Can RFID Be Used Without a Computer or Online Connection?

How can I transmit RFID tag data from a reader to a server if the reader is not connected to a computer and no wireless network exists?

—Salam

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Salam,

There are a couple of options you might try. The first is to store tag read data in the reader and then wait until the device is connected to a computer or Wi-Fi network. This is common when using handheld readers in remote locations. You might interrogate 10,000 tags within a warehouse with no Wi-Fi, then bring the handheld back to an office location. Once you place the unit in its cradle, it will typically connect to the Internet and send the collected data to the host system (a good systems integrator can set this up for you). Another option is to use a reader that has its own cellular connection. The device would capture tag data at a pre-defined interval (every hour, every two hours or whatever you choose), and would connect to the cell network and transmit its data to a host system. There are a number of readers on the market that have cell phones, and even one that comes with a battery, so you wouldn’t need power to transmit your data.

—Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal