4 port fixed UHF reader for RFID applications

RFID and UHF solutions manufacturer Alien Technology has recently rolled out the Alien ALR-9680 commercial-grade UHF RFID reader. The company's latest offering provides enterprise grade 4-port flexibility with Alien's industry leading ease-of-use, reader "intelligence" and robustness.

Housed in a slim-height metal chassis, the rugged reader is built to survive in rough environments that may also require low height clearance. Many ALR-9680 features are geared to lowering the cost of set-up and system implementation, including:

4 monostatic-antenna ports that lend themselves to low-cost antenna systems;

Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) that takes power from any existing Ethernet infrastructure, eliminating the need for external power supplies; and

Autonomous mode of operation that reduces network traffic and minimises central processing, helping make large roll-outs more scalable.

Mike Frieswyk, Alien Technology's senior vice president for sales and marketing, stated that the new reader brings the flexibility of 4 antenna ports and Alien Reader Protocol, adding local intelligence and processing inside the reader while reducing the processing overhead required elsewhere in the system.

The ALR-9680 shares common software architecture with the Alien ALR-9650 integrated antenna "smart reader." This allows customers and partners to easily port their solutions across the product range with minimal effort.

The UHF RFID reader is suitable for small cost-sensitive roll-outs or, due to the on-reader processing. The reader can be used in large-scale implementations that want to minimise the amount of central processing consumed by each reader. This local-processing allows for increased scalability and reduced central compute infrastructure and cost. The inclusion of PoE with this form-factor also allows the reader to be used in tight areas that have no power supply.