White Paper: What Is Interoperability?

Interoperability is the ability of a system or a product to work with other systems or products without any special effort on the part of the customer. Systems achieve interoperability with other products using either or both of two approaches:

• By adhering to published interface standards
• By making use of a "broker" of services that can convert one product's interface into another product's interface "on the fly"

In short, when it comes to wireless sensors, regardless of the brand name associated, interoperability means that all tags work with all readers – so long as they each adhere to the same communications rules.

The ISO 18000-7 standard in place today addresses a core set of functionality for RFID. This functionality is currently available with full interoperability between the different manufacturers. There is, however, additional, optional, functionality that is still being developed and agreed upon by manufacturers. Full interoperability of this optional functionality is just around the corner and well on its way to making a huge impact.