News | October 2, 2007

RFID Reader: Impinj Revs Up Speedway Reader With Octane 3.0 Firmware For Enterprise-Ready RFID Solutions

Source: Impinj, Inc.
Impinj, Inc.

Leading UHF Gen 2 radio frequency identification (RFID), technology supplier Impinj, Inc. recently introduced Octane 3.0, a firmware upgrade to the company's Speedway UHF Gen 2 readers that supports LLRP (low-level reader protocol), improves performance and expands software vendor support.

The Speedway reader's Octane 3.0 firmware features include:

  • Support for LLRP, the EPCglobal standard interface to common reader functionality, including reader configuration, tag inventory, and tag access operations that encompass the full functionality of the EPCglobal UHF Gen 2 Air Interface Protocol specification
  • Ability to sense tag direction through a read portal using standard UHF Gen 2 tags
  • Ability to sense reader environment and automatically adjust settings to optimize performance
  • Enterprise-class management and monitoring with EPCglobal Reader Management 1.0.1 (SNMP)
  • Seamless LLRP integration with leading software companies, RFID network infrastructure and total solution providers such as GlobeRanger, IBM, KeyTone Technologies, Microsoft, OATSystems, Omnitrol Networks, and Reva Systems

    Successfully deployed in large retail and distribution environments worldwide, the Speedway reader provides a single RFID platform for applications at the pallet, case, and item level, and delivers best-in-class read reliability and throughput. Recently announced deployments include:

    • Item- and case-level garment tagging at METRO Group's Galeria Kaufhof department store in Germany
    • Item-level book tagging at Boekhandels Groep Nederland (BGN) in the Netherlands
    • Pallet-level tagging at Rolec, a distributor of primary school educational materials in the Netherlands
    • Item- and case-level pharmaceutical tagging at Purdue Pharma in the United States

    "The Octane 3.0 firmware addition to the Speedway reader exemplifies Impinj's leadership role in enabling a standards-based approach to RFID deployments and our continued commitment to performance improvements," said Dimitri Desmons, vice president of RFID marketing at Impinj. "The success of RFID depends on the ability to deliver reliable data. By providing context to that data (for example, with tag direction information), we are expanding the set of challenging business problems that the Speedway reader is able to address."

    The Speedway reader carries both EPCglobal's Gen 2 Conformance and Interoperability Certification Marks, which ensure predictable tag and reader operation in any deployment.

    The Speedway reader with Octane 3.0 firmware will be broadly available in late 2007 from Impinj's network of qualified distributors, value-added resellers (VARs), and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) who license Impinj's Speedway reader for use under the "Powered by Impinj" label.

    About Impinj, Inc.
    Impinj, Inc. is the world's leading innovator of UHF Gen 2 RFID solutions for both item-level and supply-chain tagging. Impinj draws on its technical expertise and industry partnerships to deliver a wide range of products and solutions, comprising high-performance tag chips, readers, reader chips, software, antennas and RFID subsystem integration. Impinj's products provide robust performance, integration and cost effectiveness to a global customer base across numerous vertical markets with applications including inventory management, asset tracking, authentication and serialization. For more information on Impinj, visit www.impinj.com.

    SOURCE: Impinj, Inc.