Using Inventory Mode in ItemTest

Overview:

This article will explain the process of setting up the ItemTest software tool with the Speedway Revolution R420 reader, and using it to read RFID tags.

Downloads:

ItemTest

Octane SDK

R420 Manuals

Connecting to the Reader in ItemTest

In order to use ItemTest with the R420 reader, we must first configure ItemTest to connect to the reader. For detailed instructions on connecting the reader to a PC and performing a complete setup, please see  Setting Up Your Speedway Revolution Reader.

NOTE: ItemTest will not be able to connect to a reader if Speedway Connect has been installed on it. To use ItemTest, Speedway Connect must be uninstalled from the reader. To uninstall Speedway Connect, open it and choose Uninstall in the top right corner. 

Download and install ItemTest using the link in the downloads section of this article. After launching, choose the + icon next to Data Sources. 

Enter either your reader's IP address, which you can obtain from the Network section of the Web UI, or speedwayr-xx-xx-xx, with the x's being the last 6 digits of the unit's MAC address. Ensure that the Data source interface matches that of the web UI, either LLRP or IoT. Choose "Add Data Source."

The reader will now appear to the left under Data Sources, using its nickname if you gave it one, or the IP address if you did not.

Configuring the Reader in ItemTest

Selecting the reader under Data Sources will open its configuration settings.

The image above shows the settings that are configurable for the connected reader.

Inventory (configuration) Tab

  • Antennas: Allows for the specification of the number of antennas to use. You can use any combination of numbers 1-4, or more if you have antenna hubs connected. Be sure to check that the antenna number(s) you're connected to on the reader match what you have written here. Mistaking 1 for 4 and vice versa is a very common mistake.
  • RF Mode: Setting that adjusts how the reader operates. In various modes, the reader will send out waves of RF energy in different ways. Different modes are right for different environments and applications, so experiment to see which works best for yours.
  • Estimated Population: Estimation of the number of tags present in a single read zone
  • Session and Search Modes: Please see the linked article for a brief explanation of EPC Gen2 Sessions and Search Modes - https://support.impinj.com/hc/en-us/articles/202756158-Understanding-EPC-Gen2-Search-Modes-and-Sessions
  • Power (dBm): Allows raising or lowering the read power of the reader, sending more or less RF energy to the antenna(s).
  • Filter: Allows for a read filter to be enabled so that only specific tags respond. If you're not getting any tag reads, or fewer than you expect, check that this has not been enabled by accident.
  • FastID: Functionality that allows for a tag's TID to respond more quickly (originally exclusive to Impinj Monza tags, sometimes works for other tags now)
  • Memory Bank: The RFID tag memory bank to which the filter is applied
  • Bit pointer: The starting bit to which the filter is applied
  • Length: The length of the data being filtered (in bits)

Once all desired changes to the reader's settings have been made, select "Save As New Profile" to save a profile of these settings or select "OK" to apply the settings. Once the settings have been saved as a profile, that profile can then be selected in the Reader Settings page.

Application Settings - Inventory Tab

The Application Settings page shows the available settings that are applicable to the reader in Inventory Mode.

  • List View - These settings will appear in the tag report list if checked
  • Table View - These settings will appear in the tag report table if checked

Inventory Mode

Once all reader configuration is completed, ItemTest is ready to perform an Inventory read. ItemTest's Inventory Mode functionality allows the user to use the specified reader settings to scan the environment for RFID tags and report the tag data selected in Application Settings. In this mode, no location or directional data is reported.

To begin reading, select the "Start" button (triangle in a circle). As each RFID tag is read, its data will appear on the screen.

Each unique tag will have its own tag report, which is color-coded according to how long it has been since the tag was read. If a tag does not respond over a short amount of time, the tag report for that tag will become a gradually darker gray.

Data Columns

  • #: This is the order that the tags first appeared in ItemTest.
  • EPC: These are the EPCs that are currently encoded to the tags.
  • TID: The tag ID is like a serial number for the tag. It's a globally unique string, and cannot be changed.
  • XPC Words: For information about Extended Protocol Words (XPC Words), please see page 50 of this guide.
  • Read Count: How many times the tag has been seen.
  • Last Read From: The reader that most recently read the tag.
  • First Seen: The timestamp from the first time the tag was read.
  • Last Seen: The timestamp from the most recent time the tag was read.
  • Time Since Last Seen: How many seconds it has been since the tag was most recently read.
  • Tag Model Information: The class, manufacturer, and model of the tag.
  • Last RSSI: The RSSI from the most recent read of the tag.
  • RSSI Avg: The average of the RSSI from all the reads of the tag during this inventory session.
  • RSSI Max: The highest RSSI recorded for the tag during this inventory session.
  • RSSI Min: The lowest RSSI recorded for the tag during this inventory session.
  • Antenna - Which antenna read the tag for its most recent report.