User's Manual

• Active Tags: typically powered by light-weight batteries and have limited life.
• Passive Tags: powered by the reader’s RF field. Passive tags are much lighter, less expensive, and have a
much longer life than active tags.
Antennas
Antennas transmit and receive radio frequency signals under the control of a reader. Antennas do not
perform processing. A read point is the RF range of an antenna.
Readers
Readers are devices that provide a means for communicating with the tags and transferring their data
to a host computer. Readers also provide features such as filtering, parity checks, and tag writing.
The AR400 RFID Reader
The Symbol AR400 is an intelligent, multi-protocol reader that provides real-time, seamless tag
processing for all EPC-compliant tags: Class 0 (Read Only), Class 0 (Read/Write, also known as Class
0+), and Class 1 (Read/Write). Class 0 and Class 1 protocols are run in the Ultra-High Frequency
range
(~900MHz).
Figure 1-2. AR400 Reader, Top and Side Views
The AR400 provides a wide range of features that enable implementation of complete, high-
performance, and intelligent RFID solutions.
Multiple Connection Options
The AR400 provides flexibility for connecting to networks via Ethernet or serial connection. Because
each AR400 is identified by its unique IP address, it is accessible from anywhere on the network. The
AR400 can also be configured to obtain its IP address from a DHCP server, automating the IP address
and default Gateway configurations.