Under the guidance of EPCglobal Inc. interoperability testing for radio frequency identification (RFID) devices was conducted at MET Laboratories in Baltimore, Md. in August. For two devices to be deemed “interoperable,” they must have passed all mandatory tests appropriate to their device type and class (0 or 1). The published results, says EPCglobal, are meant to provide confidence to end users that these devices have the ability to talk to each other successfully and to perform basic operations.
Among Class 0 readers, the Matrics AR400 and Samsys MP 9320-0 readers were tested and shown to be interoperable with Matrics X1020 and Matrics X2020 tags.
Among Class 1 readers, the Alien ALR-9780 was tested and shown to be interoperable with the Alient Omega Squiggle, ASK001, Rafsec and ST Micro XRA00 tags. The Alien ALR-9640 Class 1 reader was interoperable with the Alient Omega Squiggle and ST Micro XRA00 tags. The Samsys MP 9320-1 reader was interoperable with the Alien Omega Squiggle, ASK 001 and ST Micro XRA00 tags.
Printer/encoders were also tested. The Datamax DMX-I-4210, DMX-A-4212, Printronix SL5000e, Printronix/FOX IV TECH SLPA 7000e, Sato America CL408e, Sato America M-8485Se, zebra R110PAX3 and Zebra R4M Plus were all interoperable with the Alien Omega Squiggle tag.
Matrix X1020 tags were interoperable with Printonix SL5000e, Printronix/FOX IV TECH SLPA 7000e, and Zebra R110 printer/encoders. The Matrics X2020 tag was interoperable with the Zebra R110 printer/encoder.
In other news, RFSAW Inc. released its Model 501 Global Saw Tag RFID system. The surface acoustic wave (SAW) system operates in the global 2.45 GHz band. The company said it will soon begin shipping the RFID system. It claims the SAW technology overcomes problems of reading at longer ranges, reading tagged metal items, and reading items with high liquid content.
GlobeRanger and ESYNC announced a partnership to deploy Global Ranger’s iMotion Edgeware platform at International Paper’s Customer Solutions Center.
Checkpoint Systems Inc. announced several Electronic Product Code/RFID applications for the retail apparel supply chain. The applications include Smart Dock Portal for identifying and receiving products into inventory, an inventory management function for identifying inventory real time in the stockroom using a portable reader, Smart Shelves/Smart Zones to monitor merchandise throughout the store and provide complete inventory visibility, Smart Merchandising for changing rooms which allows shoppers to view accessory items on screen, Smart Point-of-Sale to speed the check-out process, and an anti-theft function.
ADT Security Services Inc. introduced high-speed automatic applicators for RFID labels. The Sensormatic Quadrel T Series applies up to 100 labels per minute.
Savi Technology announced its RFID Value Assessment consulting services package to provide a methodology to analyze, customize and implement RFID solutions.