RFID Reader with External Antenna

Objective

Test that the RFID Reader can read when there is an RFID tag nearby with an external antenna.

Proof of Concept

Connect the RFID Reader to the Arduino Uno. Using a UFL to SMA cable, connect an external antenna to the SMA side and the UFL to the RFID Reader. Once the Arduino Uno and RFID Reader are powered, test to see if a tag can be read using the external antenna. Once a tag can be read, test to see how far the tag can be read from.

Pass criteria: Tag detected
Fail criteria: No tag detected

Methods

Need to ensure that an external antenna connected to the RFID Reader can detect an RFID tag. Connect the Arduino Uno to a computer and load the Reader code. Once the code is loaded onto the Arduino Uno connect the Arduino Uno to the RFID Reader and connect the Arduino Uno to the Raspberry Pi using a USB port. Connect the external antenna to the RFID Reader by using a SMA to UFL cable and connecting the UFL side on the Reader and connect the SMA side to the external antenna. Power both the RFID Reader and the Raspberry Pi and then run the Reader code on the Raspberry Pi. The Reader will then start to scan for tags. When a tag is detected a message will show up on the Raspberry pi notifying the user that a tag was found.

Results

We scanned for RFID tags to see if the RFID Reader would detect if a tag was near the external antenna. After observing our results, we found out that the Arduino Uno and RFID Reader were able to detect an RFID tag up to 14 inches away.

External Antenna Reading RFID Tag

RFID Tag being read from 14 inches away from external antenna