Jan/Feb 2005

As RFID edges into the transport and logistics mainstream, manufacturers are jostling to be first in the market with compatible equipment.

One contender claiming a significant lead is Intermec, which has developed what it claims is the industry's first working EPC UHF Generation 2 RFID reader. That's to say, the device is said to be the industry's first intelligent reader certified under current regulations by both the FCC and ETSI, and designed for use by customers around the world.

Intermec has demonstrated the system to EPCglobal, the lead organisation behind the drive for RFID standards. It is based on the company's existing IF5 Intellitag RFID reader, upgraded to the new UHF standard.

The existing IF5 Intellitag RFID reader is already deployed by the world's fourth-largest retailer, METRO Group. The German-based company is described as the first retailer in the world to bring RFID out of trial mode and into commercial deployment.

 

The device was designed to be IF5 firmware-upgradeable to UHF Generation 2. It is multi-protocol capable, and is the first RFID intelligent reader based on a Linux platform. Intelligent readers perform on-board decision-making - eliminating the need for a separate "edge" server connected to an RFID reader, and allowing it to filter incoming RFID tag data.