Application Tips

RFID Read Performance

The Tagged Asset and the Surrounding Environment

Radio waves from the reader are reflected by metals and absorbed by liquids, which may hamper or prevent tag reading. If this cannot be worked around by repositioning the tags, then special tags such as ones from Omni-ID and Emerson & Cuming may be needed.

The Environment in Use

The tags are electronic components and can be damaged by static electricity, so precautions may be needed.

Extreme temperatures, humidity and handling should also be taken into account as these can degrade and damage the tags. In harsh environments, paper-based tags should be coated, or harsh-environment / durable tags can be used. Most tag and label manufacturers have spec sheets that state optimal environmental ranges for their products.

Reader Distance and Tag Antenna Size

In general, the larger the tag, the farther away it can be read, although antenna design and technology has improved and a newer but smaller tag may outperform an older but larger one.

Tags that have single-dipole antennas will best read with the reader's polarization parallel to the tag antenna.

Reader

StockCheck uses the system clock to record the time of the scans.

There is a backup battery inside the reader that is used to keep the system clock running, and if it is drained, the clock will need to be set up again when the system is powered up.

(Battery life remaining is reported in the Help menu > About StockCheck, and it is also shown in the Windows Mobile task bar).

Excel File Sizes

The MC3090Z's CPU and memory (520 MHz and 128 MB RAM/1GB Flash) are limited compared to a typical notebook or desktop computer. A file with more than 1000 tags takes several seconds to open, for instance. For speedier performance, we recommend organizing the tags across more files with smaller files sizes.