hardware
The Right Hardware for Seamless Tracking and Automation
From RFID to BLE and UWB, FactorySense delivers hardware that works flawlessly with our platform and your operations.
in-depth
Hardware Categories
With a wide range of hardware options and our best-in-class software, we deliver a purpose-built, unified platform for manufacturing that eliminates the inefficiencies of fragmented systems and disconnected components. Our team selects and configures the right combination of RFID tags, readers, antennas, printers, and supporting infrastructure for your facility, workflows, and operating environment. Every component integrates seamlessly with the FactorySense platform, providing reliable data capture, real-time visibility, and a scalable foundation that can grow alongside your operation.
Passive RFID Readers and Antennas
Passive RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) readers and antennas capture asset data in real-time, helping you track tools, materials, and goods throughout your operations. With customizable ranges and configurations, these read only devices are ideal for warehouses, manufacturing plants, and logistics hubs.
BLE and UWB Anchors and Beacons
BLE and UWB anchors and beacons use high frequency radio waves to offer dynamic, real-time location tracking for mobile assets and personnel. These devices are perfect for high-value tools or ensuring safety in hazardous areas, providing unmatched flexibility and speed of deployment.
Printers, Labels, Tags, and Consumables
FactorySense’s RFID-enabled printers and durable labels ensure compliance and efficiency. Designed to integrate into your existing labeling workflows, RFID technology can improve inventory accuracy significantly compared to traditional barcode systems in large-scale or complex operations.
Our Approach to RFID Hardware
We match the ideal RFID hardware to your needs, factoring in assets, facility, applications, workflow, and budget.
Choosing the right RFID hardware is essential for reliable performance in demanding manufacturing environments. As a hardware-agnostic provider, FactorySense evaluates your facility, workflows, materials, environmental conditions, and read-range requirements to select the right combination of tags, readers, antennas, and infrastructure. Explore the guide below to learn how FactorySense properly matches hardware, software, and implementation expertise to create a scalable RFID solution.
Outstanding HArdware Partners
Hardware Designed for Your Environment
Choosing the right RFID hardware requires more than selecting a printer, reader, or tag from a catalog. FactorySense evaluates tag materials, chip and antenna placement, read range, environmental conditions, regional frequency requirements, and applicable GS1 or ISO/IEC standards to build a system around each facility’s workflows. By pairing industrial RFID printers with compatible labels, strategically placed readers, and built-in encoding validation, we help ensure every item receives an accurate, readable digital identity from the start.
One Connected RFID Ecosystem
FactorySense then connects RFID printers, readers, tags, software, and enterprise systems into one unified solution that supports continuous visibility from production through final delivery. Accurate encoding and verification help prevent bad labels, while interoperable hardware and software capture each item’s location, movement, and condition without relying on manual scans. As Chris Brown from TSC explains, “We love working with FactorySense because they bring our printers and other hardware together with software and consulting support in one holistic package that delivers reliable supply chain tracking. This saves both money and time, the most valuable resources for any operation.”
Passive RFID Readers and Antennas
Passive RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) readers and antennas capture asset data in real-time, helping you track tools, materials, and goods throughout your operations. With customizable ranges and configurations, these read only devices are ideal for warehouses, manufacturing plants, and logistics hubs.
BLE and UWB Anchors and Beacons
BLE and UWB anchors and beacons use high frequency radio waves to offer dynamic, real-time location tracking for mobile assets and personnel. These devices are perfect for high-value tools or ensuring safety in hazardous areas, providing unmatched flexibility and speed of deployment.
Printers, Labels, Tags, and Consumables
FactorySense’s RFID-enabled printers and durable labels ensure compliance and efficiency. Designed to integrate into your existing labeling workflows, RFID technology can improve inventory accuracy significantly compared to traditional barcode systems in large-scale or complex operations.
how the tech works
Passive Versus Active RFID
Passive RFID tags are cost-effective, relying on readers for power, ideal for tracking high-volume, low-cost assets over short to mid-range distances. Active RFID tags have a power source for real-time, long-range tracking of high-value or mobile assets. We help you choose the best option based on your needs, environment, and budget, with most operations opting to use many RFID tag types.
PASSIVE
Uses tags and reads points
Powered by radio frequency
Lower cost tags, higher cost set-up
Active
Uses tags and reads points
Powered by internal batteries
Higher cost tags, lower cost set-up
PASSIVE Uses
Tracking in enclosed spaces, like warehouses
Suitable for harsh environments
Track high volume items
Active Uses
Tracking items stored outside or in large areas
Real-time tracking at long ranges
Ensuring high-value assets can be located
One heavy industrial manufacturer used a combined system of passive RFID technology and FactorySense BLE tags to track tools across large zones, maximizing efficiency and visibility with a single interface.
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Passive RFID Readers and Antennas
On The Factory Floor: Readers, Antennas, & Printers
RFID tracking in warehouses relies on readers, antennas, and printers to ensure accurate data from the start. Readers capture tag data automatically for real time visibility, while antennas control where and how reliably that data is collected.
RFID printers play a critical role by producing properly encoded, durable tags at the point of labeling, preventing data errors before inventory ever enters the system. Together, these components form the physical foundation of reliable, scalable warehouse RFID tracking.
RFID printers play a critical role by producing properly encoded, durable tags at the point of labeling, preventing data errors before inventory ever enters the system. Together, these components form the physical foundation of reliable, scalable warehouse RFID tracking.
Key factors to consider
Important considerations for types of passive RFID readers
Key factors to consider:
Frequency band
Different frequencies (low, high, ultra-high) offer varying read ranges and are suited for different applications.
Read range
How far away the reader can reliably read tags, which is crucial based on your application's needs.
Antenna design
The antenna's shape and placement significantly impacts read range and tag detection.
Environmental conditions
Whether the reader can operate in harsh environments like extreme temperatures, high humidity, or near metal objects.
Tag capacity
How many tags the reader can read simultaneously without collisions.
Data handling capabilities
The reader's ability to process and transmit tag data to your system.
Power requirements
Whether the reader needs a dedicated power source or can be battery-operated.
Integration capabilities
How easily the reader can be integrated with your existing systems and software and software and with our proprietary software.
Cost
The initial purchase price and ongoing maintenance costs of the reader.
Quality
All our readers proprietary and sources are meet the highest quality standards.
Security
We offer US manufactured hardware.
Fixed and Mobile
Two types of readers: Fixed and Mobile
Fixed readers are designed to read RFID tags on items as they pass by or are placed within the reader's read range. They are ideal for tracking inventory, monitoring production lines, and managing assets.
Handheld or mobile RFID Readers are portable and can be taken to various locations. Each type of RFID reader excels in certain environments and with certain workflows. Often our solutions involve using both fixed and mobile readers to read multiple RFID tags and solve the most complex business requirements.
Handheld or mobile RFID Readers are portable and can be taken to various locations. Each type of RFID reader excels in certain environments and with certain workflows. Often our solutions involve using both fixed and mobile readers to read multiple RFID tags and solve the most complex business requirements.
Mobility
Fixed readers are stationary and permanently installed, while mobile readers are handheld and can be moved to different areas.
Application
Fixed readers are ideal for monitoring items passing through a specific point like a warehouse entry or exit, while mobile readers are better for inventory checks where you need to scan items in various locations.
Read range
Fixed readers often have a larger read range due to their dedicated antenna setup, while mobile readers may have a shorter range depending on the device.
Read Medical Equipment case study how Factory sense applied a solution with a mix of Fixed and handheld readers and scanners
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Fixed readers
Benefits of fixed readers
Always-On, Real-Time Monitoring
Fixed readers stay powered on site and continuously collect data without manual scans, making them the “workhorses” of RFID tracking—ideal for warehouses and manufacturing environments.
Automated Asset & Inventory Management
With 24/7 monitoring, fixed readers provide real-time visibility into inventory levels. No one has to remember to turn them on or scan shipments—they track movement automatically.
Broad Read Range
Like desktops vs. mobile devices, fixed readers have more computing power and a higher read range than handhelds, covering larger areas for efficient tracking.
Flexible Antenna Connectivity
Depending on the model, fixed readers support 1–16+ antennas, with options to expand coverage using multiplexers for even greater reach.
BLE and UWB Anchors and Beacons
BLE and UWB Anchors and Beacons
BLE and UWB anchors and beacons deliver dynamic, real-time location tracking for mobile assets and personnel. Ideal for high-value tools and safety in hazardous areas, these technologies offer flexibility and fast deployment. UWB provides precise tracking, while BLE is a cost-effective option for general asset monitoring.
Depending on your needs, we may recommend a combination of BLE and UWB anchors and beacons as part of your asset tracking solution.
See how we combined a combination of BLE tags and passive RFID with this industrial equipment manufacturer.
Depending on your needs, we may recommend a combination of BLE and UWB anchors and beacons as part of your asset tracking solution.
See how we combined a combination of BLE tags and passive RFID with this industrial equipment manufacturer.
Ultra-Wideband (UWB)
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
Accuracy
More precise, with centimeter-level accuracy
Less precise, up to sub-meter accuracy
Use cases
Precise location tracking, like in retail and healthcare
General tracking, like proximity sensing
Cost
Higher deployment costs
Lower deployment costs
Mobility
Lacks mobility of BLE
Better mobility and connectivity
Frequency band
3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz
Typically operates in the 2.4 GHz band
strenghts
Each technology has its strengths, making it important to choose the right one based on your tracking needs and use case.
Whether you prioritize precision, cost, or battery life, BLE, UWB, and Active RFID offer different advantages.
TEchnology
range
accuracy
battery life
cost
use cases
Active RFID
~100m+
1-5m
Medium
$$
Industrial asset tracking, logistics
BLE Beacons
~1-30m
1-5m
High (months-years)
$
Indoor navigation, retail, asset tracking
UWB Beacons
~10-50m
10-30cm
Medium
$$$
Precision tracking
benefits
Benefits of mobile readers
In a heavy industrial setting, technicians utilized FactorySense's handheld RFID readers with the Geiger Counter Function to swiftly locate misplaced tools, significantly reducing downtime and improving operational efficiency. These lightweight, fully mobile readers are a cost-effective way to seamlessly integrate RFID tracking into your already existing operation; this allows for money savings and easy use. Read more.
1
Easy to Use
Many handheld readers streamline data collection by translating RFID tag codes without middleware.
2
Versatile & Flexible
Ideal for various environments, from warehouses and retail stores to hospitals and field operations.
3
Geiger Counter Function
A built-in “hot/cold” feature helps locate items, with faster beeping as you get closer.
4
Portable & Lightweight
Battery-powered and easy to carry, handheld readers enable RFID tracking on the go.
5
Seamless Integration
Easily connects with inventory management and other systems for real-time data and improved efficiency.
6
Cost-Effective
Often more affordable than fixed readers, making them a budget-friendly option.
7
Quick Deployment
No installation needed—handhelds work instantly without mounting or cabling.
FactorySense recommended readers
We work exclusively with HID
See how a global heavy equipment manufacturer used FactorySense’s rugged RFID tags to withstand harsh shop floor conditions—improving asset visibility, reducing loss, and streamlining calibration.
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From Challenge to Success in Weeks
FactorySense quickly transforms your tracking challenges into measurable results by designing and implementing RFID solutions that fit your existing processes, minimizing disruption while accelerating time to value and operational improvement.
