What’s a stray read got to do with anything?
Understanding RFID Stray Reads — The Silent Source of Customer Disputes
RFID gives laundries incredible visibility, accuracy, and automation — but only when the system is set up, tuned, and positioned correctly.
One of the most misunderstood issues in RFID-enabled laundries is something known as a stray read.
Stray reads are not a software problem.
They are not a hardware fault.
They are simply a behaviour of RFID energy, and when laundries don’t understand them, stray reads become a major cause of customer disputes.
This article explains what stray reads are, why they occur, why they matter, and — importantly — when they are actually beneficial.
What Is a Stray Read?
A stray read occurs when an RFID antenna detects a tag that is nearby but not physically inside the item or trolley being scanned.
Example:
You’re scanning a loaded trolley for dispatch.
The antenna is reading the intended cart — but it also picks up:
Linen sitting on a nearby trolley
Items stacked near the dispatch area
Linen hanging on a rack
A cart intended for another customer
Laundry being transported past the portal
Even a pile of clean product sitting too close to the read zone
The RFID system has no context — it simply knows “I saw a tag.”
Your software then assumes:
“If it saw the tag in the dispatch read zone… it must be part of the order.”
And that’s where the trouble begins.
Why Stray Reads in Dispatch Are a Major Problem
When stray reads occur in a dispatch area, the consequences are immediate and serious.
✔ The customer is shown items they never received
The system records them as delivered, even though they were never in the trolley.
✔ The stock-on-hand at the customer becomes inflated
The customer is shown as having linen that physically never left your laundry.
✔ It triggers false unaccounted-loss disputes
Months later, during a stocktake, those stray-read items will appear as “missing.”
The customer will insist they never got them — and they’ll be right.
✔ Your system becomes untrustworthy
It only takes a few incorrect delivery readings to damage customer confidence.
✔ You lose the argument every time
Because you can’t provide evidence that the customer ever physically received the item.
In short:
Stray reads in dispatch destroy credibility, damage customer relationships, and make your RFID data look inaccurate — even if the system is working perfectly.
This is why properly controlled dispatch zones are critical.
Where Stray Reads Must Be Eliminated
RFID dispatch areas need to be:
Narrow
Focused
Shielded
Tuned to a tight read zone
Positioned away from other linen
Free of stacked trolleys
Free of passing traffic
Equipped with controlled read environments
Dispatch is the one place in a laundry where stray reads cause financial, operational, and reputational damage.
Stray reads in dispatch = bad for accuracy and bad for customer trust.
When Stray Reads Are Actually a Good Thing
There is one part of the laundry where stray reads are not only acceptable — they are encouraged:
The Soiled-In Area
In the soiled-in zone, the objective is the exact opposite of dispatch:
✔ Read as much as possible
✔ As widely as possible
✔ As deeply as possible
✔ Across all carts, bins, and piles
Because in soiled-in, the goal is simple:
Capture every returning RFID tag, even if it belongs to multiple customers or came in from multiple routes.
Why? Because:
The laundry needs to know what has returned
The laundry must update stock-on-hand
The system must know that the item is no longer at the customer
Read overlap does not cause damage
Multiple-customer detection is fine (all linen is about to be washed together)
Put simply:
Stray reads in soiled-in ensure nothing is missed.
If antennas see linen from several customers, trolleys, or areas at the same time — that’s a benefit.
Missing soiled items is far worse than over-reading them.
The Golden Rule of Stray Reads
Tight read zones in dispatch.
Wide read zones in soiled-in.**
That’s the rule every RFID-enabled laundry must follow.
Dispatch = precision
Soiled-in = coverage
Dispatch = avoid stray reads
Soiled-in = welcome them
The trick is designing the system so each area behaves the way it should.
How Linen Link Helps Laundries Manage Stray Reads
Linen Link RFID Systems specialises in optimising read zones so laundries get accurate dispatches and complete soiled-in reads.
We provide:
✔ Read-zone design & tuning
✔ Dispatch shielding and antenna calibration
✔ Interference detection
✔ Hotspot mapping
✔ Validation of dispatch accuracy
✔ 100% soiled-in accuracy audits
✔ Customer-facing reporting
✔ Ongoing performance checks
You get the confidence to say to customers:
“Your delivery counts are accurate. Your return counts are accurate.
And we can prove it.”
Final Thought
RFID is powerful — but misunderstood read zones lead to errors, disputes, and frustration.
By understanding stray reads — where they matter, where they don’t, and how to manage them — laundries can operate with clarity, confidence, and complete customer transparency.
