IDCRAFT Connectivity Box: RFID edge gateway with LTE backhaul

Smart Datacapturing for the Auto-ID market

Getting RFID data from the read point into the backend is often the costliest part of a project, not the reader itself. IDCRAFT GmbH, a vendor-independent distributor and integrator for RFID and NFC hardware, has built that path into a single device: the Connectivity Box, an RFID edge gateway. Connect the reader via Ethernet, insert a SIM card, switch on. No on-site server, no middleware install, no access to the corporate network.

The box takes reads over TCP, filters duplicates in a configurable window (default 40 s), buffers each record in a local SQLite database and posts them as JSON over HTTPS to the customer's REST API every 10 seconds, authenticated by API key and device ID. If the LTE link drops, it buffers for 60 minutes and resends automatically; a heartbeat and watchdog monitor the connection.

The platform is a Raspberry Pi 5 with IDCRAFT's Python middleware and an LTE Cat 4 modem on a 5G-ready carrier board, plus a private VPN and a read-only status dashboard per unit. It ships as the preconfigured GateSense Connect system or as a standalone gateway; GateSense UHF gate readers are supported at launch, with Chainway, ACS and CRAFT Technologies in preparation. The first units run at a textile-services provider, reporting laundry at goods-in and goods-out.

"The reader is rarely the problem. It gets expensive on the way into the customer's system," says Managing Director Patrick Kochendörfer. "We packed that path into a box."

About IDCRAFT

IDCRAFT GmbH, headquartered in Neuhofen in the Palatinate, is a vendor-neutral distributor and project partner for RFID and NFC hardware. The company supplies UHF, RAIN RFID, HF, and NFC readers, reader modules, handheld devices, transponders, and tags for applications in industry, logistics, healthcare, access control, and the automotive sector.

Are you planning an RFID or NFC project and need hardware that’s available quickly and technically suitable? Speak directly with Patrick Kochendörfer and have the reader, transponder, frequency range, and form factor tailored to your specific application before placing your order.

www.idcraft.com | Tel.: +49 6236 4494 685