Intermec introduces new RFID fixed readers

By Control Engineering Staff September 23, 2002

Everett, WA— Intermec Technologies Corp. introduced Sept. 17 an FCC Part 15-approved Intellitag fixed reader, ITRF, which provides four addressable antenna ports for flexible integration with existing wireless LANs. ITRF also includes RS-232 and RS-422 serial ports for connection with programmable logic controllers (PLCs).

ITRF is available in 915-MHz and 2450-MHz frequency bands and is packaged in a sturdy extruded aluminum enclosure with a power supply. The reader is ready for freestanding installation in industrial environments, and integration into supply chain management of commercial, manufacturing and logistics applications. The modules also are supplied in OEM and integrator configurations without the aluminum housing, making them easy to integrate into other systems and enclosures. Both versions are reportedly ideal for RFID standards-compliant systems that require an extended read range of up to three meters, multi-tag sort, read/write capabilities and memory capacity not provided by ‘proximity’ technology.

RF power output and duty cycle for the ITRF’s four antenna ports are programmable, allowing operation to be configured to meet regulatory requirements governing the consumption of RF bandwidth and meeting specific user requirements, such as coexistence with an installed wireless LAN.

‘This new reader incorporates all of the user requirements we learned about from our first-generation fixed network reader, 2100UAP,’ says Jim Evans, Intermec’s Intellitag business development vp. ‘ITRF expands on the benefits of the 2100UAP with an added fixed reader for portal, dock door and conveyor applications. It is ready to use or ready to integrate, and offers an array of flexible, economical configurations, easy-to-integrate interfaces. And like virtually all Intermec products, it is designed for industrial environments.’

Control Engineering Daily News DeskGary A. Mintchell, senior editorgmintchell@reedbusiness.com