Alien F800 4-Port UHF RFID Reader: Unboxing, Setting Up, & Installing via PoE Injector

Posted by Suzanne Smiley on Aug 20, 2019

Introduction

[Audio Transcription Below]

Hi, my name is Russell Hilyer, from atlasRFIDstore.com, and today we are going to walk through all the steps that are involved in unboxing and setting up the Alien F800 UHF RFID Reader, using a PoE Injector. Then, we will install the Alien Gateway Software and Connect to our Reader.

There are two ways to power the Alien F800 - either by Power over Ethernet (PoE) or by a Power Supply and Console Cable. This two video series is for connecting via a PoE Injector. To check out the video on connecting via Power Supply & Console Cable, click here.

Unboxing & Setting Up

First, we are going to set up all the hardware pieces that you will need, then, in the next video, we are going to download the Alien Gateway program and set up our PC or laptop to connect to the reader.

In order to read and write tags with the Alien F800 reader, you will need the following items:

First, connect your reader to the UHF RFID Antenna by using the RP-TNC Male to RP-TNC Male Antenna cable.

It is important that your antenna cable has the correct connectors for the reader and the antenna that you are using. This MTI MT-242043 Antenna has an RP-TNC Female connector. Learn more about connectors here.

Connect one end of the RP-TNC Male cable to the reader and then connect the other end to the antenna.

Next, you will want to connect your F800 Reader to your PoE Injector using the Ethernet cable. Connect one end of the Ethernet cable into the “LAN/POE” port on the reader, and then connect the other end into the “OUT” port on your PoE Injector.

Next, take the second Ethernet cable and plug it into the PoE Injector’s “IN” port, and then connect the other end of the cable into your computer’s “Ethernet” port.

Next, plug in your PoE injector into a standard electrical outlet. After a few seconds, your F800’s power light should turn on. Additionally, the “LAN” port on the reader should light up green in two places surrounding the Ethernet cable.

Installing the Alien Gateway and Connecting To Your Reader

Once you have all the hardware components set up, you will need to prepare your computer to connect to your reader. In this video, we will be connecting our reader to our PC using the Ethernet cable connected to the PoE Injector.

First, we are going to download and install Alien Gateway, which is a software program that runs on Alien readers for testing and demonstration purposes.

For your convenience, the Alien Gateway software has been uploaded to the atlasRFIDstore cloud, and the link is in the video description below.

Click on this link to download the Alien Gateway software.

On the atlasRFIDstore cloud, there are three files in the folder –

  • The Alien Gateway Software Program - which we will install.
  • A text file describing the newest updates to the software and any instructions necessary.
  • And, the full folder as a zip file.

Instead of choosing one, click “Download” in the top right corner and select, “Direct Download”, and the download process will start automatically. A window will pop up when it is complete.

Navigate to your “Downloads” folder to locate the file you just downloaded.

Next, right click on the software and choose “7-zip”, “Extract Files”, and then extract them to your preferred folder. If your computer prompts you, check the box “Show extracted file when complete”, and click “Extract”. When it is complete, a new window should pop up. Double click on the software to get started.

The Setup window should pop up, prompting you to finish the Alien Gateway Setup. Click “Next”, then Accept the License Agreement, and click “Next”.

Install the files to the folder of your choice and click “Next”. The setup wizard will then ask you where you would like to place the program’s shortcut on the Start Menu – choose the placement and click “Next”. The setup box will ask if you would like to create an additional desktop icon – check or uncheck the box, depending on your preference, and click “Next”.

Then click, “Install”, to finish up the installation.

Check the box, “Launch Alien RFID Gateway”, and click, “Finish”.

(Some computers might have an error message that appears stating that the program couldn’t be found in the directory. If this occurs, click “OK”, and then launch the application from your Start Menu or Desktop Icon.)

In order to locate your reader via the Alien Gateway software – you will first need to edit your PC’s network settings for this connection in order to connect.

Navigate to your “Network and Sharing Center” on your PC, and look for your local Ethernet connection option for your reader. Click on, “Ethernet”, and Select, “Properties”, to open the connection’s Ethernet menu. Double click the, “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)”, and select the option, “Use the following IP address”.

In order to communicate between the PC and the reader, the PC needs to have an IP address in the same range as the reader. By default – Alien readers have the following IP address and Subnet Mask:

Alien F800 Defaults

  • IP Address: 192.168.1.100
  • Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
  • Default Gateway: 192.168.1.1
  • Command Port: 23

      The PC cannot be on the same exact IP address as the reader, so it cannot be 192.168.1.100 – the last three digits can be any number between 1 – 255. In this tutorial, we have chosen 50, so we are setting this PC to the IP address, 192.168.1.50. The Subnet mask should populate when you move to the next field, but if it does not, just type in the same Subnet Mask as the reader – 255.255.255.0.

      Then type in the default gateway for Alien readers which is 192.168.1.1, then click “OK”.

      Navigate back to the Alien Gateway Software, and on the right-hand side, select “Discover”.

      When the “Reader Discovery Wizard” appears, choose the option – “look for a reader connected to the Local Area Network (LAN)”.

      Next, you will need to type in the reader’s IP address and Command Port, mentioned previously, and click, “Discover Reader”.

      A pop up window will appear titled, “Reader Login”. Instead of filling in the Username or Password, click “Login as alien/password”.

      The window should disappear, and the button should say, “Discovering…”, below.

      Next, another pop up window should appear showing that your reader has been discovered and asking you whether you want to remember this reader from now on. Click, “Yes”.

      Both the pop up and the “Discover” window will disappear.

      Your reader should now appear on the right side of the screen, under “Readers”. Your reader is now ready to use.

      Conclusion

      That concludes the first two steps on Unboxing and Setting Up our Alien F800 and Installing the Alien Gateway and Connecting to Your Alien F800 Reader via PoE. Be sure to watch the next video in the series, “ Navigating the Alien Gateway Software”.

      Thanks for taking the time to walk through these steps with us. For more information on all things RFID, check out our blog, our RFID resources page, and subscribe to our YouTube channel. And as always, if you have any questions at all, please send us an email or give us a call.

      To learn more about RFID readers, check out the links below!

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