
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• Security
  • Wiliot tags are encrypted, non-trackable, can be used to authenticate products, and support GDPR standards.
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• Passive and Continuous
  • Bluetooth technology passively listens for messages, enabling a continuous stream of data without the need to proactively tap or scan.