This guide will show you how to add a fixed reader to itemit. Note: itemit Supports FX7500 and FX9600 readers.
(Optional) Configure your firewall to allow relevant traffic
The itemit RFID agent connects to the following endpoints therefore if you have a firewall in place it needs to be configured to grant access to the following:
AWS IoT endpoint - a3iwipgxeyoqfn-ats.iot.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com port 443
AWS IoT Credentials Provider endpoint - c1r0rrbhopqhnj.credentials.iot.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com port 443
itemit endpoint - api.itemit.com port 443
Add a reader to itemit and download the itemit reader agent
Login to itemit here
Click the Devices tab
3. Click button to Add Reader.
4. Enter your Reader ID and Click Add. You’ll find the reader ID on the label on the reader, it will look like this.
5. Click button to download itemit reader agent. Please note that if you have already downloaded the itemit reader agent file, a (1) will be automatically appended to the file name e.g. itemit-rfid_FX9600F25FAC (1).deb. Such files are not accepted by the reader therefore please delete the itemit reader agent if you have already downloaded it before proceeding.
6. Feel free to assign the device to a location (you can do that later if you want).
Install the itemit reader agent
Please use Google Chrome for a reliable set up.
7. Go to the Zebra Reader Administration Console. You will need to follow these additional instructions if you are unfamiliar with this process.
8. Login with the default credentials (or your own if you are returning)
User Name - admin
Password - change
Note: We strongly recommend that you change the password to something unique and secure once you have successfully logged in.
Check your firmware version
9. You can check your version on the home page of the user interface. In this example, it is 3.7.26.
Itemit reader agent has been tested against the following firmware versions: 3.24.48 (latest version as of December 2023). To use itemit's reader agent, you will need version 3.24.43.
Please note: To update the reader from older Firmware v3.10.30 or lower to v3.21.23 or above a two-steps upgrade is required. The reader needs to be updated to v3.21.21 first and then to v3.21.23 or above.
On the user interface, select “File based upload” and in the “Choose files” popup, select all files from within the downloaded folder. The user interface should show that 12 files are selected (as seen in the image above).
Make sure that “Update all Partitions” is unchecked and press “Start Update”. The update typically takes around 5-10 minutes to complete.
Note that any future updates to the reader firmware will be handled via itemit, and not the reader interface, making it much simpler! We just need to start with software that has all the features we need available.
Configure an NTP server on your reader
10. You must set an NTP server on the reader to ensure that the tag read datetime is accurate. This can be set via the “Date Time” section and then entering the NTP server name or IP address of a public or internal NTP time server. We recommend using pool.ntp.org as an NTP server as it picks the one closest to you. Subsequently, please select your Time Zone from the dropdown menu too.
Only proceed to the next step when time has synchronized on the reader!
Install the itemit reader agent application
11. Click Applications.
12. Click Browse in the Install New Package Section.
13. Select the deb file you generated in step 5. This may take a couple of minutes to upload.
14. Once the file is uploaded you will see itemit-rfid listed under the List of installed apps.
15. Tick the box labelled AutoStart. This means the application can launch automatically if the reader is restarted.
16. Click the Start/Stop button to run the app. The button should turn green.
Confirm installation itemit reader agent is operational (after 5 min)
17. Wait for about 5 minutes.
18. Navigate back to your rfid device profile page in itemit and confirm all statuses are green.
