A highly efficient and versatile system for high speed functional testing of finished RFID tags. Common materials are used in key areas, like the antenna enclosure 3a and 3b, to cut the cost of the system. A standard RFID reader (11) is used along with a real time microcontroller (13) and sensors (5, 7) to test each tag on a continuous web (21) good or bad. Bad tags can be ignored, marked, or removed from the web. The system is designed to be mounted to existing press and rewind equipment, enabling an incremental investment in RFID technology.