Written By Harris and Louis Sirico

We’ve all heard the saying, “close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades”.  And, when it comes to implementing an RFID solution, we all know that “close” or “close enough” just doesn’t cut it.  Let’s face it, even though there are a wide variety of RFID readers available, there are still implementations where an off-the-shelf system isn’t “close” enough to meet the requirements.  So what do you do when your project requires a UHF RFID-enabled device that just doesn’t exist?

You build your own. 

If you had to start from scratch, building your own RFID-enabled device would be extremely challenging.  However, there are at least nine different manufacturers of RFID reader modules designed to make this task a lot easier.  Our team selected the Mercury5e or “M5e” embedded RFID reader module family from ThingMagic, recently named by ABI Research as a leading vendor in both innovation and implementation of their embedded RFID devices.  ThingMagic claims you can add RFID capabilities to your product, anything from a handheld scanner for inventory management to a pickup truck for real-time tool tracking or anything else you can imagine, using one of their Mercury5e modules.

The M5e RFID reader modules, based on the Intel/Impinj R1000 chip, are EPCglobal UHF Class 1 Gen 2 and ISO 18000-6C compliant products. 

The M5e is a credit card sized module that is ideal for adding UHF RFID read and write capabilities to a wide range of devices, from high speed label printers, to inline testing solutions, to fixed and mobile readers in a variety of form factors.

The M5e-Compact, which is about the size of a match book, is ideal for applications where small size and low power consumption are essential.  It can be used in handhelds, mobile printers, and any device that trends towards size because of desire to miniaturize.

These modules are already embedded into a wide range of form factors and applications, including ThingMagic’s own stationary RFID readers.  Moving beyond traditional, one size fits all RFID solutions, that there are several stationary and mobile printers from Zebra Technologies, a printer drawer assembly offered by Lexmark, an ultra-thin portal and a ruggedized reader designed developed by Venture Research, a number of handheld devices offered by several of their customers such as PanMobil’s SCANNDYgun.  There is also used a ruggedized tool tracking solution called Tool Link – based on ThingMagic’s Vega reader - which they developed with Ford Motor Company and tool maker DeWALT.

Building Your RFID Reader

Step 1: Select the RFID reader module best suited for your application

There are a number of criteria that needs to be considered when selecting an RFID reader module.  Some of the considerations include:

• Module Size
• RF, Power, and Control Physical Interfaces
• Number of RF ports
• Regulatory certification
• Application Programming Interface

Selecting the appropriate RFID module is such an important topic we have included details in a separate whitepaper titled 10 Criteria for Selecting an RFID Reader Module.  Click the button to the left to download the full whitepaper.

Selecting the appropriate RFID reader module just a first, albeit important, step to RFID-enabling your product, according to Yael Maguire, co-founder and CTO of ThingMagic.  He goes on to say, “You also want to consider things like tag selection, antenna type, and of course application development tools to support rapid prototyping and solution development.”

Step 2: RFID Tag Selection

How do you go about selecting the right tag (or tags) for your project?  On a high level you need to, at least, ask the following questions:

• What kind of assets are you trying to track?  Paper, plastic, metal, liquids or some combination? 
• How/Where are the tags going to be mounted? 
• How are the assets moving?  Conveyor, truck, pallet, fork lift?  This is important in, not only determining the orientation of the tag, but what type of antenna your readers will require.
• What does the project require in terms of tracking time (constant or periodic)? 
• What type of environment are the assets in?  Is it a high metal content area such as a data center or warehouse?  Or does the asset have to endure harsh environs going from dry to wet, cold to hot, etc?
• Is it a closed or open-looped system?
• Budget.  How much is the customer willing to invest?

These are just a few of the questions that need to be asked to determine if you are going to use passive UHF labels or special metal mount tags vs. semi-passive, active or active WiFi.  Many projects will be fine with some, or various, versions of passive UHF tags.

Step 3: RFID Antenna Type

Another key system design decision is the type of antenna you will use with your RFID reader.  Although there are many antenna types, they can be grouped into two main categories, circular and linear, referring to the polarization of the signal emitted.

The two antenna types have different advantages.  A circular antenna reads from a much wider angle and a shorter distance than a linear antenna, and it can read tags in different orientations.  A linear antenna can have better read performance and accuracy when the tag orientation is controllable. When designing your RFID system, it is important to identify the following design criteria:

• How far will your reader be from the tags it is reading?
• How well can you control the orientation and position of the tags?
• How wide (or tall) is area over which you need to have read coverage?

For tighter control of the read-zone, or to read tags that may be on or near water / metal, a near field antenna may be a better solution than a far field antenna.

Step 4: Select, or build, an enclosure for your RFID module components and antennas

What should you consider when shopping for equipment enclosures? Here are several questions to ask:

• What are the physical installation requirements?
• Can the enclosure hold the equipment in the position needed for optimal performance?
• Are there security requirements?
• What is the cost?

We have written an in-depth article with accompanying video that may be helpful in this step:    The Importance of RFID Equipment Enclosures

Step 5: Application Development Tools

Ok, let’s do a quick recap.  You’ve evaluated your project and determined that the project will use UHF readers.  You’ve also determined what type of UHF tag to utilize and, subsequently, the most likely best choice of antennas needed for the reader.  Using one of ThingMagic’s Mercury5e modules you are now ready to RFID enabled your product and go!  Or are you?

Not quite yet.  There’s just one problem.  How do you actually connect your antenna cables and other IO devices and get your product to write to and read tags?  Well, let’s not forget the software and IO hardware components.  Or, more specifically, an entire set of application and hardware development tools.  You can build or buy these hardware and software components yourself or utilize one of ThingMagic’s RFID developer kits. 

Getting Started: What Can You UHF RFID-Enable?

Using the M5E modules and complimentary products you can RFID enable just about anything and for all kinds of applications. Sure, you can RFID enable a refrigerator for inventory and cold chain management or even a pick-up truck for tracking tools and other materials on a construction site. But consider some of the other potential applications such as:

• Personnel Identification
• Retail inventory management
• Document tracking
• Garment tracking
• Sports timing
• Vehicle tracking
• Supply chain management and
• IT asset tracking

If you’d like to build your own RFID enabled solution, no matter what it is, here’s how to get started:

• First, download our free whitepaper on selecting the appropriate module for your application;
• If you have questions, contact ThingMagic for help at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

• Have a great idea, then click on the button to the right and Take the ThingMagic Challenge by getting a development kit and sending us a short video of your own RFID enabled solution.  The best videos will be featured in an upcoming episode of The RFID Network.

About ThingMagic, Inc.

ThingMagic is a leading developer of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, with broad experience in applying RFID in a wide range of industrial and consumer applications. ThingMagic's customers include some of the world's largest retailers, consumer companies, automotive firms, manufacturers and industrial automation firms. ThingMagic products include fixed RFID readers, embedded and OEM RFID technology, and professional services to facilitate the integration of RFID into a wide range of industrial and consumer products. ThingMagic is “The Engine in RFID™.” http://www.thingmagic.com.

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