This article was originally published by RFID Update.
September 24, 2007—Free copy of ODIN technologies’ Benchmark at www.sirit.com
Sirit Inc., a leading provider of radio frequency identification (“RFID”) solutions is offering a free copy of the ODIN European RFID Reader Benchmark™ in which the company’s INfinity 510 worldwide Gen 2 certified reader took top marks over six other leading European readers. Valued at approximately US $1,500, the ODIN Benchmark report is available courtesy of Sirit Inc. Registration for a free copy can be found through Sirit’s web site, www.sirit.com.
Seven readers were tested in the European RFID Reader Benchmark™, including the Alien ALR8800, the Caen A948EU, the Feig ID ISC.LRU2000, the Impinj URP1000-ETSI (also known as the Speedway), the Intermec IF61, the Motorola XR480EU, and the Sirit IN510. The six scientific test categories were power output, occupied channel power, receive sensitivity, interference rejection, tag acquisition speed, and read distance. In addition, ODIN examined some use-case scenarios such as conveyor testing, shrink wrapper testing, adjacent dock door portals with Listen Before Talk, as well as adjacent dock door portals with the proposed ETSI EN 302-208 channel scheme.
Top Performer
Sirit’s INfinity 510 was the overall top performer, placing first in three test categories and second in three others. The IN510 also successfully passed all of the use-case tests. The Benchmark report stated, “The IN510 shines in the area of large population tag reads. The algorithms used are proprietary and give the reader a huge speed advantage.”
Also from the report, “The reader is configurable for both ETSI bands and anticipates the proposed change to ETSI EN 302-208. It has excellent frequency control and allows port-by-port RF power control. The Web interface is user-friendly and allows for fine grain parameter control. The reader startup tool (RST) is very user-friendly and has a wizard to configure the reader for different use-cases.”
“The INfinity 510 continues to dominate the market — ranking first overall in this industry leading test and has set an impressive standard by which other readers are measured,” stated Tony Sabetti, Vice President RF Solutions, Sirit Inc. “Our engineering team continues to push the boundaries of RF design to ensure that the INfinity 510 and our entire RFID product line addresses a wide variety of tomorrow’s business challenges — today.”
Beyond Testing: European Roll-outs
The European market for RFID continues to flourish as more large-scale implementations move from the pilot stage into full roll-outs, led by Airbus, Marks and Spencer, and METRO Group. Proving its superior performance in real world deployments, Sirit’s INfinity 510 was recently selected by METRO, one of the largest retailers in Europe, as part of their plans to expand their RFID implementation to over 100 REAL Hypermarket stores. “The INfinity 510’s reliable performance and ease of installation, combined with Sirit’s outstanding technical and sales support all factored into the decision to award this contract,” commented Dr. Gerd Wolfram, Managing Director of MGI METRO Group Information Technology GmbH. “As we move into the deployment phase of RFID, it becomes increasingly important to select partners that deliver both product and services that allow METRO to meet our business objectives — as we have found with Sirit.”
One World, One Reader
The robust, software-based architecture of the INfinity 510 provides a rich application platform that addresses the needs of today’s deployments and ensures that future features and capabilities can be added through firmware upgrades as RFID technology evolves. The INfinity 510 was designed from the ground up to support worldwide regulatory compliance, providing optimal performance in North America, Europe and Asia- Pacific, including the new China UHF band. This important capability is of great importance for companies with a global presence, allowing the use of one reader throughout their enterprise, anywhere in the world. In addition, the IN510 is currently the only reader on the market to receive EPCglobal Conformance and Interoperability certifications for both FCC and ETSI, and is fully compliant with Dense Reader Modes in both regions.
The INfinity 510 offers a wide portfolio of configuration and enterprise management tools that changes the paradigm of RFID system installation and management. A rich array of diagnostic and statistical reporting tools, user-configurable alarms, and a host of management features based on industry standard protocols are available. The Java-based application framework can be used to extend the reader capability, especially for complex enterprise requirements. Middleware and custom application solutions built for edge devices can also be hosted in the reader.
Reader Performance is a Key
According to ODIN, the purpose of the European Reader Benchmark report is to provide an objective, trusted opinion to help guide purchasing decisions. Reader performance is a key ingredient in a successful RFID implementation. ODIN lists 4 reasons why readers play such an important role:
- Accuracy in data collection is essential — An RFID solution is only as accurate as the data gathered at the network edge. If the reader fails to capture tag data, no amount of middleware, integration elegance or process efficiency can retrieve it.
- The reader is the most complex system component — Success is achieved by balancing hundreds of variables managed by the reader.
- Reader maintenance is expensive — Long-term solution cost will be driven by reader maintenance.
- Deployment decisions are expensive to reverse — A reader implementation is a business decision that affects budgets, processes and systems.
According to ODIN, the European RFID Reader Benchmark should serve as a document to which end users with new and emerging applications requirements can turn to find objective, scientific information about RFID reader technology. As a courtesy to all companies that have implemented or are considering an RFID deployment, Sirit is making the report available for free at www.sirit.com. Request your copy today.