DevCon 2025: Connect | Learn | Build

Explore Advanced Windows Development for RFID Readers and POS Integration

Presented by Suresh Ramamoorthy, Senior Manager, Software Engineering, Advanced Location Technologies

Agenda

1. SDK/Tools

   • Architecture
   • Windows
   • RFID.NET SDK
   • 123RFID Desktop
   • JPOS
   • RFID Scanner Driver - Demo App

2. New Products

   • FXP20 POS Reader
   • RFID Accessory for ET6xW

3. Technical Resources

4. Best Practices

RFID System: Physical View

Identify and track objects wirelessly. Operates at a frequency of 860-930 MHz (Ultra High Frequency). Read range up to 20 meters.

Host system: Manages and controls the reader for reading tags or programming tags. Can be a Computer, Server, or Cloud-based platform.

Reader: Transmits radio frequency to activate the tag for receiving, decoding/encoding the tag.

Antenna: Transmits radio frequency to the tag and receives data from the tag. Polarization can be Linear (predictable placement) or Circular (unpredictable placement).

Tag: Attached to the asset/item being tracked. Contains Microchip and antenna. Passive tags rely on reader energy and have a reading range up to 20m. Active tags have an internal power source for longer distances (up to 100m reading range).

RFID Standards (GS1): EPC UHF Gen2 Air interface Protocol. Provides physical and logical requirements for an RFID System. See GS1 UHF Air Interface Protocol.

RFID Tag: Logical View

Memory Bank: USER (optional), TID, EPC, RESERVED.

Target: Inventoried Flag (SO, S1, S2, S3).

Default Persistence: Indefinite, 500ms to 5s.

Not Energized: None, 500ms to 5s, 2s.

Reserved: Kill (1st and 2nd word), Access passwords (3rd and 4th word).

EPC: Identifies the asset/item.

TID: Tag manufacturer specific information (Tag Model, serial number). Permanently locked during tag manufacturing.

USER: Allows user-specific data storage.

Tag States: Sessions support four sessions (S0, S1, S2, S3). Tags participate in one session during inventory. Inventoried flag can be A or B. Select Flag (SL) can be asserted or deasserted.

Manage Tag Population: C1G2 Standard

Select (Pre-filter):

Selects the tag population. Target indicates whether Tag's SL or inventoried flag. Action indicates whether matching tags modify SL (Assert SL or Deassert SL) or inventoried flag (A or B). Memory Bank (EPC, TID or User Memory). Start Location, Length, Mask (bit string that tag compares).

Inventory (Singulation):

Determines which tags to be participated. Sel: which tags to respond based on SL flag (0: ALL, 1: ALL, 2: ~SL, 3: SL). Session: choose the session for the inventory round (0: S0, 1: S1, 2: S2, 3: S3). Target (inventoried flag) (0: A, 1: B). Q: Tag population in the range of antenna.

Access Commands:

• Read - Reads memory bank.
• Write - Writes memory bank.
• Kill - Permanently disable the tag (Kill password).
• Lock - Access/Kill Password (Prevent read/write), Individual memory banks (prevent write), Permalock lock status password or memory bank.

Select Tags Matching with EPC "3074":

Target: SO, Action: 4. Mem Bank: EPC. Start Location: 32. Length: 16. Mask: "3074".

Inventory (Singulation)

Sel: 0. Session: SO. Target: B. Q: 8.

3C Framework: Advance RFID Integration Quickly

• Connect: Discover available readers, Establish Connection.
• Configure: Setup Region (Persistent), Customize the reader to meet specific needs (Transient), Setup Event Streaming, Settings for optimal functionality, User preferences.
• Control: To achieve optimal performance, Control, Start/Stop operation, Manage, Software Update, Reboot, Factory Reset, Monitor Health Status.

RFID API: Structure

Generic Reader

• Reading Tags (Inventory)
• Programming Tags (Tag Access)
• Read, Write, Lock, Kill

Reader Management

• Managing Reader
• Region Setting
• Software Update
• Factory Reset
• Reboot
• Configuration

RFID Windows SDK: Architecture

User Application interacts with 123RFID Desktop and RFID Handheld Reader SDK.

The SDK supports various Zebra RFID readers including:

• RFD40 Standard, RFD40 Premium, RFD40 Premium+
• RFD90 30 Short range, RFD90 90 Long Range
• ET60W Wi-Fi, ET65W WAN
• FXP20

Connectivity options include USB-CDC, USB-CDC/Bluetooth, USB-CDC/Bluetooth/Ethernet, and USB/Bluetooth: Serial Ethernet: TCP/IP.

Requires Windows 11 64-bit and above, .NET Framework 4.8, and Visual Studio.

RFID Handheld Reader SDK: Windows

This SDK supports handheld RFID readers (RFD40/90, RFD8500, ET6xW, FXP20).

Tools:

• 123RFID Desktop - GUI based Demo Tool

Prerequisites:

• Host Platform: Microsoft Windows 11 64-bit and above
• Microsoft .NET Framework: 4.8 for Windows
• Visual Studio

Release Package:

• Demo App: Windows.RFID.DemoApp_3.0.33.zip
• Demo Source: Windows.Desktop.DemoApp.Src_v3.0.33.zip
• RFID SDK: Windows.RFID.SDK_3.0.33.zip (Includes Libraries and config files)

RFID .NET SDK: Generic Reader

RFID .NET SDK: Reader Management

Read Tags Demo (C# Example)

This C# code demonstrates how to connect to a reader, configure it, and read tags.

using Symbol.RFID.SDK.Domain.Reader;
using Symbol.RFID.SDK;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System;
using System.Linq;
using System.Threading;

//CONNECT: Discover and connect to the reader
Console.WriteLine("Finding readers....");
var readerInfoList = new List();
var readerManager = RfidSdk.ReaderManagementServicesFactory.Create(ReaderCommunicationMode.USB);
readerInfoList = readerManager.GetReaders (ReaderSearchOptions.AllReaders);
List readerList = new List();
foreach (IRfidReaderInfo readerInfo in readerInfoList.OrderBy(o => o.FriendlyName))
{
    var reader = RfidSdk.RfidReaderFactory.Create(readerInfo);
    Console.WriteLine("Found reader:-"+ reader.FriendlyName);
    readerList.Add(reader);
}

if(readerList!=null && readerList.Count>0)
{
    var fxp20Reader=readerList.FirstOrDefault(ee=>ee.ReaderType==ReaderType.FXP);
    if(fxp20Reader!=null)
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Connecting FXP20 reader-" + fxp20Reader.FriendlyName);
        fxp20Reader.Connect();
        Console.WriteLine("Connected-"+ fxp20Reader. FriendlyName+ "\n");
        // CONFIG: Setup Events
        fxp20Reader.Inventory.AttachTagDataWithTagDataReceivedEvent = false;
        fxp20Reader.Inventory.InventoryStarted += Inventory_InventoryStarted;
        fxp20Reader.Inventory.InventoryStopped += Inventory_InventoryStopped;
        // CONTROL: Read tags for 2s
        Console.WriteLine("Performing Inventory for 2 sec...");
        fxp20Reader. Inventory. Perform();
        Thread.Sleep(2000);
        fxp20Reader.Inventory.Stop();
        var tagDataArr = fxp20Reader. Inventory.GetReadTags (1000);
        foreach (ITagData dataReceived in tagDataArr)
            Console.WriteLine("Tag ID: "+ dataReceived.EPCId);
        // Disconnect reader
        fxp20Reader. Disconnect();
    }
}

// Event Notifications
private static void Inventory_InventoryStarted(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    Console.WriteLine("Event: Inventory started.\n");
}
private static void Inventory_InventoryStopped(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    Console.WriteLine("Event: Inventory stopped.\n");
}
  

123RFID Desktop: Demo

123RFID Desktop is a simple setup and optimization tool for Zebra's passive RFID readers. Supported models include FX7500, FX9600, RE40, ATR7000, RFD40, FXR90, RFD90, ET6xW and FXP20.

What you can do:

1. Read Tags: 3-clicks from launch to reading tags.
2. Optimize Reader: Configuration wizard streamlines setup, 1-click Start/Stop starts and stops inventory. Filter by Reader, EPC, RSSI or Asset Tag list file helps with trend analysis.
3. Write Tags: Perform tag memory access operations including writing to EPC and User Memory bank.
4. Program GPIO accessory: Setup a proof of concept demonstrating solutions using GPIO accessories.
5. Update Firmware: Update firmware on multiple readers (20 max) at once.
6. Built-in Help: Screen-by-screen explanation of capabilities and how-to videos.

JPOS Driver for FXP20

POS Standards Overview:

• What is JPOS? JavaPOS (JPOS) is a free, open-source software framework providing a standard interface for point of sale (POS) devices (including RFID readers). JPOS is based on the International Organization for Standardization transaction card originated messages standard (ISO-8583). More info: www.jpos.org.
• What is UPOS? UPOS (Unified Point of Service) is a standard specification used in retail and point-of-sale (POS) systems that defines a common programming interface for various types of POS devices. UPOS is part of the broader JavaPOS and OPOS standards, which are often used in retail environments to interface with hardware like barcode scanners, receipt printers, cash drawers, and RFID readers. More info: www.omg.org/retail/unified-pos.htm.
• Provides a consistent, platform-independent, and vendor-neutral framework for POS devices.

JPOS/UnifiedPOS: Architecture

The architecture involves a POS Application interacting with a UnifiedPOS Device, which includes UnifiedPOS Control (Javapos-controls.jar) and Unified POS Service (jpos-rfidscanner-svc-3.0.2 (Zebra)). This communicates with the Physical (or logical) Device (FXP20) via USB CDC. JPOS.XML (Logical Name: ZebraRFIDScanners) is used for configuration.

JPOS RFID Scanner: Capabilities

• Reading Tags (Continuous / timer based): Reads TagID and UserData, Reads Partial UserData.
• Writing a Tag: Writes TagID, Writes UserData / Partial UserData.
• Locking a Tag
• Disables (kills) RFID tag

The RFID Scanner can fire events such as DataEvent, OutputCompleteEvent, and ErrorEvent to indicate the status of operations.

JPOS RFID Driver: Windows

• JPOS RFID Driver: Develop applications using the JPOS RFID Scanner Interface for FXP20 RFID POS Reader.
• Demo Tools: JPOS Sample App.
• Prerequisites: Host Platform: Microsoft Windows 11 64-bit and above; Java: Oracle JDK 1.8 or above; IDE: NetBeans IDE 8.2 or above [64-bit].
• Release Package: Includes Service Class library, JPOS dependent libraries, Zebra: jpos-rfidscanner-svc-3.0.2.jar, UPOS: jcl.jar, javapos-controls.jar, JavaCoreLogger.jar, jpos_trace.properties, jpos-rfidscanner-test.jar (sample app), jpos.xml (configuration file), and javapostest.bat (batch file).

RFID Reader: Generic Reader

RFID Reader: Reader Management

Read Tags Demo (Java Example)

This Java code demonstrates how to connect to a reader, configure it, and read tags using JPOS.

import jpos. JposException;
import jpos.RFIDScanner;
import jpos.events.*;

public class JavaPosReadTagsDemo {
    static String logicalName = "ZebraRFIDScanners";
    static RFIDScanner reader = null;
    static private DataListener dataListener;

    public static void main(String[] args) throws JposException {
        reader = new RFIDScanner();
        // 1. CONNECT
        reader.open(logicalName);
        reader.claim(1000);
        // 2. CONFIGURE
        reader.setDeviceEnabled(true);
        reader.addDataListener(dataEventListener);
        // 3. CONTROL
        reader.readTags(RFID_RT_ID, new byte[0], new byte[0], 0, 0, 5000, new byte[0]);

        try {
            Thread.sleep(1000);
        } catch (InterruptedException jposException) {
            jposException.printStackTrace();
        }

        try {
            reader.firstTag();
            for (int index = 0; index < reader.getTagCount() - 1; index++) {
                String tagID = new String(reader.getCurrentTagID());
                System.out.println("Tag ID " + tagID);
                reader.nextTag();
            }
        } catch (JposException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }

        // Dispose Reader
        reader.release();
        reader.close();
    }

    static DataListener dataEventListener = new DataListener() {
        @Override
        public void dataOccurred(DataEvent dataEvent) {
            System.out.println("dataOccurred STATUS : " + dataEvent.getStatus());
        }
    };
}
  

JPOS Sample App: Demo: Run JavaPOSTest.bat

This demonstrates the functionality of the JPOS Sample App by running the JavaPOSTest.bat file.

FXP20 POS Reader

FXP20 Fixed RFID Reader: Specification

• Power: 12VDC, 2A with lockable connector
• Internal worldwide Antenna: 1 dBic - Circular Polarized
• RFID Power: Scalable from -10 to 27 dBm
• External Antenna: 3x SMA connector
• Visual Status Indicators: 3 LED indicator multicolor lights (green, blue, orange)
• Audible Status Indicators: Buzzer adjustable from 0 to 95dB (4 levels)
• Connectivity: 1 x USB Host Type-B Lockable
• GPIO port (input): 1 - 12 volts/50 ma

FXP20 Fixed RFID Reader: External Interfaces

Front View: Includes RFID Reading Area, Power LED, COM LED, RFID LED, Internal buzzer, ABS UL94V0 case.

Side View: Includes DC Power connector, GPI connector, USB connector, Reset Button, Antenna Port 2, Antenna Port 3, Antenna Port 4.

ET6xW Tablet: Specification

• SKU: XBK-ET6X-RFID-X-01 (XN – North America, E-EMEA, A-AU/NZ)
• Installation: Easy to install. Attaches to the back side of the ET6x.
• Hand Strap
• Protocol: EPC Class1 Gen2 UHF RFID protocol
• Frequencies: North America: 902-928 MHz, EU: 865-867 MHz
• Read range: > 1 meter (3 feet)
• Tag Reading Speed: min 10 tags per second
• Antenna: Circular polarized antenna
• Connectivity: Max. USB 5V/750mA
• RF max power: 24 dBm
• Sealing: IP66 sealed
• Operating Temperature: -20 to +60 C
• Drop rating: 4 feet on concrete

Smart Inventory: Profiles

Link Profile table:
0: M=4/240, PIE=2, Tari=25us
1: M=2/320, PIE=2, Tari=18.8us
2: M=4/320, PIE=2, Tari=18.8us

Technical Resources

Resources: SDK/Tools/Documentation

• SDK/Tool: RFID Reader SDK for Windows (.NET) – includes Demo App (Exe, Source), SDK. Link: Zebra RFID SDK for Windows
• RFID Reader Tech Docs: Link: techdocs.zebra.com/dcs/rfid/
• 123RFID Desktop v3.0.0.33 or above: Link: 123RFID Desktop
• JPOS RFID Scanner Driver (Java)
• FXP20 POS RFID Reader Product Info: Link: FXP20 Product Info
• Quick Reference Guide
• Integration Guide
• Contact Zebra for support: Link: Zebra Contact Tech Support

RFID: Best Practices

• JPOS RFID: JPOS does not support Region Settings, write a Tag Access or Kill Password. 123RFID Desktop or .NET SDK can be used to set the region.
• Read Range: Adjust transmit power to avoid reading the tags in nearby RFID reader.
• Events Handling: No Blocking functions in events handler / callback functions. Enqueue the tags and release immediately.
• Reliable Encoding tag: Tags must be closer to the antenna and transmit power can be maximum.
• Optimal Performance: 123RFID Desktop tool can be used to verify and identify the right settings.

SDK/Tool: Upcoming features (FXP20)

• Windows SDK/JPOS: Beeper, External Antenna, GPI.
• JPOS: Region setting. For now, Region must be configured using 123RFID Desktop or Windows RFID SDK.

Questions?

Thank You

©2025 Zebra Technologies Corp. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.