Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID)

Only version 1.10.2 of Mobile WMS supports reading RFID tags with a selected range of Zebra devices. Support for 1.11.x is in progress.
This section contains a brief description of what RFID is, what it can be used for, and how to setup the hardware.
Reading an RFID tag requires a reader and a tag, where a tag can be either passive or active. We will only be describing the passive tags.
Passive RFID tags are activated by the reader sending a radio signal, which powers the tag, allowing it to send it's data to the reader. Hence the more power the reader sends out, the further the distance it can read. Passive tags are heavily affected by their surroundings, and can be detuned by being placed right next to metal or other materials. This means that if multiple items are placed close together, either behind each other or on top of each other, all items are not necessarily read.

Important!

Reading barcodes and RFID tags is very different.

When reading a barcode, you get exactly what you point the scanner at.
When reading an RFID tag, you need to know what you are looking for.
RFID tags work on radio signal and range will be affected by distance and obstacles such as metal shelves.

The support is currently developed for a special use case, where the customer has large items in which the RFID tags are physically embedded. This means that tags will be far away from each other and the risk of reading the wrong tag is minimized.

RFID will work for:

Registering single items placed far from each other.
Registering multiple items placed close together, without the tags being detuned by e.g. metal.

RFID will not work/work poorly for:

Registering single items on shelves where they are located close to each other.
Performing inventory of the complete warehouse by moving past all the shelves.
Scanning a completely assembled product.

<scanner>
  ...
  <scanEngineProperties>
	...
    <scanEngineProperty key="zebra_rfid_power" value="55" /> <!-- Defines the signal strength which will affect range. -->
    <scanEngineProperty key="zebra_rfid_enable" value="true" /> <!-- Enables the RFID functionality. -->
    <scanEngineProperty key="zebra_rfid_region_country" value="Denmark" /> <!-- Defines the region country, which is mandatory, as local regulatives apply for using radio communication. -->
  </scanEngineProperties>
</scanner>

As RFID is not a one size fits all, we highly encourage contacting Tasklet, to ensure the intention matches what is actually possible.