UHF RFID Reader Module, UART, 865–868 MHz (Development Module)

UHF range on a prototype board

A 13.56 MHz module reads a card held to it; a UHF module reads EPC Gen2 tags from a distance that depends on its power and antenna, which is what an inventory shelf, a long-range gate or a vehicle prototype needs. The module takes commands and returns tag EPCs over a UART line, so a microcontroller board or a USB-serial adapter drives it, and open-source libraries exist for the common command sets. It covers the 865–868 MHz band that India keeps licence-exempt for UHF RFID.

Antenna, power and tags

Read range is set by the module's output power, the antenna and the tag, not by the module alone; a module with an on-board ceramic antenna reads close by, while one with an SMA port and a panel antenna such as the 3 dBi mini antenna or the 8 dBi PCB antenna reads further. Test with tags tuned for the India band from our UHF RFID tags and labels; a tag built for the US band loses range here. The read-range calculator shows what power, antenna gain and cable loss do to the range.

The step up

For a finished installation, the IDTS-RM26 reader module adds Ethernet, RS-485, Wiegand and a relay with 0–26 dBm output, and the RM26 evaluation kit bundles it with an antenna, cable and tags; the UHF RFID reader modules category lists the multi-port boards. Modules are quoted from one unit: request a quote.