Impinj R700 RAIN RFID Reader Technical FAQ

This support article lists the most frequently asked technical questions for the Impinj R700 RAIN RFID reader. For the Impinj IoT device interface technical FAQ, please refer to the Impinj IoT Device Interface FAQ.

How can I set the maximum power of 33 dBm with the Impinj R700?

1. Make sure your PoE power source is compliant to 802.3at standard (PoE+).

2. (Impinj R700 ETSI region only) Select ETSI Upper band (EU2) as the Impinj R700 region.

3. Run the following RShell command on the Impinj R700:

    > show system power

4. If it is not set to PoE+, issue the following RShell command on the Impinj R700:

    > config system power source PoE+

Note: PoE settings may also be configured through the /system/power endpoint in the reader configuration REST API. See an example below.

    > curl -u root:impinj -k --request PUT https://<ip address or hostname>/api/v1/system/power -d "{\"powerSource\":\"poeplus\"}"

What is the minimum transmit power I can configure with the Impinj R700?

10 dBm.

What options are available to power the Impinj R700?

The Impinj R700 is powered exclusively via power over ethernet (PoE or PoE+). Many commercial switches offer this capability. For use cases that require AC connectivity, Impinj sells a midspan injector (PN IPJ-A2010) that adds PoE+ capability to an existing network connection. There are many commercial off-the-shelf options available for other PoE injecting solutions.

How can I set the maximum receive sensitivity of -92 dBm with the Impinj R700?

Maximum receive sensitivity varies depending on the reader mode you select. In the Impinj ItemTest software, check the "Enable Max Sensitivity" option to use the maximum receive sensitivity for the reader mode you are using.

When using the Impinj IoT device interface, omitting the "receiveSensitivityDbm" field from a preset configuration JSON will cause the reader to report tags at the greatest sensitivity for any given mode.

For more information on different RF Modes on the Impinj R700, please refer to Impinj R700 Reader Modes (RF Modes) article.

How can I know which antenna port the Impinj R700 is using to read tags?

ItemTest software's Antenna column automatically displays which antenna port that the Impinj R700 is using to read tags.

If you are reading from output options in the Impinj IoT device interface (Ex: HTTP Stream, MQTT, Kafka), the inventory preset can be configured so that tagInventoryEvents will include the port name or number where the tag was seen.

What type of Ethernet cable can I use for powering the Impinj R700 via PoE/PoE+?

Any IEEE 802.3 compliant Ethernet cable should work with the Impinj R700. However, the maximum length of the Ethernet cable will vary depending on the power source and the Tx Power you use. These are outlined in the table below:

Power Source	Tx Max	Cable Max
802.3at PoE+	33 dBm	100 Meters
802.3af PoE	27 dBm	100 Meters
802.3af PoE	30 dBm	60 Meters

For more information, please refer to the Impinj R700 Installation and Operations Guide.

Can I connect to the Impinj R700 from a Linux laptop?

Yes. If you run into connection issues, please refer to the following Support Portal article: Troubleshooting Reader Connectivity Issues.

Can I use the application that I developed for an Impinj Speedway reader with an Impinj R700?

In general, yes. The LLRP interfaces available on Impinj Speedway readers are also available on Impinj R700 readers. You may need to modify the code for the Impinj R700 specific settings and/or values. Please note that NOT all capabilities are present in the Impinj R700, such as Doppler and Reduced Power Frequencies.

Applications that run directly on an Impinj Speedway reader will need to be recompiled for the Impinj R700.

For more details, please refer to Speedway to R700: Migration Application Note

Can the Impinj R700 buffer tag reads and/or events if the network goes down?

Yes. The buffer size is different depending on the interface you use:

- LLRP interface: up to 1000 tag reads

- IoT Device Interface: up to 300,000 events (for both the HTTP Streaming and MQTT output)

What cipher suites does the Impinj R700 support for TLS connection?

As of the firmware 7.6.0, the Impinj R700 supports the following cipher suites:

HTTPS port 443

TLSv1.2 (server order)

• TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384             
• TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384                   
• TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256             

TLSv1.3 (server order)

• TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384                             
• TLS_CHACHA20_POLY1305_SHA256                      
• TLS_AES_128_GCM_SHA256

LLRPS port 5085

TLSv1.2 (no server order, thus listed by strength)

• TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384             
• TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA384             
• TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA                
• TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_CHACHA20_POLY1305_SHA256       
• TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384                   
• TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA256                   
• TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA                      
• TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256             
• TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA256             
• TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA                
• TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256                   
• TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA256                   
• TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA                      

TLSv1.3 (no server order, thus listed by strength)

• TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384                            
• TLS_CHACHA20_POLY1305_SHA256                      
• TLS_AES_128_GCM_SHA256                            

How can I get started with the ETK development with the Impinj R700?

Please refer to the Impinj R700 Embedded Toolkit Quick Start Guide.

You can also watch the Impinj online training videos (Impinj partner only):
http://learning.impinj.com/.

Is Speedway Connect available for the Impinj R700?

No. Impinj Speedway Connect only runs on Impinj Speedway readers, Impinj xArray, Impinj xSpan, and Impinj xPortal. When configured to use the Impinj IoT device interface, the Impinj R700 displays with a native web UI that offers similar functionality to Impinj Speedway Connect.

For more information, please refer to the following Support Portal article: How to Configure the Impinj R700 RAIN RFID Reader for Inventory Operation Using Presets.

Can I use GPI to trigger start and stop of inventorying?

Yes. The Impinj IoT device interface supports this through a preset configuration using the "startTriggers" and "stopTriggers" JSON fields.  Please reference the Impinj IoT Device Interface documentation for more information. 

The LLRP interface may also be used to configure the reader to use a GPI as a start or stop trigger: Setting up GPI Triggers with LLRP.

Which male terminal block can I use with the GPIO ports on the Impinj R700?

One example is, PHOENIX CONTACT Printed-circuit board connector, 1803646.

For more information on the Impinj R700 and GPIO, please refer to Connecting GPIO devices to Impinj R700.

Can I add extra GPIO ports to the Impinj R700?

Impinj R700 has two general purpose inputs and three opto-isolated outputs. Adding extra GPIO ports directly to the reader is not supported. You may choose to use a networked GPIO device if the network latency is not a concern.

Which Wi-Fi dongles does the Impinj R700 support?

Impinj R700 currently supports the following Wi-Fi chipset:

• Ralink RT2870
• Realtek 8821CU

For more information, please refer to the following Support Portal article: How to use an Impinj R700 Reader with a USB WiFi Adapter.

For which countries/regions are the Impinj R700 certified?

Please refer to the following Support Portal article: Certified Regions and Geographies.

Is the Impinj R700 RoHS certified?

Yes. For more information, please refer to the following document: RoHS_REACH Compliance for Speedway Readers 20200608.pdf

For PoE, are there any requirement differences between Impinj Speedway series and Impinj R700?

Yes, power requirements vary depending on the the use of power drawn from the USB ports, the current draw from the GPIO port, and the length of the Ethernet cable form the power source to the reader. These differences are outlined in the table below:

Power Source	TX Max	Cable Max	GPIO + USB Max
802.3at PoE+	33 dBm	100 Meters	5V/500 mA
802.3af PoE	27 dBm	100 Meters	5V/500 mA
802.3af PoE	30 dBm	60 Meters	None

In general, the more power that is being used, the more likely that PoE+ will be needed to supply enough power to keep the reader operating without "browning out". For more information, please refer to the R700 Installation and Operations Guide.

Is there an antenna hub available for the Impinj R700?

Yes, the Impinj R700 antenna hub. For more information, please refer to the following document: Impinj R700 Antenna Hub Guide.

What is the operating and storage temperatures for the Impinj R700?

Operating temperature	-4° F to 122° F (-20° C to 50° C)
Storage temperature	-4° F to 158° F (-20° C to 70° C)