Impinj Introduces Indy R500 Reader Chip, Bringing Industry-Leading Technology to Low-Cost and Embed

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New reader chip employs existing Indy architecture, significantly reducing customers’ product development times

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This is an unedited press release from a technology vendor.

Seattle, Washington, July 29, 2010 – Leading UHF Gen 2 radio frequency identification (RFID) technology provider Impinj, Inc. today introduced the Indy® R500 reader chip, developed specifically to address the emerging market for low-cost hand-held, desktop and embedded RFID readers. Based on the industry-standard Indy architecture, the R500 enables UHF Gen 2 readers with the lowest development times and per unit cost on the market while ensuring the highest standards of quality, reliability and performance inherent in Impinj’s Indy products.

Sharing a common architecture with all members of the Indy reader chip product line, the R500 is drop-in compatible with the high performance Indy R2000. The common architecture employed across the Indy product line significantly benefits RFID hardware vendors because design effort can be reused across multiple development projects addressing different market segments. Designed to meet regulatory requirements in over 100 countries, the Indy R500 also accelerates time-to-market by simplifying attainment of government certifications worldwide.

Impinj’s Indy family of reader chips offers developers advanced radio architecture unmatched in the UHF marketplace. Key features include:


• An integrated, high-performance VCO that leads the industry with the lowest phase noise, which eases regulatory compliance, improves sensitivity and reduces reader-to-reader interference


• A coherent IQ demodulator that supports innovative applications like stray read reduction that require a highly stable received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and phase information


• Advanced, active, carrier cancellation that provides unmatched receive sensitivity despite reflections and varying antenna quality

“In 2010 we’re seeing a surge in the use of UHF RFID technology and rapid growth in the variety of RFID enabled devices,” said Kerry Krause, vice president of marketing for Impinj. “In addition to dedicated RFID readers, users have begun embedding RFID capability in a variety of traditionally non-RFID-enabled devices to enhance functionality. The Indy R500 enables many of these products by providing a solution for lower price-performance applications without sacrificing quality, compatibility or regulatory compliance. With the addition of the R500, there is an Indy reader chip for any need.”

Impinj’s family of Indy reader chips and development tools allow customers to efficiently develop RFID reader products for a multitude of applications, including retail, manufacturing, asset tracking and access control. With the addition of the Indy R500, Impinj offers the most complete portfolio of reader chip products, spanning a range of performance and price-points to address the expanding demands of the fast-growing UHF RFID market.

The R500 Indy Development Platform (IDP) will be available from distributors for a suggested price of $1500 on August 16. The IDP, which includes a development board, reader module, reference design, software and documentation, will enable reader developers to begin development immediately. Sample R500 chips will be available in Q4 in 64-pin, 9x9mm QFN packages.

About Impinj, Inc.


Impinj, Inc. is the world’s leading innovator in developing UHF Gen 2 RFID solutions for both item-level and supply-chain tagging. Impinj draws on its technical expertise and industry partnerships to deliver a wide range of products and solutions, comprising high-performance tag chips, readers, reader chips, software, antennas and systems integration. Impinj’s products provide unprecedented performance, integration and cost effectiveness to a global customer base across numerous vertical markets with applications including inventory management, asset tracking, authentication and serialization. For more information, visit www.impinj.com.

Impinj and Indy are registered trademarks of Impinj, Inc.