RFID

RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) scanning is one of the most powerful features of Beam. It lets you identify and count inventory items without needing line-of-sight, enabling fast and accurate inventory management at scale.

Supported hardware

Beam supports Android handhelds with a built-in RFID reader, as well as fixed network readers. Fixed readers connect via your local network directly or through the Beam IoT Bridge.

Primary readers

• Chainway C66 / C72 / C83 Android handhelds with a built-in UHF RFID reader. The Beam app runs directly on the device. Recommended for most warehouse operations.
• Urovo Android handhelds with a built-in UHF RFID reader. The Beam app runs directly on the device.
• Chainway R6 A Bluetooth RFID sled that attaches to a mobile device. Pairs wirelessly with a phone or tablet running the Beam app.
• Impinj R700 A fixed network RFID reader for high-throughput environments such as dock doors and conveyor gates. Connects directly via your local network, or remotely via the Beam IoT Bridge.
• NordicID FR22 A fixed network RFID reader. Connects to Beam via the Beam IoT Bridge.

Connecting the Chainway R6

1. Power on the Chainway R6 by holding the power button until the LED turns on.
2. Ensure Bluetooth is enabled on your mobile device.
3. Open Beam. The app automatically discovers nearby Chainway R6 devices.
4. Tap the device in the discovered list to connect. The reader status indicator turns green.

Connecting a network reader (Impinj R700)

1. Ensure the reader is connected to the same network as your mobile device.
2. In Beam, go to Devices → Add Device.
3. Follow the setup wizard: enter the reader's IP address and configure antenna ports and power levels.
4. Save the configuration. The reader appears in the Devices list and is immediately available for scanning.

The scan page

The scan page is your main interface for RFID scanning. Open it via the Scan page tile on the home dashboard or via Scan in the navigation menu.

Top bar

• Reader indicator Shows which reader is active and its connection state (green = connected, red = disconnected).
• Power level pill Displays the current transmission power in dBm. Tap to adjust.
• Options menu (three dots) Opens scan settings, identification toggle, and session controls.

Stats row

Directly below the top bar, the stats row shows two counters for the current session:

• Unique tags The number of distinct EPCs detected since the session started.
• Total reads The total number of tag reads, including duplicates. A tag that is read ten times counts as ten reads but one unique tag.

Scan results list

The results list updates in real time as tags are read. Each entry shows:

• EPC code The full tag identifier.
• Read count How many times this specific tag has been read in the current session.
• RSSI value Signal strength in dBm. Higher (less negative) values mean the tag is closer.
• Item name (when identification is on) The matched inventory item, shown with a green 'Found' badge.
• Unknown badge (orange) Shown when identification is on but the tag could not be matched to any item in your inventory.

Start and stop scanning

Tap the large Scan button at the bottom to start reading tags. Tap again to stop. When Multi-scan mode is on (see Scan Settings), the reader continues collecting tags until you stop it manually. This is the recommended mode for walking through a warehouse. When Multi-scan mode is off, each tap of the trigger reads a single burst of tags.

EPC mode filter

The filter pills above the results list let you narrow the view without clearing the session data:

Clearing the session

To start fresh, open the options menu and tap Clear session. This resets the unique tag count and results list. Use this between different areas or tasks to keep your results focused.

Item identification

Item identification is the feature that matches scanned RFID tags against your inventory in real time. Enable it via the toggle in the options menu on the scan page, or configure it as always-on in Scan Settings.

When a tag is read, Beam tries to identify the item using the following methods in priority order:

Scan settings

Customize your scanning experience from the scan page options menu or from Settings → Scan Settings:

Writing RFID tags

You can write EPC data to blank or existing RFID tags directly from the Beam app. This is how you link a physical RFID tag to an item in your inventory.

1. Open the scan page and tap the options menu.
2. Select Write Tag.
3. Select the item you want to encode. Beam prepares the EPC based on the item's tracking mode (Random HEX or SGTIN-96).
4. Place the RFID tag near the reader.
5. Tap Write. The EPC is encoded onto the tag and the unit is registered in your inventory.

Contextual scanning

The scan page behaves differently depending on what you are doing in the app: