RFID Reader
Function RFID Reader
An RFID reader (also called a transponder reader) sends out radio waves to a distance of from one centimetre up to thirty metres or more depending on its frequency and power output. A transponder that passes through this electromagnetic field detects the activating signal from the reader.
The RFID reader decodes the data stored in the integrated circuit of the transponder’s silicon chip and depending on the application communicates this information to a host management system. The RFID reader is thus the major component of the system, since it activates the transponder and initiates the transfer of data. Simply put, the device initiates and directs the communication of information.
Bidirectional Communication
Since the majority of RFID readers are designed as both reading and writing devices, it is possible not only to receive (read) data from the transponder (or tag) but if necessary to send (write) data onto it as well.
Classification of RFID Readers
In addition to their frequencies or power output, one important difference defines readers: whether they are stationary or mobile.
Stationary devices work with standardised interfaces (Ethernet) that connect them to an operational host software data management system. Mobile readers are, in contrast, compact solutions with an integrated antenna that enables a manual identification of transponders. Detected data can be stored in the RFID reader and then sent on to its host computer system.