[audioholic]

Originally Posted by veedub89

I bought my first Fastag from PayTM and fixed it to the windshield of my Volvo S60 but the tag didn't get recognised/scanned at the tolls. The toll attendants brought out the manual scanner and my tag still didn't work. I had used this tag at maybe 6 different tolls but the result was the same. So I assumed that there was something wrong with the tag and after much follow-up PayTM replaced my tag.

It is mostly because your car windshield has a heat reflective coating which is metallic in nature or it has defogger lines embedded which again act as a deflecting antenna. What you could do is to stick the tag very close to where the manufacturer tag is, or check with the owners manual if they have given provision on the windshield where the coating is absent so that such a tag can be stuck. For example, the edges of the glass where there are dots is one such place which will allow you to stick an RFID tag.

[veedub89]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

Me.

I frequently travel between B'lore - M'lore and having trouble getting through the fastag lane. It is embarrassing to see all other vehicles pass through fastag lane and our vehicle gets stopped coz the tag is NOT recognized. I am suspecting the tag and have called the ICICI fastag rep and he has assured me a replacement, once am back in B'lore. According to him, if we have re-pasted the tag on the windshield, the tag might NOT get scanned by the scanners. I suspect this might be the case.

Yea even I get that "you must have re-pasted it." But that is not the case for me at least.

Originally Posted by audioholic

It is mostly because your car windshield has a heat reflective coating which is metallic in nature or it has defogger lines embedded which again act as a deflecting antenna. What you could do is to stick the tag very close to where the manufacturer tag is, or check with the owners manual if they have given provision on the windshield where the coating is absent so that such a tag can be stuck. For example, the edges of the glass where there are dots is one such place which will allow you to stick an RFID tag.

Thanks. So there is something on my windshield that interferes in the scanning process.
I will read up the manual for such a spot on the windshield.

[dre@ms]

Regular fare is always deducted instead of the return fare. Happened twice and had to raise a dispute to get the refund. Is any one else facing this issue. I am on ICICI Fastag.

[AutoInt]

Originally Posted by dre@ms

Regular fare is always deducted instead of the return fare. Happened twice and had to raise a dispute to get the refund. Is any one else facing this issue. I am on ICICI Fastag.

I am using ICICI Fastag over three years now. I never faced this issue. On return within the timeline only return fare was deducted. Good to hear that you were able get refund.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by veedub89

I bought my first Fastag from PayTM and fixed it to the windshield of my Volvo S60 but the tag didn't get recognised/scanned at the tolls. ... So now I am wondering if my windscreen has some coating on it which does not let the tag get scanned.

Some higher end cars have metalllised windshields - they help in reflecting infrared and UV, thereby lowering the greenhouse effect. Some cars have heated windshields, which means, there will be (invisible) metal traces sandwiched between the layers of glass. Presence of metal between the RFID tag (FASTag) and the scanner will severely impair the communication (simple physics at play).

The solution is to fix the tag OUTSIDE the windshield. I suggest that you paste the new tag using clear tape on a corner, away from the wiper blade's sweep area and try it out at any toll booth, before fixing the tag permanently.

Originally Posted by audioholic

What you could do is to stick the tag very close to where the manufacturer tag is

This is not a good idea - the manufacturer tag and the FASTag will try to respond to the scanner together, and in some cases, both of them will end up not communicating, and if at all the FASTag does manage to communicate, it will time out and you will end up with an Invalid Tag error on the scanner.

[vivek95]

I am late to the party but better late than never. Procured Fastag for my car from Equitas on BHPian @paragsachania's recommendation, thanks to him. The process was entirely online and was a smooth affair. I even installed Equitas fastag app in my phone for future recharges. Used it during my recent drive from Krishnagiri to Bangalore--Pune--Mumbai. It worked seamlessly at each and every toll on this route. In Maharashtra, there is not much time difference whether you use tag or pay by cash, as the toll guys are pretty quick dealing with manual cash payment as well. However it's the handsfree experience that makes using Fastag a convenient one.

Unfortunately Fastag does not work at Airoli toll in Mumbai. You need their own MEP tag for the same.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by silversteed

This is not a good idea - the manufacturer tag and the FASTag will try to respond to the scanner together, and in some cases, both of them will end up not communicating, and if at all the FASTag does manage to communicate, it will time out and you will end up with an Invalid Tag error on the scanner.

This has happened with me at BETL booth as well as both the booths managed by L&T at Hirisave and Shantigrama on Bangalore - Hassan Highway. Things became smooth only once I removed the BETPL tag and started using only FASTag all the times.

So at times, it is not just FASTag but interference from other passive tags as well that can cause issues.

Originally Posted by veedub89

The chances of getting two faulty tags seems remote. So now I am wondering if my windscreen has some coating on it which does not let the tag get scanned.

Because it is a Volvo. here is some food for thought served right on this thread

Originally Posted by SHINOJVC

Is it working for XC90? New Volvo cars got IR coated windshield which blocks RFID detection.

Originally Posted by mjumrani

Nope doesn't work on the XC90 or the Polestar, tested that long ago using my old car's tag before cancelling the same. I will be pasting it outside with a 3M film on top of it. Will post images by weekend.

Hence, you may have a tough time making FASTag work. What you can still do is order another tag, place that inside a plastic cover and try to hand it out while passing the booth and see if things work (Ideally it should). This is surely not a solution but worth a try.

For a permanent solution, you may have to stick the tag outside with probably a layer of PPF to prevent damage. But there can always be those with intents to steal it!!

[veedub89]

Originally Posted by silversteed

Some higher end cars have metalllised windshields - they help in reflecting infrared and UV, thereby lowering the greenhouse effect. Some cars have heated windshields, which means, there will be (invisible) metal traces sandwiched between the layers of glass. Presence of metal between the RFID tag (FASTag) and the scanner will severely impair the communication (simple physics at play).

The solution is to fix the tag OUTSIDE the windshield. I suggest that you paste the new tag using clear tape on a corner, away from the wiper blade's sweep area and try it out at any toll booth, before fixing the tag permanently.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Because it is a Volvo. here is some food for thought served right on this thread

Hence, you may have a tough time making FASTag work. What you can still do is order another tag, place that inside a plastic cover and try to hand it out while passing the booth and see if things work (Ideally it should). This is surely not a solution but worth a try.

For a permanent solution, you may have to stick the tag outside with probably a layer of PPF to prevent damage. But there can always be those with intents to steal it!!

Thanks a lot guys!
My hopes of having a short-cut solution to this problem seem to have all but faded away.

On the flip side, I didn't get conned by PayTM, which is nice.

I am gonna try carrying the tag around without fixing it to the windscreen and see if that works. If that doesn't work, the only option is to stick it on the outside of the windscreen.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by veedub89

..but the tag didn't get recognised/scanned at the tolls. The toll attendants brought out the manual scanner and my tag still didn't work. I had used this tag at maybe 6 different tolls but the result was the same. So I assumed that there was something wrong with the tag and after much follow-up PayTM replaced my tag.

I faced the exact same symptoms with my ICICI Fastag in Dec. Even the manual scanner refused to work. The booth attendant brought the scanner into the car via the window and directly touched its surface. But no luck. I was advised to have it replaced. To cut a long story short - it was replaced with an HDFC tag.

My car has a windscreen with tinted strip AKA a shade band, and a factory water repellent coat though I am not sure about any metallic content or an anti UV/Infrared treatment to reduce heat transmission. I have not installed any tinted film on the front windshield. The tag was pasted under the RVM and the dashcam.

Why would a scanner fail even when it has physical contact with the tag? My guess is a batch of defective tags.

[sachinpk]

Originally Posted by R2D2

Why would a scanner fail even when it has physical contact with the tag? My guess is a batch of defective tags.

My understanding is that the scan still happens using radio frequencies (and the device physically touching the tag will not have any effect). The scanner is sending some signals using radio frequencies and it is expecting some radio signals back. Even if the device is placed on the tag, it still expects radio signals which it can understand.

[binand]

Originally Posted by R2D2

Why would a scanner fail even when it has physical contact with the tag? My guess is a batch of defective tags.

Probably. I had done some reading up about these tags (technology & operations) a few weeks back. Apparently the scanner sends out radio waves, which is the source of energy for the circuitry on the tag pasted on the vehicle. This circuitry when activated sends out the response signal back to the scanner; and thus they talk to each other. So this "scanner fail" sounds like the tag's circuit refusing to respond to the stimulus from the scanner - which is basically tag fail.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by binand

Probably. I had done some reading up about these tags (technology & operations) a few weeks back. Apparently the scanner sends out radio waves, which is the source of energy for the circuitry on the tag pasted on the vehicle. This circuitry when activated sends out the response signal back to the scanner; and thus they talk to each other. So this "scanner fail" sounds like the tag's circuit refusing to respond to the stimulus from the scanner - which is basically tag fail.

Originally Posted by sachinpk

My understanding is that the scan still happens using radio frequencies (and the device physically touching the tag will not have any effect). The scanner is sending some signals using radio frequencies and it is expecting some radio signals back. Even if the device is placed on the tag, it still expects radio signals which it can understand.

You are both right about the RF, it is a passive RFID after all, but just in case there a problem with the chip, the close proximity to a reader would have a faulty chip respond albeit with a weak signal which would hopefully be detected by the reader.

Of course, the booth operator wouldn't probably be aware of the science behind it and just follow instructions or at best rudimentary training in the hope of getting it to work.

Either way, I am quite convinced there's a batch of faulty tags out there. Given my car's age, I don't think the windshield has any metallic coating that may interfere with the tag's operation.

I need to test the HDFC tag now and hope it will work. Fingers crossed. I'll update this thread with my observations.

[daf23]

Originally Posted by dre@ms

Regular fare is always deducted instead of the return fare.

I've been using the ICICI Fastag since a year now. Only the return fare was deducted if the travel was within 24 hours.

Just curious, how do we raise a dispute?

I have to login to the ICICI Fastag website for recharging the account, which I find very inconvenient. Do we have a mobile (android) application?

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by daf23

Just curious, how do we raise a dispute?

Login and then Helpdesk >> Request Information/Inquiries
Type - Dispute Transaction/Chargeback
Sub-Type - Return Journey Fare calculated incorrectly
and then the rest of the fields.

I have to login to the ICICI Fastag website for recharging the account, which I find very inconvenient. Do we have a mobile (android) application?

Use any UPI Apps? If so, add netc.vehiclenumber@icici and then transfer money directly to your tag account instantly using UPI App.

[daf23]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Use any UPI Apps? If so, add netc.vehiclenumber@icici and then transfer money directly to your tag account instantly using UPI App.

Thank you so much Parag Sachania for the insight, I just transferred the money using BHIM UPI