Through integrated or external antennas instructions are send to the transponder and the received answers are interpreted. The key task of the reader is generating a transmitting signal (signal modulation, etc.) and the filtering of the received signals as well as the preparation of the data in a defined way so that it is suitable for evaluation in layered hostsystems like warehouse management systems, warehouse controlling systems, production planing systems or ERP suites.
The RFID reader can either be configurated as a handheld or a fixed device. It sends out radio waves in a range from one inch zp to 100 feet or more. That depends on the performance and the used frequency. The regulations on the power consumption that is resulting in the performance of a RFID reader is done by countries. They say how much energy can be used to generate a signal. If there is an FCC and CEE sign, you can use these devices in the US or Europe. RFID readers can be classified through range, frequency, used data transmission protocols and performance. Basically there are two main groups; fixed and mobile reader.
Fixed reader
Most infrastructures are using fixed RFID reader, that are connected to external antennas. The controlling of the reader and interpreting of the obtained data can be either done by an applet running or operating system inside the reader, by a piece of middleware or by the host system. The communication with the reader is done over interfaces like ethernet, RS485, etc.
Example of a fixed RFID reader. Here the reader and the antenna are one unit.
Mobile reader (RFID handhelds)
Mobile reader are like the shown reader a complete RFID system (means. reader with integrated antenna) with autonomic functionality and compact form factor, that allows the user an identifiction or manipulation of the transponders on sight. The data can be stored to the handheld and afterwards tranfered to the system (for instance via WLAN or a docking station).
The antennas of the reader can be deployed as standalone, as a gate (Connecting two or more antennas at a gate) or a RFID tunnel (Connecting of minimum three antennas as a tunnel). The amount of connected antennas is limited by the ports of the multiplexer. Standalone reader can – like handhelds – also be directly integrated into the reader.
