CONNECTIX: the layer between reader and software

The problem it solves

Most RFID readers speak their own dialect. Each project ends up writing a translator between the reader and the business system, and that translator becomes the slowest and costliest part. CONNECTIX speaks the languages your software already knows.

From power-up to the first read

There is nothing to install. The device raises its own Wi-Fi network at power-up, and you configure it from any browser.

• Power the device with a supply that meets its demand: an undersized supply causes resets and communication failures
• Join the Wi-Fi network the device creates, named after the model and the end of its MAC address
• Open the administration console in the browser and sign in. The default access data is in the Quick Start Guide: change the password on first use
• Set the Ethernet or Wi-Fi network the device should use. For USB-only use, leave the Wi-Fi name empty
• Open the live RAIN panel and press Connect: the tags appear in real time, with unique count, elapsed time and read rate
• Choose where the data goes and, for permanent use, turn off the setup hotspot

Every way out, at the same time

One reader can type tags into a computer, publish to an MQTT broker and serve a socket, in parallel. Each channel has its own settings, and the console shows the status of every one.

• MQTT: publishes to the broker and topics you define
• TCP socket server: your application connects to the port and receives the data
• USB: virtual serial (COM) port, or keyboard emulation (HID) that types the tags
• Bluetooth LE, on models that have it: keyboard emulation and serial
• Live view in the browser, over WebSocket
• Optional heartbeat message, so you know the reader is alive

The data in the format you need

By default each read leaves as JSON, with the EPC always present. Switch on what else you want, or define your own line format and let the reader assemble it.

• Optional fields: TID, RSSI, phase, channel, antenna, device alias and UTC timestamp in milliseconds
• Custom format: up to eight fields in the order you choose, with the text before, after and between them
• GS1 decoding in the reader: SGTIN, SSCC, GLN, GRAI, GIAI, GSRN, GDTI, CPI, SGCN, GID and US DoD
• EPC transformation: cut part of the code, or add a prefix and a suffix
• EPC filter by pattern, to ignore tags that are not yours

{"epc":"3035000000000000000121","rssi":-5320,"antenna":1,"timestamp":"1790000000000"}

Control it by command

Everything you do in the console can also be done by a JSON message, sent to the reader over MQTT. A message with an empty resource reads its state. A message with values changes it. The reader can reply to a topic you choose, and it ignores a command it has already received.

• Radio: region, antenna ports, power, sensitivity, search mode, session and RF mode
• Inventory: start and stop, automatic start after boot, active and idle time
• Output: report fields, custom format, GS1 decoding and EPC transformation
• Filter by EPC pattern, and LED and buzzer

{
  "nid": 1784003600100,
  "ts": 1784003600100,
  "tz": 0,
  "topic": "command",
  "msg": [{ "rfid": [{
    "radio": { "region": "FCC",
      "antennas": [{ "port": 1, "enable": true, "txPowerCdbm": 2400 }],
      "modeAndSession": { "session": 0, "rfMode": 103 } },
    "inventory": { "control": { "action": "start" } }
  }] }]
}

Bluetooth, when the device has it

On models with Bluetooth LE, the same reader can be a keyboard for a phone or tablet, a serial link that accepts the same JSON commands, a beacon or a scanner of nearby devices. The keyboard mode is exclusive: it cannot run together with the beacon or the scanner.

• Keyboard: types the tags into any app, with no code
• Serial: JSON commands and replies over Bluetooth
• Beacon: custom or iBeacon
• Scanner: lists nearby devices with signal strength

Keep it healthy

The same console takes care of the device over time.

• Update the firmware from the console
• Change the administration password and turn off the setup hotspot
• Keep the clock right with NTP servers
• Restore factory settings when you need a clean start