UHF Gen 2 Desktop RFID Readers Compared - Sirit ID3100, Sense 1882, and Alien ALR-9650

 

Fronts - Sirit ID3100, Sense 1882, Alien ALR-9650 desktop RFID readers

 

 

Backs - Sirit ID3100, Sense 1882, Alien ALR-9650 desktop RFID readers

 

Feature comparison:

  Sirit ID3100 Sense 1882 Alien ALR-9650
Antenna Linear Circular / Linear Circular
Interfaces USB Serial RS-232 and RS-485 Network, Serial
API .NET C++ .NET
Power Output 12-21 dBm with USB,
24 dBm with external power
15-30 dBm  

 

Sirit ID3100

 

The ID3100 is a small, short range reader that has the option of being powered by the USB connection alone. The reader has a linear antenna, so care should be taken with tag choice. We tried some Alien Higgs 3 tags and they read fine. (The external power supply doesn't come standard and we didn't use the reader in that configuration).

 

 

Sense 1882

 

This unit comes with DB9 serial and DB15 RS-485 connectors. Sense says a serial to USB adaptor can be used. (We bought a TRENDnet converter from Amazon only to find that the nuts on the serial end of the TRENDnet weren't removable. The Cables Unlimited converter looks OK, but we ended using a serial-serial connection instead). A universal 5V power supply comes standard.

 

The reader wasn't sensitive to tag orientation and tags could be read reliably to about 10cm. Beam width was quite narrow which is good for not picking up stray tags in the vicinity, and tags placed next to the reader weren't read. We wrote a C# interop layer for the C++ API, and it was a nice reader to use and to program. It can likely do well for tag provisioning and as an access control reader as well.

 

 

Alien ALR-9650

 

The Alien is far the most powerful of the three readers. While Alien markets this as a desktop reader, it can probably serve well as a small doorway/portal reader especially when used with an extra antenna (ALR-9611). Beam width was wide and tags from several feet away could be read. The power setting can be adjusted down for desktop use. The .NET API was well documented and easy to use.