Integrated Project – EC FP7 215417

1. AspireRfid Solution Deployment Best Practices (beyond RFID Software and Middleware) ASPIRE Consortium Advanced Sensors and lightweight Programmable middleware for Innovative Rfid Enterprise applications: ASPIRE Integrated Project – EC FP7 215417

2. AspireRFID Best Practices are applied in the scope of typical RFID Deployment Steps • Site Survey and Assessment • Ensure Best Tag Design and Placement: • Tag Selection Process • Tag Placement Process • Testing the RFID elements: • Readers, RF Components,… • Emphasize reader testing, selection and installation • Start working with Middleware and Software: • AspireRFID middleware modules and tools Integrated Project – EC FP7 215417

3. AspireRFID Deployment Best Practices • Middleware and Software are among the key elements of any non-trivial RFID Solution deployment • AspireRFID provides RFID middleware and tooling solutions • Successful Deployment depends however in other (non-software related) technical issues and factors as well • Deployers must be able to successfully deal with them • Confronting such issues requires: • Experience • Testing (Trial and Error) • A continuous improvement discipline Integrated Project – EC FP7 215417

4. Best Practice Areas (Beyond RFID Middleware / Software) • TagSelection • AntennaPositioning • Cable Selection • Reader Configuration • Printer Location • RF Interference • MultiPath Fading • Integration with Legacy Applications Integrated Project – EC FP7 215417

5. Tag Selection Considerations (1) • Three important considerations • Tag Materials • Impedance Matching • Position of Tags on Items or Containers • Materials: • Coperoffers a higher conductivity than aluminium • Tags built fromcoper have a longer reading range Integrated Project – EC FP7 215417

6. Tag Selection Considerations (2) • Impendance matching between the chip and theantenna: • Usually chips and antennas manufactured from the same vendorare better matched • Better overall quality • Positions of tags on items or containers: • Assure that the attached tags are aligned with the near byantennas • Yields better electromagnetic reflections and thusmore accurate readings Integrated Project – EC FP7 215417

7. Antenna Positioning Considerations • Angle of the Antenna while mounting • The angle should be chosen insuch a way that tags remain as much time as possible in the antenna fieldof view • Field of view of antennas connected to different readers: • Dhould haveno intersection • Antenna beams: • Should be known so as to create intense, wellcontainedread zones • Little spillover beyond exterior faces Integrated Project – EC FP7 215417

8. Cable Selection • Cables should have: • Minimum attenuation • Short length • No breakings Integrated Project – EC FP7 215417

9. Reader Configuration • Readers should be configured as follows: • Inventory should start and stop with the use of general purpose inputs andoutputs, as this type of operation is well suited in industrial environments • Antenna inventory should not be stopped if the antenna field is not stable,i.e., new tags are being read. • The highest transmit power is not always beneficial. • Lowering the transmitpower can sometimes yield better performance • RF interference from other devices can be avoided Integrated Project – EC FP7 215417

10. Printer Location • Printer should be placed away from dock doors • Impossible fortags generated by RFID printers to be immediately read by readers in dock doors • The performance of readers degrades • Thoseparticular tags, depending on the middleware configuration, may not participate inany other process Integrated Project – EC FP7 215417

11. RF Interference The interference from surrounding devices should be measured by elecromagneticfield meters, in order to identify interference problems This should typically occur during the site survey Integrated Project – EC FP7 215417

12. Multipath Fading • Reflective surfaces in the surrounding environment should be recognized beforeantenna installation. • Electromagnetic waves from antennas should not propagatetowards reflective surfaces • This could result into stray tags Integrated Project – EC FP7 215417

13. Enterprise Applications Integration • Available interfaces in Enterprise Applications and Corporate Databases should be studied prior to integration, e.g.,: • XML interfaces • Web Services • Database Connectivity / Sychrnonization • Latency and Synchronization issues should be studied: • On a per use case basis • The applicability and use of the AspireRFID connector interface should be studied Integrated Project – EC FP7 215417

14. AspireRFID Best Practices are applied in the scope of typical RFID Deployment Steps • Site Survey and Assessment • Ensure Best Tag Design and Placement: • Tag Selection Process • Tag Placement Process • Testing the RFID elements: • Readers, RF Components,… • Emphasize reader testing, selection and installation • Start working with Middleware and Software: • AspireRFID middleware modules and tools • Enterprise Apps Integration will be addressed as part of middleware integration Integrated Project – EC FP7 215417