Hardware Integration Tutorial: Connecting Zebra RFD40 and RFD8500 to the FloEnvy Mobile App

Learn how to connect your RFD8500 or RFD40 RFID readers to the FloEnvy mobile app on iOS and Android

RFID readers can be used to quickly scan your plants' tags while performing different tasks within the FloEnvy mobile app, but they require a little set up before they can be used.

Table of Contents

 


Supported RFID Readers

The FloEnvy mobile app currently supports the following models of RFID readers:

 


Connecting the RFD8500/RFD40 via Bluetooth

Pairing your device with the RFID reader

If you have not used your RFID reader with your mobile device, you first need to pair the two.

First, ensure that the reader is powered on, and in pairing mode.

RFD40 powered on and ready to connect

For the RFD40, simply pull the trigger to turn on the reader. The battery light will turn solid, and the Bluetooth light will begin blinking.

RFD8500 powered on    RFD8500 ready to connect

For the RFD8500, first press the power button on the right side of the reader. Then, check on the left side for the Bluetooth button--if it's not already blinking blue, press it for if not, then press the Bluetooth button on the left side. The battery light will turn solid, and the Bluetooth light will begin blinking.

 

Next, open the Bluetooth setting on your mobile device, and pair the reader.

On iOS:

Open the Settings app, then select Bluetooth. Your reader should appear in the Other Devices list. The name will be the device model and serial number (eg "RFD850020281..." or "RFD40_2301252....")

RFD40 showing up under "Other Devices"

Select the reader to pair it with your device. If the pairing was successful, the reader will show up under "My Devices" as connected, and the Bluetooth light on the reader will stay solid.
rfd40 pairing with iOS    rfd40 successfully connected

Note for RFD8500: after selecting the reader from "Other Devices", you must pull the trigger on the reader to confirm the pairing.

 

On Android:

Open the Settings app, then select Connected Devices, and then Pair new device. Your reader should appear under the "Available devices" list. The name will be the device model and serial number (eg "RFD850020281..." or "RFD40_2301252....").rfd-40-android-available-devices

Select the reader to pair it with your device. When asked to confirm, select "Pair". If the pairing was successful, the reader will show up in the "Saved devices" list.

rfd40-android-confirm-pairing   rfd40-android-saved-devices

Note for RFD8500: after selecting the reader from "Available devices" and confirming on your mobile device, you must pull the trigger on the reader to confirm the pairing.

Connecting/re-connecting to the RFID reader

Once your device has been paired with your RFID reader, reconnecting it to your mobile device should be as simple as turning it on.

For Android:

As long as your reader shows up in your "Saved devices" list, and the Bluetooth light on the reader is blinking, no further action is needed.

For iOS:

After turning your reader on, it should automatically connect to your mobile device within about 5-10 seconds. You can confirm the connection by going back to the Bluetooth settings and checking if the reader is still listed under "My Devices", and says "Connected".

If for some reason it fails to connect automatically, make sure the Bluetooth light on the reader is blinking, and then select it from the "My Devices" list. Once successfully connected, the Bluetooth light will stay solid.

Note for RFD40: if the Bluetooth light doesn't stop blinking after your mobile device says "Connected", try pulling the trigger on the reader, this should confirm the connection.


Connecting the RFD40 via eConnex adapter

Zebra produces several models of mobile devices that can be directly connected to your RFD40 reader via their eConnex port. This lets you avoid having to deal with pairing and connecting via Bluetooth, but requires that you have a Zebra mobile device with a rear 8-pin I/O port, and the appropriate eConnex adapter to attach to your reader.

After you follow the steps to attach the eConnex adapter to your reader, and insert your Zebra mobile device into the adapter, no further setup is needed.

 


Connect your RFID Reader with the FloEnvy mobile app

After you've successfully paired your mobile device with your RFID reader, the final step is to connect the FloEnvy mobile app to the reader.

Open the FloEnvy mobile app, and open the Settings menu by tapping the menu button in the top right corner. Then, select Connect to RFID Reader.

rfid-android-app-not-connectedTap Connect, and the mobile app will begin scanning for available RFID readers. If one is found, it will then attempt to connect to it:

rfid-android-app-scanning   rfid-android-app-connecting

If a connection was successfully made, then the connection status will change to "Connected to <reader name>":

rfid-android-app-connected

Once the mobile app has been connected to your reader, you can use it to scan RFID tags on your plants when filling out any "Plant" fields for an Action. If you need to check the connection status, or disconnect the reader from this mobile app, simply return to this menu.

Important Note: whenever your RFID reader becomes disconnected from your mobile app, you will need to reconnect it by returning to the Connect to RFID Reader menu and tapping Connect.


Possible errors when connecting to the mobile app

When trying to connect your RFID reader to the FloEnvy mobile app, you may run into one of the following errors:

  • Failed to detect any RFID Readers

rfid-android-app-failed-to-detect-devices

This means that the mobile application was not able to find any RFID readers to attempt connecting to. To resolve the issue, check the following:

  • Ensure that the RFID reader is powered on
  • Ensure that the RFID reader is not already connected to a different mobile device
  • If using Bluetooth, ensure that Bluetooth is enabled on the mobile device
  • On Android devices: check that your RFID reader is present in the list of "Saved Devices" in Connected Devices settings. If not, follow the steps for pairing your reader on Android.
  • On iOS devices: check that your RFID reader is present in the list of "My Devices" in Bluetooth settings, and that the connection status says "Connected". If it does not appear in the "My Devices" list, follow the steps for pairing your reader on iOS. If the reader is present in the "My Devices" list, but is not connected, follow the steps for reconnecting your reader on iOS.

 

  • Failed to connect to reader

rfid-android-app-failed-to-connect

This means that the mobile application found the reader, but was not able to establish a connection with it. To resolve this issue, check the following:

  • Ensure that the RFID reader is powered on
  • Ensure that the RFID reader is not already connected to a different mobile device


Reading Plant Tags into a FloEnvy Task


Once the mobile app has been connected to your RFID scanner, you can use it to input weights for any weight-related field for an Action Item.

You can now scan plant tags when perofrming a Harvest, an Audit, or any other plant-touching task.

For example, to read data for Harvesting:

  • Open a Harvest task in the FloEnvy Mobile app (the same workflow can be used for the Audit task or any other cultivation task)

  • Click the "Harvest Plant" Action Item.
    • Then proceed with scanning a plant tag using your Zebra scanner.
    • The "Plant" field should automatically populate based on the tag you scanned