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Readers

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Miscellaneous/Troubleshooting

Readers

I can't remember the IP address of my M200/Mantis II reader and I want to reconfigure and use it.

Preferred option:

  1. Use the Reader Configuration Utility (RCU), which can be downloaded from our downloads page. Connect the reader using the serial connection (RS 232). In the RCU, choose the “Local” option.
  2. The IP Address of the reader will be displayed.

Second option:

The M200/Mantis II can be connected using a serial connection and HyperTerminal with the following settings:

  • Bits per second - 115200
  • Data Bits - 8
  • Parity - None
  • Stop Bits - 1
  • Flow Control - None
  • In Call->Properties, set “ASCll Setup Receiving” to “Appended”.

Once the HyperTerminal settings have been set, the M200/Mantis ll can be powered up and the current IP address will be displayed, as the device boots up, in Hex.

What are the power requirements for the M200/Mantis II reader?

The reader can operate on 12-28 VDC or 9-20 VAC, ~250mA at 12VDC.

Does the M200/Mantis II Reader support a 100Mbps network?

No, the reader must be connected 10Mbps/Half-Duplex. The M250 supports a 100Mbps network.

What is the default network settings of M200/Mantis II readers?

  • IP address 192.168.1.129
  • Netmask 255.255.255.0
  • Gateway 0.0.0.0

Why does RF Code use 303MHz and 433MHz frequencies?

RF Code first began offering products in the 303MHz range (US & Japan) and later in the 433MHz range (US & Europe). These signal frequencies are limited, low-power, unlicensed ranges in the ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) portion of the UHF band. RF Code began offering 433MHz products because of acceptance of this frequency in Europe. 433MHz is also the frequency which offers optimal performance in crowded environments such as offices, data centers, and hospitals.

How does 303MHz and 433MHz compare to 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz?

Generally, radio signals at lower frequencies travel farther than those at higher frequencies. Lower frequencies also benefit more from the effects of reflection and refraction which makes them more suitable for applications in crowded environments. For example, the 433MHz wavelength is approximately 69 cm vs. 10 cm for 2.4GHz. The larger wavelength of the 433MHz signal allows it to diffract around obstructions that might be found in a typical, crowded operating environment such as an office or warehouse. At frequencies of 2.4GHz and above, the signal is susceptible to obstructions, creating blind spots (areas of no coverage). Higher frequencies also require more power.

What read ranges can I expect from the standard quarter wave antenna that is standard with the M200/Mantis II 433MHz Reader?

The nominal range for the M200/Mantis II Fixed Reader in open air is about 300ft. This value is for ideal conditions and may vary greatly depending on the environment.

How do I protect a reader from the elements?

NEMA 4 (National Electrical Manufacturers’ Association) enclosures can be used effectively to protect against dirt, rain, sleet, snow, windblown dust, splashing water, and hose-directed water; and by the external formation of ice on the enclosure. The rating should be maintained by sealing any holes with the appropriate grommets thus maintaining the original integrity of the enclosure.

How are readers usually mounted?

There are many mounting options for readers. Kits are available that permit the mounting from drop ceilings. Readers mounted outside should be mounted using NEMA enclosures consistent with environmental requirements.

How many connections can be made to a single reader?

For the M200/Mantis II, only one connection per reader is possible using a TCP/IP connection at socket 6500 or a Serial (RS232) connection. For the M250, there are 5 connections available.

Do readers support Power over Ethernet (POE)?

Yes, we have an add-on module which provides POE 802.11a/g for the M200. The M250 has built-in POE support.

Do readers support wireless connections?

Yes, we use the Lantronix Wireless adapter to provide 802.11x connectivity for the M200. The M250 is available with built-in wireless.

I have multiple M220 Readers and each one has a different COM port assignment when plugged in via USB. Is there a way to make all M220 Readers use the same COM port?

Each M220 Reader has a serial number which uniquely identifies it when plugged in via USB. The default behavior for Windows is to remember the serial number for each M220 Reader that has been connected via USB so that each reader can have a specific COM port assignment which will be the same regardless of which USB port the reader is connected to.

In some situations it may be desirable to have the COM port assignment determined by which USB port the M220 Reader is connected to. In this way, whenever a reader is connected to a specific USB port on the PC, it will be assigned the same COM port regardless of which M220 Reader it is. If the reader is moved to a different USB port, it will be assigned a different COM port which is then used for any and all readers when they are connected to that USB port.

In order to make this change you must create a new registry value that will instruct Windows to ignore the serial number on M220 Readers and instead use the USB port identifier to determine the proper COM port assignment.

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

  1. Start Registry Editor. To do this, click “Start”, click “Run”, type regedit in the Open box, and then press ENTER.
  2. Navigate to the following registry subkey:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\UsbFlags
  3. From the “Edit” menu, select “New” and click “Binary Value”
  4. For the name of the value, enter:
    IgnoreHWSerNum1c4007d4
  5. Double-click on the value you just created and this will open the “Edit Binary Value” dialog.
  6. In the “Value data” field, enter 01 and then click “OK”.
  7. Close Registry Editor.

You can now disconnect and reconnect the USB cable(s) on your M220 reader(s). The “Found New Hardware” wizard will only appear the first time an M220 Reader is connected to each USB port. You must repeat the installation wizard for each USB port you wish to use.

How do I configure network settings for M250 for the first time?

Run Reader Configuration Utility on a supported Windows machine, and choose one of the connection methods:

  • Network : The M250 is DHCP enabled out of the box. Reader Configuration Utility running on a PC on the same local network will see the M250.
  • Local: Physically connect the M250 to a Windows machine via USB-A to USB-B cable. Install driver for M250 (if this is the first time an M250 connects to the Windows machine).  Driver ‘RFCUSB.inf’ can be found in the install path of Reader Configuration Utility.

Once the M250 is on the network, the reader web console can be used for advanced configuration. Open a web browser window and type

http://rfcodexxxxxx.domainname.com

where rfcodexxxxxx is the reader name listed on the bottom of the reader and domainname is the domain handed out by the DHCP server.

Tags

Why do your tags beacon at different rates?

Beacon rates are based on a combination of customer requirements and FCC regulations. The FCC requires that tags do not interfere with existing broadcasts. Tags can beacon once every 10 seconds. Tags may beacon at higher rates if the beacon represents an event that does not occur all the time such as a motion event. Motion events may beacon at 1 second rates in 303MHz tags and 2 seconds in 433MHz tags

What is the battery life of a tag?

Battery life is a function of operating temperature, beacon rate and whether the tag has motion or other additional sensor functionality. Generally, batteries have an expected life of 5 or more years and have easily replaceable CRS232 Lithium cells. Sensor tags have an expected battery life of 3+ years. Note that this does not imply a battery warranty. All RF Code products are warranted for 1 year against defects.

Can the tag id and group code be altered once we purchase them?

The tag id and group code are programmed at the time of manufacture and cannot be altered.

How many tags can a reader see at any one time?

This is a function of the beacon rate. More frequent beacons mean that more data has to be decoded by the reader. Generally, a reader reading tags with a 10 second beacon rate can decode approximately 144 tags per second with 95% accuracy. Since tags do not beacon at the same time, a reader can read approximately 2000 tags (10 second beacon rate).

I have attached my reader directly to my laptop. I cannot ping it. What should I do?

Some Ethernet cards will require you to connect to the reader through a hub or switch or by using a cross over cable. Your computer needs to be configured for a fixed IP Address, NOT DHCP, in the 192.168.1.x subnet range if the reader is M200 series in factory default setting.  For M250, DHCP enabled by default, set M250 to use a fixed IP address first.

What is the behavior of the tamper tag?

The tag is shipped in sleep mode (no beaconing). When the tag is attached to an asset and the tamper switch is depressed for more than 10 seconds, the tag will wake up and the tamper switch becomes “armed”. The tag behaves as a 10-second beacon tag (payload P760).

If the tag is removed from the asset, the tamper switch is released (disengaged) and the tag emits a Tamper Alert: P770 eight times at ~0.5 second intervals. Then the tag continues to emit the P770 tamper payload at a 2-second interval. The tag can be physically reset after 1 hour by depressing the tamper switch for more than 10 seconds.

How do I get readings from the Temperature or Humidity Tag?

The only situation where users need to calculate temperature/humidity values for Temperature or Humidity Tags is when they are getting tag events directly from readers. RF Code software such as Zone Manager v1.2, MobileTrak Lite v4.3, and MobileTrak v4.1 or later has the logic to process temperature/humdiity readings so users do not need to go through this exercise.

Note: How to interpret payloads for Temperature or Humidity Tags is well-documented in the Reader API document (in Treatment Code 04D and 04F section). There are two comprehensive examples in the document. The Reader API document can be obtained from http://www.rfcode.com/devres/

Here are two more examples for calculating temperature/humidity values for Temperature or Humidity tags:

Given that a temperature tag beacons every 10 seconds and a reader gets two beacons as illustrated below (as the API doc states, two consecutive tag messages completes one temperature report).

  • H,00000033,g0,P427,A76,B87 (1st beacon)
  • H,00000033,g0,P200,A75,B86 (2nd beacon)

Interpret 1st beacon:

427 oct = 117 hex (which is 100 hex (the highest bit = 1 indicates it is the 1st beacon) + 17 hex (which is the first part of temp value))

Interpret 2nd beacon:

200 oct = 80 hex (8 is the 2nd part of temp value and 0 -> no flag)

Assemble two beacons = 1780 (17 is from the 1st payload and 80 is from the 2nd payload)

So the temperature value is 178 hex (0 is the flag, not temp value) = 376 decimal.  Finally, apply “formula”: 376 dec multiplied by .0625 = 23.5 deg C = 74.3 deg F

Example for calculating temperature and humidity values for Humidity tags:

Given 3 consecutive beacons from a Humidity tag below

  • H,00000034,g0,P031,A76,B87 (1st beacon)
  • H,00000034,g0,P331,A75,B86 (2nd beacon)
  • H,00000034,g0,P554,A76,B87 (3rd beacon)
  • Payload 1 = 031 (octal)  = 000 011 001 (binary)
  • Payload 2 = 331 (octal)  = 011 011 001
  • Payload 3 = 554 (octal)  = 101 101 100

Put payload 1, 2, and 3 in binary together for assembling data:

000 011 001 011 011 001 101 101 100

The bits in red (00, 01, and 10) indicate Payload 1, 2, and 3 accordingly.

Computing H data and T data:

  • The bits in green in payload 1 (bit 6 to bit 0) and payload 2 (bit 6) represent humidity data (the notion H data in API doc).

    Assemble H data:  00110011

    Convert 00110011 from binary to decimal => 51 (dec)
  • The bits in blue in payload 2 (bit 5 to bit 0) and payload 3 (bit 6 to bit 1) represent temperature data (the notion T data in API doc).

    Assemble T data: 011001110110

    Convert 011001110110 from binary to decimal =>  1654 (dec)

Compute temperature and humidity data using H data and T data above:

  • Calculate Temperature (humidity is computed using temperature so temperature should be produced first)

    T°C = -39.4 + 0.04 x Tdata   = -39.4+0.04*1654 = 26.76 (degree Celsius)
  • Calculate Humidity

    RH% = -2.0468 + 0.5872 x Hdata - 4.0845E-4 x Hdata ^ 2 + (T°C – 25) x (0.01 + 0.00128 x Hdata) = 26.9 (RH%)

Will IR tags used with the Rack Locator (A740) work with the Room Locator (A750)?

Yes.  Any Series 2 tags work with both the Rack Locator and the Room Locator.

Miscellaneous

How large of a room will an A750 Room Locator cover?

The Locator will generally cover a room up to 900 sq. ft. The tag should be within 35 feet of the Room Locator.

Can I use two Room Locators with the same room code to cover a large or odd-shaped room/hallway?

Yes. The A750 Room Locators can operate in the same room or area as long as they are set up to work in Team Mode. When configured in team mode the room locators will communicate with each other to ensure that they broadcast their IR signals at different time intervals avoiding any cross interference of the IR signals. Please refer to the A750 user manual for complete Team Mode details.