Zebra FX7500 UHF RFID Reader | Unboxing, Setting Up, & Reading UHF RFID Tags

Introduction

Welcome to this video that will walk you through unboxing, setting up, and reading UHF RFID tags with Zebra’s FX7500 UHF RFID Fixed Reader. To watch our introduction video for the Zebra FX7500, click here, or to watch this video on YouTube, click here.

Video Script

In this video we will:

• Unbox and setup the reader
• Connect the FX7500 to the Computer
• Give a brief overview of the FX7500’s Web UI, or User Interface, and
• Demonstrate reading UHF RFID tags in the Web UI

Let’s jump in -

Unbox the Reader

Once you have taken the FX7500 out of the box, you will notice that this reader comes with a few pieces -

• The AC adapter and power cord (sold separately)
• Two convenient pamphlets - one a quick start guide, and the other a support pamphlet
• The FX7500 Reader Unit
• A mounting plate
• And mounting screws

Now that I have everything out, I’m going to clear the table so that I can start plugging in and powering our RFID reader and antenna.

First I’ll go ahead and connect my RFID antenna to the FX7500 via an RP-TNC Male to N-Type Male RFID Antenna Cable. I’ve already attached the N-Type Male side into the RFID antenna that we are using today, and now I will attach the other, RP-TNC Male side into the FX7500.

Next, I will connect the FX7500 to my computer via an ethernet cable, I’ll plug one end into the Reader’s LAN/PoE port, and the other end into a computer’s Ethernet port or an Ethernet wall outlet.

And finally, Ill grab the FX7500’s AC adapter, which comes in 3 separate parts. Ill go ahead and connect the Brick to the line cord, and then connect the other portion into the Brick as well. Then I will plug one end into the this reader’s power port, and the other end into a standard power outlet.

Now my reader is powering up.

Connecting the FX7500 to the Computer

Once your reader’s status lights turn green, go ahead and open a browser window and navigate to h t t p : / / (forward slash, forward slash) and your reader’s hostname, which will start with the reader’s model, in this case - FX7500, and end with it’s unique, 6-character string. Your reader’s full hostname is located on the front of your FX7500 - right here.

I’ll go ahead and input mine in now and click “enter”. Once the Web UI opens, it asks for the username and password, select ‘admin’ and the password is lowercase ‘change’. Then click enter.

Zebra FX7500's Web UI Overview

Once the Reader’s Web UI opens, you can see that the first page has three sections -

• On the far left is the main menu
• In the middle is a quick summary of information about your reader, and
• On the far right is the Help section with outlined topics and subtopics

Most of these pages are pretty self-explanatory, but I am going to do a quick overview of the left side menu navigation to provide a basic understanding of the FX7500’s Web UI.

We are on the home page now, but as I click on each of these category pages, you will notice that the Help Section on the right side of the page will update with information about that specific category. This is a very convenient feature that is especially useful for anyone just starting out using this Web UI. I will quickly walk through each of these main categories.

Status - The Status page simply provides a the current status of the reader with information like system clock, Up Time, Temperature, and Memory Usage.

Operation Statistics - The Operation Statistics page provides users with the ability to view statistics about individual read points like read count, write count, and lock count and has 5 sub-categories, each with additional in-depth statistics available to view.

Configure Reader - As the name implies, the Configure Reader page allows users to configure reader settings with basic parameters on the main page, and more in-depth parameters available under the two sub-categories Read Points and Region.

Read Tags - As the name states, the Read Tags page is an easy way to get started reading UHF RFID tags in the Web UI.

Communication - The Communication page allows users to configure network settings for Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connections, and has 6 sub-categories for various additional communications.

Date Time - The Date and Time page allows you set the Date and Time via SNTP Parameters, manually, or via a specified time zone.

IP Sec - The IP Sec page is for IP Security settings and allows users to pair a reader with a partner via a pre-shared key.

License Manager - The License manager page allows users to acquire available licenses for their Zebra FX7500 RFID Reader.

Change Password - The Change Password page allows users to change the password for their reader’s Web UI.

GPIO - The GPIO page allows users to set the status of GPO pins and check the GPI pins status’.

Applications - The Applications page provides a list of installed applications on your FX7500 reader and allows you to view, install, and uninstall programs easily.

Profiles - The Profiles page allows users to create and view profiles that can be configured for specific read zones, times, or other specific instances that require specific reader settings.

Firmware - The Firmware page displays the current version of a variety of onboard firmware, and the sub-category labeled “Update” allows firmware updates to be made via an FTP server or uploaded file.

System Log - The System Log page is a simple interface that displays the system log information on the reader and the access history of the reader.

Diagnostics - The Diagnostics page allows users to run a diagnostics test on their reader and display the report.

Shutdown - The Shutdown page allows you to restart the reader, shut down the reader server, or reset the reader to its default settings.

Logout - And finally Logout, which simply allows you to logout out of FX7500’s Web UI.

Reading UHF RFID Tags with the Zebra FX7500

Now we are going to read UHF RFID tags in the Web UI. Click on the Read Tags page, and simply hit “Start” and you should start to see tag reads appear.

Conclusion

Thank you so much for watching this video about unboxing, setting up, and reading UHF RFID tags with the Zebra FX7500 UHF RFID Reader. For more information on the Zebra FX7500, visit this reader’s product page or watch our FX7500 introduction video.

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