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RFID

UHF RFID tags are small labels with a chip and an antenna that a reader can pick up from 1 to 10 metres away, without pointing at each one like a barcode. An RFID reader can read hundreds of tags in a few seconds, even inside a box or a stack of clothes. In Etalasse, RFID is used for much faster stock counts and for selling tagged items in the POS without scanning them one by one.

Items carry UHF tags. An RFID reader reads many tags at once, and Etalasse uses them to link tags to products, count stock, and sell in the POS. Each tag has a status: In stock, Sold, Missing or Void.UHF tags1 tag = 1 itemread in one sweepRFID readerUSB or Android handheldLink tagsDashboard · Owner/AdminStock countDashboard · Owner/AdminSell in POScashiers tooTag statusIn stockSoldMissingVoid123
(1) The RFID reader reads many tags at once. (2) The Owner or an Admin links tags to products and counts stock in the Dashboard. (3) Cashiers can sell tagged items in the POS.

(1) The RFID reader reads many tags at once. (2) The Owner or an Admin links tags to products and counts stock in the Dashboard. (3) Cashiers can sell tagged items in the POS.

Who can use it​

  • Plan: RFID is available from the Growth plan. See Billing & Plans.
  • Module: RFID is off by default in every shop. The shop owner switches it on first (see below).
  • Role:
    • Owners and Admins can link tags to products, change tag status, and count stock with RFID.
    • Cashiers can sell tagged items in the POS, but can't manage tags or stock counts.

One tag stands for one item. Stock is still a number per product or variant, as before. Tags don't replace stock numbers. They are a faster way to count and sell.

What you need​

  1. UHF RFID tags (EPC Gen2, Indonesian band 920–923 MHz). Usually stickers or hang tags, around Rp1.000–3.000 each. Tags may already carry a code from your supplier.
  2. A UHF RFID reader that sends what it reads in one of these ways:
    • keyboard mode: a USB (or Bluetooth) desktop reader that "types" the tag code and then presses Enter. Works on pos.etalasse.com and Android with no special setup.
    • broadcast mode: an Android handheld with built-in RFID that sends reads as a broadcast. Set it up like an Android handheld scanner in Barcode & QR Scanners.

On Android, RFID readers need the latest version of the POS and Dashboard apps from Google Play.

tip

Try your reader in Settings → Scanner → Test scanner in the POS. A tag code usually shows as 24 characters of digits and the letters A–F, for example 3034257BF7194E4000001A85.

Switching on the RFID module​

  1. Open Settings > Business Features in the Dashboard.
  2. Switch on RFID, then confirm.

Only the shop owner can switch it on or off. Switching RFID off does not delete linked tags. While the module is off, the POS ignores tag reads. See Business Features.

Linking tags to products​

Open the RFID Tags page: on the web Dashboard from the Products menu, in the Dashboard app from the Stock menu (or the RFID Tags action on a product row).

  1. Pick the product (and its variant, if any), or scan its barcode.
  2. Hold the reader near the stack of that item and read the tags. The number of tags read shows live.
  3. Check the number, then confirm, for example Link 24 tags to Kaos Hitam L.

Things to watch:

  • Read the items of one product or variant at a time. Keep other items away from the reader.
  • Tags already linked to this product are skipped, not counted twice.
  • Tags already linked to another product are left alone. Etalasse shows them as conflicts. You can move them to this product, and their status goes back to In stock.
  • A Void tag that is read again for the same product becomes active again.
  • One read can hold up to 2,000 tags.

Tags from your supplier. If your supplier already encoded the item code in the tag (SGTIN-96 format) and that code is the same as your product's barcode, Etalasse recognises the tag without linking it first.

On the same page you can list tags per product and per status, search a tag by the start of its code, change a tag's status, or unlink a tag from its product so it can be reused.

Tag status​

StatusMeaning
In stockThe item is in the shop or storeroom
SoldThe item was sold in the POS
MissingNot read during the last RFID stock count
VoidThe tag is no longer used, for example damaged or removed from the item

You can change a status by hand to In stock, Missing or Void. Only a sale sets a tag to Sold.

Stock count with RFID​

RFID speeds up the normal stock count. Creating, reviewing and finalizing the count stay the same.

  1. Create a stock count as usual, then open the count screen.
  2. Turn on RFID mode.
  3. Hold the reader's trigger and walk along the shelves. A counter shows how many tags were read, how many matched a product, and how many are unknown. Item lines fill in by themselves.
  4. Stop, check the result, then save the counts.
  5. Continue with Review and Finalize as usual.

How Etalasse counts:

  • Each tag counts once, even when it is read many times. Several staff or several shelves can take turns reading, and the reads add up in the same stock count.
  • The RFID count is used for items that have active tags, or whose tags were read in this count. The count for that item = the number of its tags read.
  • Items without tags are not changed by RFID. Count those the normal way.
  • Unknown tags and tags of items outside the scope of the stock count are listed separately and don't change any count.

When the stock count is finalized:

  • tags that were read get their last-seen time, and Missing tags that were read go back to In stock
  • In stock tags of items counted with RFID that were not read become Missing
  • Sold and Void tags are never changed by a stock count
tip

Read one shelf or area at a time and finish it before you move on, so no corner is missed. Tags inside metal shelves or near liquids can be harder to read. Hold the reader closer to the items there.

Selling tagged items in the POS​

Cashiers can sell tagged items straight from the POS cart.

  1. Put the basket near the desktop reader, or sweep the handheld reader over the items.
  2. Each tag read adds 1 item to the cart. The same tag is never added twice.
  3. If items from a nearby shelf were read by mistake, tap Clear RFID reads and read again.
  4. Take payment as usual. The tags sold become Sold.

Things to watch:

  • Tags that are already sold are ignored with the warning This tag is already sold.
  • Unknown tags, or tags of another product, are ignored too. The sale still goes through.
  • Set the reader to low power so its range is short and it doesn't read items on the shelves.
  • If the order is cancelled, its tags go back to In stock.
  • On a refund, tags go back to In stock only if they are read again during the refund. Otherwise change their status by hand on the RFID Tags page.

Limits​

  • Phone NFC can't read UHF tags. NFC uses a different frequency and only reads at touching distance. You need a UHF RFID reader.
  • Writing or encoding tags is not supported yet. Use tags that already carry a code from the factory or your supplier, then link them to products.
  • RFID label printers are not supported yet. Barcode labels still print as usual, see Barcode and Shelf Labels.
  • Etalasse does not provide anti-theft gates.