How the data reaches your system
The question is never whether the reader can read. It is where the data should go next. Pick the path that fits your software, not the one that fits the hardware.
Four ways in
Keyboard emulation is the fastest: the reader types the tags into any field. MQTT suits modern systems that react to events. Sockets give your application a direct line to the reader. And a command interface lets your software configure and run the reader itself.
- Keyboard (USB or Bluetooth): no code, any app with a text field
- MQTT: events to a broker or to the cloud
- TCP socket: a stream your application reads
- JSON commands: configuration and control from your software
Scenario 1: a store checkout
A desktop reader sits next to the register and connects over USB. The cashier puts the basket down; every tag is typed into the point-of-sale screen as if scanned. No integration project, no new software.
Scenario 2: a dock door
A fixed reader on a dock portal publishes each read to MQTT. The WMS subscribes and ticks off the shipment line by line while the pallet is still on the forklift. A missing box shows up before the truck leaves.
Scenario 3: a tablet on the shop floor
A phone or a tablet receives tags with no cable and no app of ours. The reader pairs over Bluetooth as a keyboard, and the tags are typed into the inventory app that is already open.
Scenario 4: your own app
A software company adds RFID to its product. It calls the reader's REST API to start a read and get a JSON list back, with GS1 fields already decoded. Its customers see a new feature; the vendor never touches radio code.
Choose the shape of the data
JSON is the default and suits software: one object per read, with the fields you switch on. The custom format suits spreadsheets and legacy systems: one line per read, with the fields, the order and the separators you choose.
- JSON: {"epc":"…","rssi":-5320,"antenna":1}
- Custom: [3035000000000000000121,1,-5320]
- On MQTT, reports can be grouped in a batch to cut the number of messages
- On the socket, reports arrive back to back: split them at the line end
Before you go live
A short checklist that avoids most surprises.
- Use a power supply that meets the reader's demand
- Connect the reader to a permanent network and turn off the setup hotspot
- Change the default administration password
- Set the clock with NTP, so timestamps mean something
- Give each reader an alias, so you know where a read came from
- Let the reader start inventory by itself after a reboot
- Filter out tags that are not yours
- Test with the real items and the worst-case load
Questions we hear
Does it work with my ERP or WMS?
If your system takes keystrokes, MQTT messages or a socket stream, yes. We do not ship ERP connectors: the reader gives your integrator a clean, well-documented data stream.
Can phones and tablets use it?
Yes. Over Bluetooth LE keyboard emulation, iOS and Android devices receive the tags in any app, with no code.
Where do I start?
With keyboard emulation on a desktop reader, using your real items. When the read is right, choose how the data reaches your system.
Can I read and change the reader from my software?
Yes. A JSON message over MQTT reads or changes the radio, the inventory and the output. A message with an empty resource reads, and one with values changes.