User's Manual

MPR series User’s Manual: Draft version 0.95 11/4/04 page 3
1.3 Introduction
1.3.1 Contents of this Document
This manual describes installation and operation of the WJ Communications MPR5000, MPR6000, and
MPR7000 PC-card-compatible UHF RFID readers. A description of the installation and use of the
demonstration Graphical User Interface is also provided. The Application Programmer’s Interface to the
MPR-series devices is described.
1.3.2 Audience
This manual assumes that the reader is generally familiar with Windows personal computers and, if
applicable, Windows CE or PocketPC handheld devices. An introduction to RFID technology is provided
for readers who are new to the field.
1.3.3 RFID System Quickstart
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) uses electromagnetic waves to exchange information between a tag,
containing (at least) a number uniquely identifying that physical tag and by implication the object to which
it is attached, and a reader. RFID tags are analogous to bar codes, but can contain more information and
are more versatile.
The WJ Communications MPR-series readers are UHF readers, operating at a frequency of roughly 902-
928 MHz. These readers are compatible with EPCglobal Class 0 and EPCglobal Class 1 RFID tags, as
well as class 0+ tags. They are not compatible with HF (13.56 MHz) tags generally used in Smart Cards,
or LF (125/134 KHz) tags generally used in animal identification. MPR-series readers are configured as
PC-card (PCMCIA)-slot-compatible modules, and require a host such as a laptop computer or handheld
computer. With an appropriate host and if necessary an external antenna, an MPR-series reader can be
used to acquire the unique identification number (UID) of one or more compatible tags in its reading range.
When multiple tags are present in the field, collision resolution algorithms are applied to allow effectively
simultaneous reading of all the readable tags.
A more detailed discussion of RFID technology can be found in section 1.5.