Reader + Antenna · One Sealed Housing

Integrated UHF RFID Readers
Built-in Antenna, One Lane, One Cable

An integrated UHF RFID reader puts the reader electronics and a circularly polarised antenna in one sealed housing, so a single cable and a single bracket cover a vehicle lane, a turnstile or a one-door portal. This page explains the category: the gain classes behind the “built-in 8–9 dB circular” spec line, what Wiegand, RS-485, relay and PoE lines mean for your controller, how IP65 and IP67 differ, how to mount a 2.5–4.3 kg unit, and when a fixed reader with separate antennas is the better buy. Figures come from the published datasheets and standards listed below.

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Integrated UHF RFID Readers with Built-in Antenna: Where They Fit

Built-in antenna gain

8–9 dB

8–8.5 dBic circular, 65–80° beam; one gate unit states 9 dBi circular (published datasheets)

Radiated power ceiling

2 W e.r.p.

ETSI EN 302 208 lower band; India’s G.S.R. 853(E) of 2021 sets the same figure

Outdoor sealing class

IP65–IP67

−20/−25 to +55/+70 °C and 2.5–4.3 kg across published outdoor units

What an integrated UHF RFID reader is

The name describes the construction: an antenna-in-enclosure reader. It runs the same EPCglobal Gen2 / ISO 18000-63 air interface as any UHF RFID reader, with the main antenna already matched, mounted and sealed behind the radome.

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Reader and antenna in one housing

Published units pair the RF module with a built-in circular antenna of 8–8.5 dBic (65–80° half-power beam), or 9 dBi circular on one gate unit, in a housing about 290–300 mm square and 71–115 mm deep. The RF path is fixed at the factory: zero coax loss to budget and a matched antenna (VSWR ≤1.4:1 on one gate unit) from day one.

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A spare port for a second antenna

Gate-class datasheets typically add one RP-TNC port and a rugged outdoor class adds three, so the same reader can drive a panel on the opposite kerb or a second lane. Read the external-port line on its own: one flat-panel family rates its external ports at +27 or +30 dBm, against +30 or +33 dBm e.r.p. through the built-in antenna.

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Where the form factor fits

Vehicle entry and exit lanes (parking management, gated compounds), personnel gates and turnstiles (access control and attendance), single dock doors, conveyor and workstation cells under a PLC, and any point where one reader serves one zone.

Antenna classes

Built-in antenna classes and the read zone each one buys

Integrated readers are sold by the antenna inside: gain sets nominal range, beam-width sets zone width. Compare dBic with dBic; the antenna gain guide explains the dBi, dBd, dBic and dBil offsets.

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Standard class: 8–9 dB circular

The gate and lane class. One flat-panel family rates its 8 dBic, 80° variant at 5 m nominal at +30 dBm e.r.p. and 7 m at +33 dBm e.r.p.; a 9 dBi gate unit states 0–15 m “according to tag and environment”. Tag and site set the spread, so treat any range line as a ceiling to confirm on site.

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Low-gain and near-field variants

The same housing family offers a −2 dBic low-gain antenna rated 1.5 m and a 2 dBi near-field antenna rated 0–20 cm (0–40 cm on the higher-power version), with 2–3 m far-field reach. These suit counters, kiosks and cabinets; USB encoding stations sit on the desktop UHF readers page.

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Multi-polarisation industrial class

PLC-line units carry an integrated antenna rated for linear (h/v), circular and combined polarisation, with 3–2000 mW transmit power and an 8 m maximum range. Linear suits items that pass in a fixed orientation; circular tolerates tags in any orientation, which is why lane and gate units use it.

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Ceiling gateways and steered beams

Overhead units use a phased array instead of a single fixed antenna: one published class forms 13 beams in 3 sectors to cover about 93 m² from one ceiling point, powered over PoE 802.3af Class 3. They watch open floors and rooms rather than lanes, so they complement the lane units on this page.

Representative published datasheet values per class (sources below); they describe the class, not one offer. — = no figure on the datasheet.
Class	Built-in antenna	Extra RF ports	Transmit power	Host interfaces & GPIO	Supply	Sealing & temperature	Size / weight	Stated range
Gate / lane	9 dBi circular, VSWR ≤1.4:1	1 × RP-TNC	0–33 dBm, adjustable	RJ45, RS-232, RS-485, Wiegand; 2 in / 2 out, opto-isolated	9–30 V DC	IP65, −20 to +70 °C	290 × 290 × 115 mm, 2.5 kg	0–15 m (tag and site)
Rugged outdoor	8.5 dBiC circular, 65°	3 × R-TNC	33 dBm conducted (ETSI) / 30 dBm, 33 dBm with extended cable (FCC); 33 dBm e.r.p. (ETSI) / 36 dBm EIRP (FCC)	Ethernet; 3 in / 3 out	PoE+ 802.3at (35–57 V)	IP67, −20 to +55 °C	300 × 300 × 71 mm, 4.26 kg	—
Indoor flat panel	8 dBic, 80° (also −2 dBic, near-field)	External ports at +27 / +30 dBm	+30 or +33 dBm e.r.p.	Optional 4 in / 4 out (24 V in, 50 mA out)	—	IP20, indoor use	—	5 m / 7 m nominal
PLC / industrial	Integrated: linear h/v, circular or combined	1 external	3–2000 mW	PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, OPC UA, RS422; 4 in / 4 out	24 V DC	IP65, −25 to +55 °C	—	Up to 8 m
Ceiling gateway	Phased array: 13 beams in 3 sectors	—	—	Ethernet	PoE 802.3af Class 3	IP50	2.70 kg	About 93 m² coverage

Power budget

Transmit power, e.r.p. and the band rules

The antenna gain is inside the box, but the regulator still counts it. Read conducted power at the module and the radiated figure it produces; the power-budget guide works the arithmetic.

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ETSI and India: 2 W e.r.p. on four channels

EN 302 208 V3.4.1 (2023-12) caps the 865–868 MHz band at 2 W e.r.p. (33 dBm) in 200 kHz channels centred at 865.7, 866.3, 866.9 and 867.5 MHz. India’s G.S.R. 853(E) of 10 December 2021 uses the same band, channels and 2 W e.r.p., names EN 302 208 as its reference, and limits continuous transmission on a channel to 4 s with at least 100 ms between transmissions.

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FCC: 1 W conducted, gain above 6 dBi deducted

47 CFR 15.247 allows 1 W peak conducted output in 902–928 MHz for hopping systems on at least 50 channels, assuming antenna gain of 6 dBi or less; above that, conducted power comes down dB for dB. One rugged unit with an 8.5 dBiC antenna is specified at 30 dBm conducted (33 dBm with extended cable length) and 36 dBm EIRP in the FCC band (33 dBm conducted in its ETSI version), so check how each datasheet states its FCC figure against the gain inside the housing.

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The conducted-power formula

EN 302 208 gives, for a circular antenna: conducted power = e.r.p. − gain (dBic) + 5.15 + cable loss, in dB. At the 33 dBm e.r.p. ceiling an 8.5 dBiC built-in antenna with no cable allows 29.65 dBm at the module, a 9 dBic antenna 29.15 dBm. A 0–33 dBm adjustment range lets the installer set exactly that figure.

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Beam-width is a legal parameter too

In the ETSI lower band, EN 302 208 allows any beam-width up to 500 mW e.r.p., at most 180° up to 1 W, and at most 90° from 1 W to 2 W e.r.p. A 65–80° built-in antenna can therefore run at the full 2 W, while a 100° panel on the spare port is held to 1 W.

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Receive sensitivity sets range on the way back

Rugged lane units publish about −80 dBm typical receive sensitivity, ceiling gateways about −84 dBm. A stated method (ISO/IEC 18046-2:2020, 90% success over at least 100 consecutive tests) makes figures comparable. One test house maps −85 and −75 dBm to roughly 25 m and 12 m in free space, with 6 dB halving range; see the datasheet guide.

Interfaces

Wiegand, RS-485, relays and Ethernet: the controller side

Lane and gate work runs through access and parking controllers, so a typical gate-class datasheet lists RJ45, RS-232, RS-485 and Wiegand together, with two opto-isolated inputs and two outputs. The Wiegand and RS-485 guide covers the wiring.

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Wiegand: the access-controller handshake

The 26-bit format carries a leading parity bit, an 8-bit facility code (256 codes), a 16-bit ID (65,536 IDs) and a trailing parity bit, sent one way as pulses of about 100 µs at 1 ms intervals over about 90 m of 24 AWG or 150 m of 18 AWG. The reader maps part of the EPC into that frame, so agree the bits and byte order before credentials are encoded.

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RS-485 for distance, RS-232 for the bench

RS-232 is point-to-point and typically good for about 15 m at 19200 baud. RS-485 is differential multidrop: up to 32 driver/receiver pairs, about 1,200 m at low baud rates and 120 m at 1 Mbps, on 120 Ω terminated twisted pair. For a lane far from the guardhouse, RS-485 or Ethernet carries the link.

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Inputs and outputs: loop, barrier, lamp

Inputs are opto-isolated, 0–24 V on a typical gate unit: a loop detector or photo-eye triggers the read, and outputs drive the barrier controller and a traffic lamp. Match output current to the load: one indoor family rates outputs at 50 mA, a rugged family at 500 mA each (1,500 mA total), with GPIO supply from an external source on PoE+.

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Ethernet, PoE class and industrial buses

IEEE 802.3af delivers about 13 W at the device, 802.3at (PoE+) 25.5 W. Rugged lane units specify PoE+ at 35–57 V and ask for a 30 W static switch port on Cat 6 up to 100 m; gate units take 9–30 V DC. PLC-class units speak PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, OPC UA and RS422, so WIP tracking stations report straight to the line controller.

Installation

IP rating, temperature and mounting

The sealed housing is the main reason to choose an integrated reader for an outdoor lane, so read the enclosure lines as closely as the RF lines.

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IP65 and IP67 are different tests

Under IEC 60529 first digit 6 means dust-tight. Second digit 5 is water jets from a 6.3 mm nozzle at 12.5 L/min and 30 kPa from 3 m for at least 3 minutes; 7 is 30 minutes of immersion with the lowest point 1 m down. Above IPX6 these are separate tests, so a lane that is hosed down and may flood calls for dual marking such as IP65/IP67.

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Temperature and sealing by class

Outdoor units publish −20 to +70 °C (gate class) and −20/−25 to +55 °C (rugged and PLC classes). Indoor flat panels are IP20 and ceiling gateways IP50, so match the class to the location: IP20 and IP50 units belong indoors, IP65 and IP67 units at the open lane.

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Brackets and mass

Choose a wall or pole bracket whose rated load clears the datasheet mass with margin (2.5 kg for a 290 mm gate unit, 4.26 kg for a 300 mm rugged one) and that tilts in both planes, so the beam can be aimed down at the stop line. Put the bracket and pole hardware on the same quote as the reader.

compass

Aim the zone, gate the read

Tilt the reader toward the windshield or badge line so the beam ends at the stop point. Portal research lists the tools against cross-reads between neighbouring lanes: sensor-gated reads (loop, photo-eye, motion sensor), time-slotting so one reader transmits at a time, RSSI and phase-based motion filtering, and RF-reflective panels. See the stray-read settings guide.

Credentials

Tags that make the lane work

The reader is half of the range equation. Published tag distances below are at 2 W e.r.p. where stated, each footnoted as environment dependent; more on the UHF RFID tags page.

car

Windshield labels

Tamper-evident 92 × 26 × 0.2 mm labels applied inside the glass are rated up to 8 m for both ETSI and FCC tuning; a cryptographic variant up to 10 m (ETSI) / 8 m (FCC). Adhesive shelf life is 1 year at +20 °C / 50% RH, so order labels to consumption.

credit-card

UHF and dual-frequency cards

An ID-1 passive UHF card (86 × 54 × 0.8 mm) is rated up to 9 m with a matched reader. A dual-frequency card adds an HF chip read at about 10 cm, so one credential serves the secure close-range step at the door and the hands-free UHF step at the lane; its UHF distance depends on environment and application, so confirm it with a site test. See RFID cards.

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On-metal tags for vehicles, bins and cylinders

Metal assets need on-metal designs: printable on-metal PET labels read 2.5–4.5 m, plate tags up to 10 m and large flag tags up to 18 m on metal at 2 W e.r.p., all vendor figures for free space or a non-reflective environment. See on-metal RFID tags, and crate and cylinder tracking for a gate-read workflow.

Decision

Integrated reader or fixed reader with separate antennas?

Both are UHF readers on the same air interface. The choice turns on how many read zones one box serves and how far antennas sit from the electronics.

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Choose integrated when

There is one read zone per reader (one lane, turnstile or station); the mounting point is outdoors or exposed; the controller expects Wiegand, RS-485 or relay contacts; and the installer wants one cable and one bracket. The factory-matched antenna puts the full power budget into the zone.

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Choose a fixed reader when

A dock door needs two to four antennas per side, as in most commercial portals surveyed; a wide yard gate needs antennas on both kerbs at height; or many zones share one unit, since four 8-output hubs on a 4-port reader give 32 antennas. See fixed UHF readers, RFID antennas and pallet tracking.

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Hybrid: integrated plus one panel

The spare port builds a two-antenna lane from one reader: built-in antenna on the entry side, a 5.5–6 dBic, 100° panel on the exit or far kerb. Budget the external-port rating and cable loss, and in the ETSI lower band keep that panel at or below 1 W e.r.p.

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Specifying and buying

Use the RFQ checklist below so quotes come back comparable. Integrated readers with inbuilt antennas ship from the India RFID Store; export orders are quoted in USD (EXW, FOB, CIF or DDP), with FCC-band (902–928 MHz) or ETSI-band (865–868 MHz) variants configured per order. Handheld readers cover exceptions; RFID hardware lists every category.

RFQ Checklist

What to Put in the Enquiry

Paste these lines into your RFQ and the quotation comes back comparable across suppliers.

Integrated UHF RFID reader with built-in circularly polarised antenna: state gain in dBic or dBi circular (target 8–9 dB) and half-power beam-width in both planes.
External antenna ports: number, connector (RP-TNC or SMA) and maximum conducted power per port.
Air interface EPCglobal Gen2 / ISO/IEC 18000-63; regional variant for the destination (ETSI lower band per EN 302 208, FCC 902–928 MHz per 47 CFR 15.247, or India per G.S.R. 853(E)); conducted power adjustable so installed e.r.p. stays within the limit for the stated gain.
Receive sensitivity in dBm with the test method (ISO/IEC 18046-2:2020, 90% success over at least 100 tests) and the RF mode used.
Host interfaces: Ethernet RJ45, RS-485, RS-232 and Wiegand; Wiegand formats supported (26-bit minimum), EPC-to-Wiegand bit mapping, and rated cable length and gauge.
GPIO: number of opto-isolated inputs and outputs or relays, input voltage range, maximum current per output, and GPIO supply arrangement when running on PoE+.
Power: DC input range and supply rating, or PoE class (802.3af or 802.3at) with the switch-port budget and maximum Ethernet run.
Enclosure: IP code per IEC 60529 with every water test listed (for example IP65/IP67); operating temperature range; weight; bracket type (wall or pole) and its rated load.
Reference tag for the lane (windshield label, ID-1 UHF card or on-metal tag) with its datasheet range at 2 W e.r.p.; site test at the stop line before the volume order.
Software and documents: SDK or API (Windows, Android, Linux), host protocol, trigger and buffering behaviour; CE/RED or FCC test reports, India type-approval documents, HS code and Incoterm (EXW, FOB, CIF or DDP) on the quote.

FAQ

Integrated UHF RFID Readers, Answered

What is the difference between an integrated UHF RFID reader and a fixed reader?

Both run the same EPCglobal Gen2 / ISO 18000-63 air interface. An integrated reader carries its main antenna inside a sealed housing (typically 8–8.5 dBic with a 65–80° beam, or 9 dBi circular on one gate unit) plus one to three spare ports, and is sized for one read zone. A fixed reader drives separate antennas from multiple ports, so it serves multi-antenna portals and, through antenna hubs, up to 32 antennas from one unit.

How far will an integrated reader read a windshield tag or a card at a gate?

Published figures at 2 W e.r.p.: windshield labels up to 8 m on glass (10 m for an ETSI-tuned cryptographic variant) and ID-1 passive UHF cards up to 9 m with a matched reader. On the reader side, a 9 dBi gate unit states 0–15 m and an 8 dBic flat panel 5–7 m nominal. Set the stop line well inside the tag figure and confirm with a site test, especially for dual-frequency cards, whose UHF distance varies with environment and application.

Can an integrated reader connect to my existing access controller?

Yes, wherever the datasheet lists Wiegand output: the reader converts part of the EPC into a 26-bit or longer Wiegand frame and sends it one way over about 90 m of 24 AWG or 150 m of 18 AWG cable. Agree the EPC-to-Wiegand mapping before credentials are encoded, and use RS-485 or Ethernet where the controller supports them, for longer runs and two-way diagnostics.

Can I add a second antenna to an integrated reader?

Gate-class units carry one extra RP-TNC port and rugged units up to three, so a panel on the opposite kerb or a second lane can share the reader. Check the external port’s power rating (one family rates it at +27 or +30 dBm), apply the beam-width rule for your band, and budget the cable loss of the run.

Which IP rating does an outdoor lane need?

IP65 means dust-tight plus resistance to 6.3 mm water jets; IP67 means dust-tight plus 30 minutes of immersion at 1 m. The water tests are separate, so a lane that is pressure-washed wants the jet rating stated, a flood-prone pit wants IP67, and a unit marked IP65/IP67 covers both. Pair the rating with the operating temperature range; published outdoor units run −20 to +55 °C or −20 to +70 °C.

What approvals apply to an integrated UHF reader used in India?

India’s licence-free UHF RFID rules are G.S.R. 853(E) of 10 December 2021: equipment must be type approved and comply with EN 302 208, and interrogators are limited to 2 W e.r.p. on four 200 kHz channels. The UHF readers Identium supplies are BIS and WPC approved for India’s licence-free UHF band.

Will PoE run an integrated reader at full output?

Rugged integrated units specify PoE+ (IEEE 802.3at, 25.5 W at the device), and their datasheet asks for a 30 W static switch port over Cat 6 up to 100 m; standard 802.3af delivers about 13 W. Gate-class units with a 24 V / 2.5 A supply take 9–30 V DC instead. State the power you have in the RFQ, and plan an external GPIO supply where the unit runs on PoE+.

Integrated UHF RFID ReadersBuilt-in Antenna, One Lane, One Cable