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Reader Setup

TrakRF pairs with supported RFID readers directly from the browser using Web Bluetooth (Web BLE). No driver install, no companion app — you click Connect Device, pick your reader from the OS pairing dialog, and you're scanning.

Before you start​

Browser support​

Web BLE is a Chromium feature. TrakRF works in:

  • Google Chrome (desktop and Android)
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Opera
  • Bluefy (iOS/iPadOS) — free from the App Store. iOS Safari doesn't expose Web BLE, and Chrome/Edge on iOS are Safari under the hood, so Bluefy is the only option on iPhone and iPad.

Desktop Safari and Firefox do not support Web BLE and will show a "Supported browsers: Chrome, Edge, Opera" banner in place of the connect button.

Bluetooth permissions​

  • Desktop — make sure Bluetooth is on in the OS and the browser has permission to access it.
  • Android — Chrome needs Location permission on first pair (Android ties BLE scans to location). Grant it when prompted; you won't be asked again.
  • HTTPS required — Web BLE only works over HTTPS. The hosted TrakRF app is HTTPS by default, so this only matters if you're running a local build.

Supported readers​

TrakRF currently supports the CS108 handheld from Convergence Systems (UHF, BLE).

Fixed readers

The Convergence CS463 fixed reader shares the CS108 API and has a BLE radio, but in practice it's driven over its HTTP API / web UI rather than Web BLE. Fixed-reader workflows are out of scope for this guide.

Pair your reader​

  1. Power on the CS108 — hold the power button for ~3 seconds until the green power LED lights solid. The Bluetooth indicator starts flashing automatically on power-up, meaning the reader is advertising and ready to be discovered; there's no separate pairing-mode button.

    First-time battery

    A fresh CS108 battery wants roughly a 4-hour initial charge. The charge LED is red while charging and goes out when full. Seat the battery with its metal contacts facing down.

  2. In TrakRF, open Settings (left nav). You'll land on the Device Setup page, which has a Device Connection card at the top.

  3. Click Connect Device.

  4. Your browser opens the Web BLE pairing dialog. Pick your reader by name — it advertises as CS108ReaderXXXXXX, where XXXXXX is the last six hex digits of its MAC — and click Pair.

    Chrome Web BLE pairing dialog showing a CS108 reader

  5. The page-status chip in the top-right flips from Disconnected (red) to Connected (green), and the Device Status pill in the left sidebar updates to match.

  6. The reader is now paired. OS-level pairing happens once per device; from then on, clicking the status button in TrakRF reopens the browser's connect dialog with the reader already listed — just select it and confirm to reconnect. You only need to re-pair through System Settings / Control Panel if you explicitly forget the device.

Adjust basic settings​

Device Setup page with a CS108 connected — green Device Connection card, battery %, and the Signal Power slider

Once connected, the Basic Settings card on the same page exposes:

  • Signal Power slider — controls the reader's transmit power in dBm EIRP. The CS108 supports roughly +10.0 to +30.0 dBm (and up to +31.5 dBm in some regions / with certain power supplies), so the practical range is constrained by your regulatory region — FCC, ETSI, etc. The slider is marked Low / Medium / High and shows the current value (e.g. 30 dBm) on the right. Higher power = longer read range, but also more cross-reads from neighbouring shelves. Start at the max and dial back if you're picking up tags you don't want.

    note

    The on-screen slider currently runs from 0 to 30 dBm; it's being aligned with the hardware's real floor of +10 dBm (tracked in TRA-391).

The Advanced Settings section (collapsed by default) holds session/query tuning for denser environments. Most users won't need to touch it.

Troubleshooting​

Most pairing and connection issues resolve with the same small set of steps. Try them in order:

  1. Power-cycle the reader. Hold the power button until the green LED goes out, wait a few seconds, power it back on. The BLE indicator should start flashing again.
  2. Reload the TrakRF tab, then click the status button to retry the connect. Web BLE sometimes drops silently after sleep/resume — especially on macOS.
  3. Restart the host's Bluetooth stack. Toggle Bluetooth off and back on in the OS (or use the airplane-mode trick on mobile).
  4. Forget and re-pair. Open your OS's Bluetooth settings — System Settings → Bluetooth on macOS, Settings → Devices → Bluetooth on Windows, the Bluetooth panel under Android/iOS settings — find the CS108ReaderXXXXXX entry, remove/forget it, then run through the pair flow above from scratch.
  5. Check battery seating and charge. A low battery can let pairing succeed and then fail mid-scan. Re-seat the pack (metal contacts down) and confirm it's charged — red LED while charging, dark when full.
  6. Try a different browser profile. Stale site permissions are the usual cause of "it worked yesterday." A fresh profile sidesteps them without touching your main one.

What's next​