Alien F800 4-Port RFID Reader: Unboxing, Setting Up, & Installing via Power Supply and Console Cable
Introduction
[Audio Transcription Below]
Hi, my name is Russell Hilyer, from atlasRFIDstore.com, and today we are going to walk through all the steps that are involved in unboxing and setting up the Alien F800 UHF RFID Reader, using a Power Supply and Console Cable. Then we will install the Alien Gateway Software and Connect to our Reader.
There are two ways to power the Alien F800 - either by Power over Ethernet (PoE) or by a Power Supply and Console Cable. This two video series is for connecting via Power Supply and Console Cable. To check out the video on connecting via PoE, click here.
Unboxing & Setting Up
First, we are going to set up all the hardware pieces that you will need, then, in the next video, we are going to download the Alien Gateway program and set up our PC or laptop to connect to the reader.
In order to read and write tags with the Alien F800 reader, you will need the following items:
- Alien F800 4-Port UHF RFID Reader
- Power Supply
- UHF RFID Antenna (MTI MT-242043)
- RP-TNC Male to RP-TNC Male Cable
- Console Cable - USB Console Port to USB Port
- Sample Pack of UHF RFID Tags
First, connect your reader to the UHF RFID Antenna by using the RP-TNC Male to RP-TNC Male Antenna cable.
It is important that your antenna cable has the correct connectors for the reader and the antenna that you are using. This MTI MT-242043 Antenna has an RP-TNC Female connector. Learn more about connectors here.
Connect one end of the RP-TNC Male cable to the reader and then connect the other end to the antenna.
Next, you will want to connect the F800 Reader to your computer using the Console cable. Connect one end of the Console cable into the “USB Console” port on the reader, and then connect the other end into an available USB Port on your PC.
Next, you’ll want to connect the power supply to the F800 Reader. Connect one end of the Power Supply into the Reader’s “Power” port, and then connect the other end into a standard electrical outlet. The Power Supply should light up, as well as the Power light on the front of the reader.
Installing the Alien Gateway and Connecting To Your Reader
Once you have all the hardware components set up, you will need to prepare your computer to connect to your reader. In this video, we will be connecting our reader to our PC using a Console Cable.
First, we are going to download and install Alien Gateway, which is a software program that runs on Alien readers for testing and demonstration purposes.
For your convenience, the Alien Gateway software has been uploaded to the atlasRFIDstore cloud, and the link is in the video description below.
Click on this link to download the Alien Gateway software.
On the atlasRFIDstore cloud, there are three files in the folder –
- The Alien Gateway Software Program - which we will install.
- A text file describing the newest updates to the software and any instructions necessary.
- And, the full folder as a zip file.
Instead of choosing one, click “Download” in the top right corner and select, “Direct Download”, and the download process will start automatically. A window will pop up when it is complete.
Navigate to your “Downloads” folder to locate the file you just downloaded.
Next, right click on the software and choose “7-zip”, “Extract Files”, and then extract them to your preferred folder. If your computer prompts you, check the box “Show extracted file when complete”, and click “Extract”. When it is complete, a new window should pop up. Double click on the software to get started.
The Setup window should pop up, prompting you to finish the Alien Gateway Setup. Click “Next”, then Accept the License Agreement, and click “Next”.
Install the files to the folder of your choice and click “Next”. The setup wizard will then ask you where you would like to place the program’s shortcut on the Start Menu – choose the placement and click “Next”. The setup box will ask if you would like to create an additional desktop icon – check or uncheck the box, depending on your preference, and click “Next”.
Then click, “Install”, to finish up the installation.
Check the box, “Launch Alien RFID Gateway”, and click, “Finish”.
(Some computers might have an error message that appears stating that the program couldn’t be found in the directory. If this occurs, click “OK”, and then launch the application from your Start Menu or Desktop Icon.)
In order to find the reader via the Alien Gateway software – first you will need to locate your reader on your computer.
Open, “Device Manager”, and look for “Ports”. Under “Ports”, at least one port should populate that indicates “USB Serial Port”. Next to that, the word “COM” and a number should be listed.
Navigate back to Alien Gateway and click “File”, “Preferences”, “Discovery”, and check the box, “Enable Serial Discovery” on the right side of the screen, and then click “Scan only these ports”.
In the box below, type the “COM” information, found in your Device Manager, and make sure it is exact because the program is case sensitive. In this case, we will type in, “COM3”. Once the information is entered, press “enter”, and then, “Close”, to close the window.
Your reader should now appear on the right side of the screen under “Readers”. Your reader is now ready to use.
Conclusion
That concludes the first two steps on Unboxing and Setting Up our Alien F800 and Installing the Alien Gateway and Connecting to Your Alien F800 Reader via Power Supply. Be sure to watch the next video in the series, “ Navigating the Alien Gateway Software”.
Thanks for taking the time to walk through these steps with us. For more information on all things RFID, check out our blog, our RFID resources page, and subscribe to our YouTube channel. And as always, if you have any questions at all, please send us an email or give us a call.
To learn more about RFID readers, check out the links below!