What you should know:

• Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. is adding RAIN RFID reader capabilities to handheld devices to shorten time to market, reduce development costs and minimize design complexity for OEMs and ODMs.  
• The Qualcomm Dragonwing Q-6690 is the world’s first enterprise mobile processor with fully integrated UHF (RAIN) RFID.
• OEMs and ODMs now enjoy a fully commercial-ready, end-to-end solution, with lower BOM costs and a smaller design footprint for enterprise and industrial applications like handheld devices for asset tracking and inventory management, payment terminals, retail POS and product authentication.

RAIN Radio frequency identification (RFID) readers offer the advantages of speed, accuracy and efficiency in tracking and managing assets. They enhance decision making and operational insight by using radio waves to find and read multiple tags simultaneously — even tags that are out of the line of sight. That reduces labor requirements while capturing real-time data efficiently.

RAIN RFID reader capabilities in enterprise mobile devices such as handhelds and tablets can be a big differentiator in verticals like retail, transportation and logistics, public safety, and energy and utilities. As a product differentiator, RAIN RFID technology holds promise for most original design manufacturers (ODMs) and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of handheld devices for asset tracking and management. The technology enables the design of sleeker, more compact devices that are easier to carry and operate, which ultimately drives efficiency and usability.

Challenges of adding RAIN RFID reader capabilities on a mobile form-factor device

Manufacturers have found that integrating RAIN RFID reader capabilities into a mobile device presents several challenges:

• Physical size: Accommodating an external RFID module often requires redesigning the device, which usually results in an increased footprint.
• Hardware configuration: Introducing RFID reader capabilities to an existing device calls for hardware engineering, including changes for power management and integration with device subsystems.
• Software: Changes to hardware entail changes to software, with ensuing complexity as engineering teams develop and test the software for seamless operation between the RFID module and the device’s core functions.
• Cost: Not only does adding RFID reader capabilities boost the bill of materials (BOM) cost, but OEMs must also budget for resource-intensive rounds of compliance and certification testing.
• Time to market: Delivering commercial-ready RFID functionality means protracted development timelines, diverted engineering resources and delayed product launches.

Ultimately, those factors combine to create a challenging environment where technical complexity and escalating expenses undermine competitiveness and innovation.

Solution: Dragonwing Q-6690 with on-chip RFID reader

The Dragonwing Q-6690 processor is engineered to solve this industry challenge by enabling fully integrated RAIN RFID reader capability directly on the processor. The Dragonwing family of processors is engineered as the flagship offering of our IoT business unit. The processors deliver advanced intelligence and enable smarter decision-making across verticals such as enterprise mobile computing, retail, point of sales, transport and logistics, utility, energy and safety.

The Dragonwing Q-6690 processor fully integrates RAIN RFID reader capabilities for ultra-high frequency (UHF), radio-based identification without the need for external RFID reader modules. OEMs and ODMs can now offer their customers the benefits of RFID in a small footprint without expensive redesign.

From the perspectives of design and manufacturing, having the RFID reader capabilities fully integrated with the Dragonwing Q-6690 processor means a compact form factor, low BOM cost and small footprint. It helps reduce complexity in engineering effort, device certification and BOM. OEMs and ODMs reap the benefits of end-to-end commercial readiness not only in hardware but also in software, allowing them to enable new features more quickly and at low cost.

Beyond the clear advantages of reduced size and cost, the fully integrated RAIN RFID architecture of the Dragonwing Q-6690 offers system-level efficiencies that set it apart:

• RF coexistence: By embedding RFID functionality directly into the processor, the Dragonwing Q-6690 enables concurrent operation with other integrated radios — including 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0 and ultrawide band (UWB) — without interference or the need for additional RF front-end components.
• Reduced complexity: Reusing the existing WAN infrastructure and components minimizes hardware complexity.
• Power-efficiency: Integrated RFID design without external RFID reader hardware is ideal for battery-sensitive applications like handhelds, mobile POS systems and smart kiosks.

Those benefits, combined with a software-configurable, scalable platform, make the Dragonwing Q-6690 a compelling choice for OEMs and ODMs seeking to streamline design, shorten time to market and future-proof their product lines.

Dragonwing supports leading RFID standards and enhancements  

As the first enterprise mobile processor to feature an integrated RAIN RFID reader, the Dragonwing Q-6690 fully supports the RAIN radio protocol, which is standardized as ISO/IEC 18000-63.

Furthermore, the Dragonwing Q-6690 processor is Gen2X-capable. Gen2X is an enhancement to the RAIN radio protocol that delivers a toolbox of innovations to address enterprise needs. RAIN member company Impinj released Gen2X to the industry with the goal of accelerating RAIN adoption.

“Qualcomm Technologies has taken a big step toward accelerating the adoption of RAIN RFID,” says Chris Diorio, the CEO, vice chair and co-founder at Impinj. “For the past two decades, Impinj has focused on developing innovations and partnerships to realize our mission to connect everything. RAIN RFID-enabled mobile devices are a critical next step to realizing this mission and we are thrilled to partner with Qualcomm. We’re pleased that the Dragonwing Q-6690 processor is Gen2X-capable, allowing it to leverage advanced features and capabilities in our M700 and M800 series endpoint ICs. This processor will streamline device design, reduce costs and open up new possibilities for enterprise and industrial devices that will help connect every item in our everyday world.”

Ideal edge applications for on-chip RFID

With fully integrated RFID, edge devices built on the Dragonwing Q-6690 processor can read commercial tags including those that incorporate the M700 and M800 series from Impinj as well as the full range of UCODE products from NXP to identify, locate, and protect every thing an enterprise tracks, manages, and sells.

“NXP’s UCODE portfolio is designed to deliver high-performance, standards-compliant RFID solutions for global supply chains,” says Philippe Dubois, Senior Vice President, Secure Transactions & Identification – BL Secure Connected Edge at NXP. “We’re excited to see the Dragonwing Q-6690 processor integrate UHF RFID capabilities that are compatible with UCODE-based tags , enabling scalable, efficient, secure item-level tracking across various industries.”

The processor can be a differentiator for OEMs and ODMs of handheld devices in a wide range of edge applications, including these:

• Retail inventory management
• Retail POS and self-checkout kiosks
• Electronic cash registers
• Asset tracking and shipment handling
• Patient monitoring
• Medical inventory management
• Product authentication