RFID: Real-Time Product Tracking

Set Up MongoDB Atlas

Cluster Setup

• Select a cloud provider.

• Choose a region.

• Configure cluster specifications (e.g., instance size, storage).

Network Security

• Configure network access.

• Identify IP access list for edge devices and application servers.

• User authentication.

• Create a database user with read and write permissions for the inventory database.

Connection

• Obtain connection string from MongoDB Atlas.

• Use connection string to connect your application to the cluster.

Configure your project in Xcode

Project Setup

• Open the 123RFID (or the name you’ve given it) project in Xcode.

• Configure project settings (deployment target).

• Add necessary frameworks and libraries from Zebra SDK.

• Configure build settings (library search paths, framework search paths).

Device Pairing

• Enable Bluetooth on iOS device.

• Pair RFID reader using 123RFID app.

Running the Application

• Connect iOS device to Mac.

• Select device as target in Xcode.

• Run the application.

Match Inventory Tags

The getMatchingTagList method in Objective-C compares RFID tags from the current physical inventory with a predefined list of tags and updates the user interface accordingly. This procedure works as follows:

• Retrieves current inventory and predefined tag list.

• Compares inventory tags with the tag list to find matches.

• Removes matched tags from the missing tags list.

• Updates UI with counts of unique and total tags.

• Stops inventory operation and confirms a complete match if all tags are accounted.

Send Match Confirmation

The sendUrlRequestToFlag method sends a POST request to a specified URL to indicate the result of the inventory check. This process works as follows:

• Initializes POST request to the target URL.

• Sets JSON content type header.

• Prepares JSON payload with inventory check results.

• Sends POST request and logs the results.

• Displays a warning message based on the inventory check outcome.

Display Your Inventory Checks in Real Time

We leverage MongoDB Change Streams for instant notifications and visualize the data using MongoDB Atlas Charts. The code sets up a change stream to monitor new inventory checks in the inventoryCheck collection.

Endpoint Setup

• Use MongoDB Change Streams to monitor changes in the inventoryCheck collection.

const startWatchInventoryCheck = async (dashboard, addAlert, utils) => {
    console.log("Start watching stream");
    const runs = await getMongoCollection(utils.dbInfo.dbName, "inventoryCheck");
    const filter = {
        filter: {
            operationType: "insert"
        }
    };
    const stream = runs.watch(filter);
    const closeStreamInventoryCheck = () => {
        console.log("Closing stream");
        stream.return();
    };
    try {
        for await (const change of stream) {
            console.log(change.fullDocument);
            addAlert(change.fullDocument.checkResult);
            dashboard.refresh();
        }
    } catch (error) {
        console.error("Error watching stream:", error);
    }
};

Embed the dashboard

• Use MongoDB Charts embedding SDK to integrate the dashboard into your web application.

• Import the necessary libraries and context.

• Create an instance of ChartsEmbedSDK with your base URL.

• Define and render the dashboard properties into a designated div.

• Start the change stream and handle real-time updates with alerts.

Implement Real-Time Alerts

• Display success or error alerts based on the inventory check results using pushToast.

Ensure Integration

• Verify that real-time notifications and dashboard updates work seamlessly.

• Maintain accurate inventory data and respond quickly to discrepancies.