ThingMagic Astra - Manual (Page 37)

Controlling the Reader
Astra User Guide 37
Controlling the Reader
The Reader uses RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology to read and write
data stored on RFID Tag(s).
The Astra Reader provides four levels of access to RFID tag(s):
1. Browser-Based Interface
A web browser controls high-level Reader operations through a Java Applet.
See
Status Page for information about how to access the browser-based
interface.
2. MercuryAPI
High-level APIs (Application Programming Interface) provide fine control over all
aspects of the Reader.
See the MercuryAPI Programmers Guide at http://rfid.thingmagic.com/devkit.
3. RQL
An intermediate form of accessing the tags is available through the RQL
(Reader Query Language) interface.
See the Reader Query Protocol and RQL manual or download it from
ThingMagic at http://rfid.thingmagic.com/devkit.
4. API
Low-level APIs (Application Programming Interface) provide fine control over all
aspects of the Reader.
See the http://rfid.thingmagic.com/devkit.
Using the Browser-Based Interface
The Astra Reader browser-based interface communicates directly with the RFID Reader.
It includes several tools that enable you to monitor Reader performance, change Reader
settings, and upgrade Reader firmware.
You can run the browser-based interface from any PC on the network. Carefully configure
the PC with an IP address and subnet mask compatible with the current operational
settings of the Reader.
The Reader navigation menu provides access to the following pages:
Status Page - Displays the current operational settings.
Query Page - Allows the user to perform Anti-Collision RFID tag searches and to
specify the constraints used in the search.