Intermec Gives Customers Top Versatility and Investment Protection with New IP30 Handheld RFID Reader for Mobile Computers

Logistics Insight Asia - Top Story, 31/1/2008

Intermec has launched the IP30 add-on RFID reader, a cost-effective, compact, globally certified solution for adding mobile RFID read/write capability to the latest generation of Intermec mobile computers including the CN3, CN3e, CK61, and upcoming CK61ex.

The Intermec IP30 is said to provide what’s considered the most versatile handheld RFID system available today. The snap-on design gives users top flexibility. Through a combination of advanced data collection methods, GPS location association and communication via multiple radios, the IP30 delivers mobile RFID read-write capability both within buildings and outside them.

IP30 can be purchased with, or added to, an existing installed base of CN3 Series or CK61 mobile computers, allowing customers to add RFID capability, or increase the scale of existing RFID installations, when they are ready.

"Flexibility, form, and function are key features of the new IP30," said Michael Liard, RFID and Contactless Research Director at ABI Research. "Given the level of user activity around RFID today, interest in handheld readers is at its highest peak and continues to climb. With more users evaluating the technology, new requirements are emerging that must be addressed, particularly when it comes to the mobile workforce and the co-existence of bar codes and RFID."

A Series of “Firsts” for Investment Protection

The IP30 is said to post two RFID industry firsts. It becomes the first handheld RFID system with integrated GPS and WWAN when combined with the Intermec CN3 mobile computer. In addition, when the IP30 is combined with the Intermec CK61ex, it becomes the first handheld RFID system with an integrated near/far bar code imager enabling users to scan both 1D and 2D barcodes from a variety of distances up to 50 feet, conveniently complementing RFID data collection. Both firsts assure investment protection for customers as they build the supply chain of tomorrow.

"Increasingly, RFID and bar code labeling are moving away from simple "either-or" co-existence toward complementary solutions that marry identification at the item, case and pallet levels," said Director of RFID and Data Capture Marketing for Intermec, Chris Kelley. "The IP30 and CK61ex deliver the needed flexibility to not only read RFID, but also 1D and 2D bar codes from any angle, near or far, within the same application."

Intermec www.intermec.com