How to: Set Up RFID for POS

In this article

To use the RFID as a simulator

Configuring the simulator

To set up a real RFID device

See also

Setting up an RFID device for the LS Central Web POS requires that you have set up the Hardware Station service and that it is running.

To set up an RFID device you must first create the device in the Management Portal, and then finish the setup in Business Central:

  1. Open the Management Portal in a browser. The default path is localhost:8088
  2. In the Devices List, click the Create RFID button, and assign an ID to the device.
  3. By default, the RFID Controller will be created as a Simulator.

To use the RFID as a simulator

  1. In the Management Portal, click Open Import RFID Tags Dialog to import tags for simulation.
  2. Click Enable Reading to start the simulator, which cycles through the imported tags and sends them to the POS.
  3. Click Disable Reading to stop the simulator.
  4. Click Clear Read Tags to clear tags that have been sent (marked as Read).
  5. Click Open Remove RFID Tags Dialog to view and remove specific tags that have been sent (marked as Read).

Configuring the simulator

The simulator is randomized, allowing configuration to simulate real-world scenarios. For example, you can set it to send a maximum of 7 EPCs initially and then a maximum of 4 at an interval. This helps replicate customers adding items into the RFID basket in batches.

The simulator accepts a list of EPCs (RFID tags).

Important:

  • EPCs are GS1 barcodes that include a serial number, not EAN-13 (which are used in demo data).
  • GS1 barcodes can be configured in LS Central, or manually added to the item barcode list for testing.
  • To create EPC values for any barcode + serial number, use the GS1 Encoder/Decoder tool.

Example

Enter EPC values (RFID tags) into the import dialog:

30628B166E3B0540069F6BC7,30628B166E3B9D40069F6BC8,3072129D39357800069F6BC9,30628B166E3C4D40069F6BCA,3075A527A200F600069F6BCB

Note: Barcode values (e.g., EAN-13) are not supported in the import dialog.

In addition to the simulator, Hardware Station supports Nordic ID, Zebra, and OPOS RFID readers. See To set up a real RFID device below for the setup steps for each reader type. Depending on the reader, communication is possible via:

  • Wireless (Wi-Fi)
  • Bluetooth
  • Cable (USB-C)
  • Wired (Ethernet)

To set up a real RFID device

Create the device in the Management Portal as described above, then set the RFID Controller to match your reader and complete the reader-specific setup below.

Nordic ID

  1. Download the required drivers from the Nordic ID Sampo website.
  2. Install the drivers on the machine running the Hardware Station.
  3. Connect the device to the Hardware Station using your preferred connection method (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C, or Ethernet).
  4. Access the Management Portal.
  5. In the Devices List, click the Create RFID button, and assign an ID to the device.
  6. Switch the RFID Controller from Simulator to NordicIDSampo.
  7. Click Load to initialize the connection.
  8. To test the setup:
    1. Drop some RFID tags near the reader.
    2. Click Enable Reading.
    3. If successful, the tags should be read and sent to the POS.

Zebra

Prerequisites: A Zebra RFID reader. Support has been tested with the Zebra FXP20; other Zebra RFID readers may also work, but only the FXP20 has been verified. The Zebra RFID SDK libraries that the reader requires are installed together with the Hardware Station, so no separate SDK installation is needed.

  1. Connect the Zebra reader to the machine running the Hardware Station using USB or Wireless (Wi-Fi).
  2. Access the Management Portal.
  3. In the Devices List, click the Create RFID button, and assign an ID to the device.
  4. Set the RFID Controller to Zebra RFID.
  5. Set the connection method to match how the reader is connected (USB or Wireless).
  6. Click Load to initialize the connection.
  7. To test the setup:
    1. Drop some RFID tags near the reader.
    2. Click Enable Reading.
    3. If successful, the tags should be read and sent to the POS.

Note: The tag import and simulation features (for example, Open Import RFID Tags Dialog) apply only to the Simulator controller and are not available with a physical Zebra reader.

OPOS

Prerequisites: An OPOS-compliant RFID reader. The reader's OPOS Service Object (provided by the reader vendor) and the OPOS RFID Scanner Common Control Object (CCO) must be installed and registered on the machine running the Hardware Station. OPOS is the default RFID controller.

  1. Install the reader's OPOS Service Object and the OPOS RFID Scanner CCO on the machine running the Hardware Station, following the reader vendor's instructions. Note the logical OPOS device name that the Service Object registers.
  2. Connect the reader to the machine.
  3. Access the Management Portal.
  4. In the Devices List, click the Create RFID button, and assign an ID to the device.
  5. Set the RFID Controller to the Logical Device Name of your OPOS RFID device (the name that the OPOS Service Object registers).
  6. Click Load to initialize the connection.
  7. To test the setup:
    1. Drop some RFID tags near the reader.
    2. Click Enable Reading.
    3. If successful, the tags should be read and sent to the POS.

Note: Supported connection methods depend on the reader's OPOS Service Object. The tag import and simulation features apply only to the Simulator controller and are not available with an OPOS reader.

See also

Installing the Hardware Station

Hardware Station Troubleshooting

How to ... in Hardware Station

How to: Configure the Custom Implementation DLL and Type