Motorola has consolidated RFID functions on its new XR450 platform, which the vendor claims will serve the twin aims of reducing complexity and containing costs.
Motorola's industrial-class XR450 has both bi- and mono-static antenna ports, which makes it suitable "for both item-level tracking and more demanding supply chain applications," the vendor said Thursday, in a statement.
Customers can either deploy four bi-static ports that require dual antennas, or four mono-static ports and one antenna for transmitting or receiving tag data. Mono-static ports are better suited for real-time item-level tracking or application processing and management, such as in postal tracking or reading pallets of goods at retail stores. Bi-static ports are more frequently deployed in more challenging environments, where RF transmission or reception is hampered by local conditions. Having both kinds of ports on the same RFID reader gives customers more flexibility, Motorola said.
"With a mono-static RFID reader option, the total cost of ownership for enterprise RFID applications for our customers has drastically decreased, opening the market to a new class of end-users," said Michael Lowry, president of Lowry Computer Products, in a statement.
The XR450 RFID reader is certified for operation on both Microsoft Biz Talk Server 2006 R2 and IBM Premises WebSphere 6.0 and 6.1. It also supports Microsoft .Net Compact Framework 2.0 for hosting customer applications directly on the reader, Motorola said.
The XR450 also includes new management software and enhanced security features like SSH and SSL support to protect information borne across the airwaves. Custom applications can also be built and hosted on the device. The platform is also now certified and supported in China and South Korea, adding to the product line's footprint in Europe, North and South America, and Asia.
The XR450 fixed RFID reader will be available in July; it's priced at $2,195.
