Portland, OR, May 8, 2023. . . On May 9-11, the 2023 RFID Journal LIVE! Show will set the scene for exciting advances in one of the world’s fastest moving technologies—RFID. And AsReader, Japan’s number one RFID sled type scanner producer, will be showing some new RFID technologies for the first time, as well as technology enhancements to RFID devices buyers have come to love.

Held once annually, the tradeshow in Orlando, Florida marks the 8th consecutive year that AsReader has participated. Its best selling GUN-Type scanner, the ASR-L251G GUN-Type Reader/Writer, is previewing its “V2” upgrade.

The initial rollout of this gun-style scanner was at the 2021 RFID Journal LIVE! Show. This updated version of the L251G has a more streamlined case and makes the AsLOCK connector stronger — and easier to replace. Designed in Japan and made in South Korea (and TAA compliant), the L251G is currently in the hands of many manufacturers, retailers, healthcare leaders, and transportation/logistics companies aiming to complete inventory quickly and quickly locate items.

While the ASR-L251G has become the choice of many for its 40ft (12m) read range and 1,100+ tags per second speed, some will opt instead for the new ASR-P252B PADDLE-Type AsReader for a number of reasons, including its long, thin shape and ability to reach areas between metal shelves, into deep metal cabinets, high up near the ceiling, or located on the exterior of a truck, many feet off the ground.

Because the GUN-Type is linear, it focuses its full reading power into a 60° aperture cone, and the user must “wave” the device or they risk missing perpendicular tags. The PADDLE-Type instead uses a circular antenna, so it reads all directions at once and doesn’t require waving the device to read.

Also, because the GUN-Type is hard-wired, using it with Bluetooth requires an optional ASA-112L “Bluetooth Dongle,” whereas the PADDLE-Type is intended for use with on-board Bluetooth. It can optionally be used hard-wired with a USB-C cable as well.

Both the PADDLE-Type and GUN-Type AsReaders have Royalty-free SDKs and free Demo Apps for use with all three platforms: iOS, Android, and Windows.

The new PADDLE-Type AsReader can be handheld or attached to a standard extension-pole. The paddle mechanism also has settings to turn down the power, to avoid scanning stray tags or tags between the user and the target. There are two, quarter-inch threaded “camera mounts” on the device that allow the end-user to extend the reach another 10+ feet (3m+) using an extension-pole when they want to reach up and only read a top shelf or items that are way out-of-reach, with or without reading all the tags between, like most readers would do.

Another technology AsReader is bringing to the RFID Journal LIVE! Show is the newest versions of the ASR-0230D, -0231D, and -0240D SLED/DOCK-Type AsReaders. These “COMBO” units support 2D/1D barcodes, and either UHF or HF (including NFC) band RFID (for the Americas and EMEA regions). It is even capable of reading 2D/QR-Codes and RAIN/UHF RFID tags simultaneously. Because it is modular, with the scanner and case being separated, this device is compatible with all Lightning Connector iOS® devices from the iPhone® 5 to the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

The AsReader ASR-030D, -031D, -A30D, and -A31D SLED/DOCK-Type Reader/Writers (RAIN/UHF Bandwidth) are available in the Americas and EMEA regions for both iOS and Android devices and because they are modular, they can be moved between devices by simply changing the outside case, so you can upgrade your smartphones and tablets independently of your scanner.

The AsCube UHF band RFID reader is making waves in Japan as a device that reads metal objects quickly and accurately. Metal is difficult to read with RFID and the AsCube detects and counts objects such as metal keys on metal rings. It is useful for operations such as supermarkets or housing associations where staff members come and go with many keys. The AsCube can tell if the keyring comes back with a different number of keys. Windows 10 compatible with the free AsReader Cube Demo Application.

The ASR-P35U: UHF band “Desktop” RFID reader will replace the former ASR-P30U “Desktop” reader and is significantly smaller at roughly the footprint of a credit card. Because it is powered via USB-C, it is battery-less as its use is generally static on a desktop or mounted to a wall with included mounts. It can be used with Windows and Android out of the box. Use with iOS devices is possible with a power adapter, like those available for high-end cameras.

ASR-P37U: Same as the P35U, but half-sized, with an external antenna port, instead of a built-in one. Small enough to use attached to a drone, there is a wide-variety of antennas with this small device for many different use cases. It is currently in use as a scanner for self check-out terminals in retail and grocery stores in Japan.

More information on AsReader
AsReader, Inc. is an Oregon Corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Asterisk, Inc of Japan. Asterisk was founded in 2006, headed by charismatic founder Noriyuki Suzuki with over 100 employees worldwide, headquartered in Osaka, Japan with offices in Tokyo, Nagano, Shiga, and Kyoto, Japan, Dalian and Shenzhen in China and Portland, Oregon in the USA. Major clients include manufacturers Toyota and Kawasaki, retailers Tokyu Hands and Aoyama, over 350 hospitals worldwide and three well-known logistics/delivery companies utilizing over 20,000 AsReaders each. Please visit https://AsReader.com for more information