- Overview
- Adding RFID Tag Information to Serial Units
- Capturing RFID Tags on a Scanning Screen
- Processing and Reviewing Captured RFID Tags
- Scanning Captured RFID Tags
Overview
RFID scanning is a paid feature that can be used with the Flex5 Tablet or Phone app. Contact support@flexrentalsolutions.com to activate RFID scanning in your system.
RFID scanning allows you to use RFID tags and scanners to scan inventory in and out of your Flex system. For more information about RFID in general and for device and tag recommendations, read the RFID Overview and Hardware Information page.
Adding RFID Tag Information to Serial Units
Flex now has the option to add RFID tag information to a serial unit. You can add this information as you create a new serial unit (in the Flex5 Tablet and Phone apps) or when editing a serial unit (in either the Flex5 apps or on the Desktop version of Flex). Each serial unit will still have a traditional barcode in Flex, and you can keep all your existing barcodes.
As you place an RFID tag onto a physical unit, we recommend adding the tag information into Flex at the same time. This is demonstrated in the following video:
The video shows how to assign RFID tag information by using Inquiry Scan in the Flex5 app (either on Phone or Tablet devices). But you can use several other methods to do this, like opening a serial unit in the Desktop version of Flex (either by going to the parent model and navigating the Serial Numbers tab, or by scanning / entering the barcode while on the calendar screen), then clicking Edit Serial Number Detail. You will see the RFID Tag field in the edit popup.
You can also assign RFID tag information when creating a new serial unit in the Flex5 Tablet or Phone app. The Desktop version of Flex currently does not have the RFID Tag field enabled when creating new units.
With RFID tag information assigned to a serial unit, that unit is now ready to be used in RFID scanning. Flex will recognize the RFID tag when you are RFID scanning, then process the tag to find the unit it is associated with.
Capturing RFID Tags on a Scanning Screen
If RFID is enabled in your Flex system, you will see the RFID Capture icon in the top right corner of any scanning screen. Tap this icon to see the RFID Capture screen.
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With your RFID scanner in RFID capture mode, pull and hold the trigger as you pass over inventory that has RFID tags. The number of tags captured will show.
Even though each RFID tag is continuously sending radio frequencies, your RFID scanner should only send the tag information to Flex once per trigger hold. Even if you let go of the trigger and capture the same tag again, Flex will recognize the duplicate and not count it.
Processing and Reviewing Captured RFID Tags
When you are done capturing RFID tags, tap the Review button in the top right corner. At this point, Flex will match the captured RFID tags with inventory in your Flex system.
Once all tags have been processed, you will see a list of valid units and invalid units. Valid units are RFID tags that were properly matched to a serial unit barcode in your Flex system. Invalid units are RFID tags that don't exist in your Flex system. A lot of electronics have built in RFID or NFC chips that might be picked up during your RFID capture, which would return as an invalid unit if you don't have that ID in your Flex system.
On the Review screen, you can tap Valid Units to view the unit name, barcode, and model image. Each unit is auto selected (notice the green check mark on the unit line). This means that the unit will be scanned once you tap the Scan button.
You can deselect any unit by tapping on it. The check mark will disappear, and that unit will no longer scan when you tap the Scan button. For example, maybe you are prepping inventory into a container (using Content Builder) and you accidentally pick up an RFID tag from a unit that is nearby but isn't supposed to be in the container. As you review the RFID tags that were captured, you will be able to see the unit that is not supposed to be in the container and deselect it so it won't scan.
Keep in mind that no inventory has been scanned yet! At this point, all you have done is captured RFID tags and matched them to units in your system. Nothing is actually scanned in or out until you tap the Scan button.
Scanning Captured RFID Tags
After you have reviewed the units that were captured and deselected any units that you don't want to scan (optional), tap the Scan button.