RAIN RFID

Standards & Protocols

Industry alliance promoting UHF RFID based on EPC Gen2/ISO 18000-63, with members including Impinj, NXP, Google, and Intel.

RAIN RFID

rfid/" class="glossary-term-link" data-term="RAIN RFID" data-definition="UHF RFID industry alliance." data-category="Standards & Protocols">RAIN RFID is a global industry alliance that promotes the adoption of UHF RFID technology based on the EPC Gen2 / ISO 18000-63 standard. The acronym RAIN stands for RAdio-frequency IdentificatioN. Founded in 2014, the alliance includes chip manufacturers (Impinj, NXP), reader vendors (Zebra, Alien), solution providers, and end users.

Mission and Scope

RAIN RFID positions UHF RFID as one of the foundational IoT connectivity technologies -- alongside Wi-Fi (for data), Bluetooth (for peripherals), and GPS (for location). The alliance drives:

  • Standard alignment -- ensuring all RAIN-branded products conform to Gen2v2 / epc-gen2/" class="glossary-term-link" data-term="EPC Gen2" data-definition="UHF RFID air interface standard." data-category="Standards & Protocols">EPC Gen2 UHF standard." data-category="Standards & Protocols">ISO 18000-63.
  • Market education -- case studies, ROI calculators, and industry reports to accelerate adoption.
  • Interoperability testing -- certification programmes for readers, tags, and middleware.
  • Policy advocacy -- working with regulators on UHF spectrum allocation (FCC, ETSI).

RAIN Tag ICs

The alliance coordinates with IC manufacturers on technology roadmaps. Current-generation RAIN ICs include:

Vendor IC Key Feature
Impinj M800 series -24 dBm sensitivity, crypto
NXP UCODE 9 Cost-optimised retail
EM Microelectronic em*tag Automotive temperature range
Quanray QR2731 China domestic market

Market Data

According to RAIN RFID alliance reports, cumulative UHF RFID tag IC shipments surpassed 70 billion units by 2025. Annual shipments exceed 40 billion and are growing 20-25% year-over-year, driven primarily by retail item-level tagging (apparel, footwear) and expanding into food, healthcare, and automotive.

RAIN vs. NFC

RAIN operates at UHF (860-960 MHz) for long-range passive identification, while NFC operates at HF (13.56 MHz, ISO 14443) for short-range interactive use. Some modern tags integrate both RAIN UHF and NFC HF interfaces on a single IC, enabling supply-chain tracking and consumer engagement on the same inlay.

See also: EPC Gen2 | ISO 18000-63 | Standards

Related Content

The RAIN RFID Ecosystem

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The RAIN RFID Ecosystem RAIN RFID is the industry alliance and brand…

NXP UCODE Family Guide

Tag Selection

…IC with full AES-128 mutual authentication certified for RAIN RFID — and on untraceable mode, which protects end-user…

EM Microelectronic RFID ICs

Tag Selection

…samples logged every N minutes At destination, any RAIN RFID reader inventories the EPC and reads the temperature log…

RFID Site Survey Best Practices

Implementation

…fencing, and glass all attenuate or reflect 860–960 MHz RAIN RFID signals differently. Document all potential interference…

Active RFID and Real-Time Location Systems

Advanced Topics

Preguntas frecuentes

The RFID glossary is a comprehensive reference of technical terms, acronyms, and concepts used in Radio-Frequency Identification technology. It is designed for engineers, system integrators, and project managers who work with RFID and need clear definitions of terms like EPC, backscatter, anti-collision, and ISO 18000.

Yes. RFIDFYI provides glossary definitions in 15 languages including English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, Arabic, French, Russian, German, Turkish, Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Thai.