I am looking for a reader that I can manage from a Web site. To be specific, I want to be able to initiate a scan of inventory from anywhere in the world through the site that stores my database. To accomplish this, I would want the unit to bypass a computer and feed the raw information directly into the router, as opposed to using middleware installed on a server or a computer (the RFID scanner would be connected directly to a router). Do you know of any units that would allow this, or that are built in for this purpose?
—Name withheld
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Most passive RFID readers are designed to be connected to a Local or Wide Area Network, so data can be passed through the network to back-end systems. To answer your specific question about being able to control the reader via a Web site, I reached out to the experts at Impinj, a manufacturer of passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) interrogators and reader chips. Here is their response:
“RFID readers can be accessed remotely if the local network allows for remote access. If security settings don’t allow this, you’d need to use a reader that supports cellular connectivity. The only fixed readers we’re aware of that offer [cellular] functionality are the Impinj Speedway Revolution reader and the CAEN R4300P Ion, which offers an optional modem.”
—Mark Roberti, Editor, RFID Journal