Are QR Codes Relevant in 2021?

Created in 1994, booming in 2010, busting in 2011 and back with a vengeance in 2020. 

QR codes seem to be appearing everywhere. The resurgence of their use driven by track and trace requirements or to reduce touch points like printed menus and forms during the pandemic.

But, will they stand the test of time post-pandemic?

I recently had a conversation with a friend who commented that “they’re seeing these funny codes everywhere”.

With full geek mode engaged, I talked to them about what they were, how clever they are, but also, how often they are misused. I will share some of those thoughts now.

The humble QR code, invented 27 years ago by Denso Wave corporation, has for much of those 27 years been underutilized, seen as a fad and something that won’t last. Phone manufacturers have, largely driven by Apple, integrated the scanning of QR codes into the camera function of their devices, without the need for any third-party apps, almost as if they predicted this resurgence in QR code popularity. 

What is a QR code and what can it do?

QR (stands for Quick Response) codes were designed because standard bar codes could not hold enough information for the new generation of POS terminals during the economic growth in Japan from the 1960s. They needed a code that could hold richer information - for example Kanji and Kana characters as well as longer strings of alphanumeric characters.

While a standard barcode (depending on its type and length) can hold between 20 and 120 alphanumeric characters, a QR code can store much more depending on the character type:

Numeric only             7,089

Alphanumeric            4,296

Binary/byte                2,953  

Kanji/kana                  1,817

Therefore, the QR code is much more versatile than a standard barcode.

Uses of QR codes are diverse. They include POS terminals for payment, loyalty programs, joining Wifi networks, instant delivery of website URLs and interaction with apps such as track & trace and food ordering apps.

Even the Wikipedia entry for QR code has been updated, attributing COVID-19 pandemic as one of the primary uses of QR code technology.

Their benefit of course is that they are totally contactless and that most modern phones now have inbuilt capability to recognise QR codes without any further apps being needed.

Apple was first to introduce recognition of QR codes directly from the camera app and other manufacturers have followed suit. This has made QR code use accessible to the vast majority of smartphone users.

Are QR codes always the right solution?

The simple answer is no. While QR codes have the benefits outlined above, they have some downsides. One significant disadvantage, is that they are easily copied. Simply take a photograph or scan and print it again and again.

I read an article (https://www.wired.co.uk/article/nhs-covid-app-trial-newham) on Wired from September 2020 looking at the NHS (UK health service) Track & Trace app. The premise of the article is that there are two things wrong with the app, QR codes and Humans. I am sure that the author Nicole Kobie was being deliberately controversial in that statement for journalistic purposes. She makes the valid point, that while utilisation of QR codes has seen a significant rise, it still presents a technical challenge for many users, especially where reading capability is not built into the phone by default (older iPhones and many Android devices) where third-party apps are needed.

QR codes for asset tracking

Asset tracking presents a challenge to the QR code, especially in circular economy scenarios where we want containers to be re-used many times. Within its very concept is a fundamental flaw. A QR code is ‘visually’ read by a camera or scanning device, therefore, while QR codes do have inbuilt error handling within their design, if there are any defects to the presentation of that code - say it becomes faded due to many wash cycles, or it is scratched - it becomes unreadable.

It is right to say that a QR code does have built in redundancy and error checking to help mitigate problems with readability, however, it depends on both the extent of that damage and exactly which portions of the code are not readable.

In the example below, the very same QR Code side-by-side, one with ‘simulated’ scratch or damage on the left cannot be scanned, while the perfect one takes you to LinkedIn.

If the QR code is attached to an asset whose value we are trying to track and protect then this does present a real issue.

Some examples I’ve experienced first-hand that can cause damage or read issues include:

●     Dust and dirt covering the surface of the QR code - even when “protected” under a plastic screen

●     Impact damage – scratches and scuffs

●     Sunlight degrading printing

●     Washing of items in dishwashers or commercial washing facilities degrading print

●     Painting of assets covering over the code

Copy and paste

The biggest issue with QR codes is also their biggest advantage, the ability to copy them and easily replicate them is a huge draw to their use. Creating them is cheap and simple.

I referred earlier to my conversation over lunch, I gave a very simple demonstration of what I was talking about. Very quickly taking a photograph of the QR code and allowing my friend to scan it from my mobile phone screen, I demonstrated that the QR code was easily copied.

There have been many instances where QR codes have been used in situations where the need for verification of a task or location is critical, even regulatory and concerning life-and-death situations, where people have copied QR codes, printed them out and scanned them from their desks rather than visiting the locations of those QR codes.

I have, in the past been called upon countless times, to replace QR codes used in those situations with systems that are more robust, in some instances where there has been loss of life due to systems being circumvented in this way. There’s real danger in QR code misuse, and the ease of copying a QR code makes it easy for humans to cut corners. It is not the fault of the QR code either, it is simply the wrong choice of technology for the situation.

Even without this ability to copy, QR codes can be scanned from distance. While not moving from our table, I scanned the NHS track and trace QR code, some 10 metres away from us. A simple task of zooming in the camera on your phone and allowing it to read the code. While in this instance it was a benefit, stopping me having to move around the café’s garden, it begs the question - was I even at that venue or was I at the café next door?

Is RFID the solution?

RFID, is an unknown technology to most people.

While out at lunch, I happened to have a High Frequency RFID tag in my pocket (yes, full on geek mode engaged now). High frequency RFID is more commonly known as NFC, a term which you may have come across. It’s the technology most people have unknowingly used that enables office access cards and hotel room keys.

I quickly programmed that tag using my mobile phone, with the same address as the NHS track and trace QR code and then, building the drama, and feeling like Gandalf, I demonstrated the magic of RFID to the amazement of my lunch companion, who was baffled by what they saw, but also taken aback by the simplicity. Of course, being inquisitive, they wanted to know more, how does it work? And, can they have a go?

While I loved the theatre I created, there really is no magic involved, but a technology that is hugely effective, with diverse uses and one which solves all of the issues outlined above.

The RFID tag cannot easily be cloned or copied, indeed technology that I developed means that, through cryptography, you can prevent any kind of cloning altogether. The read range of the High Frequency type of RFID means that the tags can be read from a maximum of 50mm away (depending on the tag). The only way to interact with a fixed tag is by physically being at that location. This allows you to prove that an action was completed at a specific time and location. One can of course add biometrics and GPS to the mix as well to create an additional layer of authenticity.

In addition, the RFID tag does not need to be visible, it can be embedded, covered up, painted over or left as a visual marker. Since the reader can detect the tag through most surfaces the tag is protected, which is especially important in environments with a risk of dirt or other degradation due to weather, washing or impact damage.

It does not replace QR codes, but it can be a more reliable choice of technology for certain projects.

Should the NHS have used RFID?

No, in my opinion QR codes were the right choice for this project. They allowed for a quick roll out, as venues could simply print off a PDF.

However, if we were setting up a system for health and safety inspections, we would need certainty that the location or item had been checked. We would need to know that the individual recording the fact they have done the inspection cannot have faked that by scanning copied codes from their desk.

What’s the cost of QR codes?

There is no getting away from the fact that QR codes are cheap. You can create your own, free of charge, and print them from any printer with no specialist software or equipment required.

However, are they always cheaper than RFID tags? The simple and honest answer is no.

The main costs are not the cost of the QR code or RFID tag themselves, but the cost of attaching and registering that asset into a system. The labour costs of replacing QR codes, often on a regular basis, far outweighs the costs of the RFID tags that can be fitted once and live with the asset for its entire life.

Therefore, consideration of the technology should be made upon the requirements of that project. The cheapest and most obvious solution of QR codes may not meet all of those requirements, especially where 100% provability and traceability is required. If that’s the case, RFID is the better solution.