Here is the first section of Chapter 2 from 'How to Cheat at Deploying and Securing RFID.' The chapter--The Physics of RFID--provides a basic understanding of the physics of RFID communications and the characteristics that affect system performance during the journey of an RF wave.
The goal of this chapter is to help you understand some physics concepts related to this communication. To accomplish this goal, we will explore three avenues: generation and propagation of the RF wave carrying the data signal from the source to the antenna, emission of the RF wave by the antenna into the free space, and propagation of the RF wave traveling through the space.
