Zebra ST5500 Transition RFID Reader

The Zebra ST5500 is a ready-configured UHF RFID reader for dock doors and doorways. The reader and antennas sit in one housing that hangs from the ceiling or fixes to a wall. According to Zebra, it reports the direction a tagged item is moving as well as its presence. It runs on the 865-868 MHz band and Power over Ethernet, and comes as the ST5500-SR01000SSEU (hanging) and the ST5501-SR01000SSEU (wall-mounted).

Price on request · Request a quote or call (+356) 2138 5911 · Download Spec Sheet

We supply, set up and support Zebra RFID readers in Malta.

Stock that leaves a stockroom or a loading bay without a scan stays on the books until the next count finds the gap. The Zebra ST5500 transition RFID reader hangs over the doorway and logs each tagged item that passes through, and according to Zebra the direction it took. The reader and its antennas share one housing, so there are no separate antennas to choose, mount and cable. It sits in the Zebra range we supply in Malta and fits the warehouse automation work we set up.

What is the Zebra ST5500 for?

The Zebra ST5500 is for doorways where goods change place and the stock system should know about it. In logistics and warehousing that means the receiving and loading docks, and in retail the door between the back room and the sales floor or the goods-in door. Zebra names manufacturing for shipping and receiving points and for interior transition points such as between the warehouse and the plant floor.

Can the Zebra ST5500 work as an RFID dock door reader?

Yes, the Zebra ST5500 can serve as an RFID dock door reader at a single reading point, with one unit hung over the door or fixed beside it, if a test with your tagged goods shows it covers the opening. No door width or read range is published for it. A wide dock, or one split into several lanes, is a job for an FX9600 with antennas placed across the opening.

How the ST5500 records what passes and which way

According to Zebra, the ST5500 reports the direction a tag is moving as well as its presence, where Zebra says standard RFID readers detect presence only. Each pass through the door can then become an in or an out record.

Taking goods off stock as they leave a room. Zebra says an item moving from the stockroom to the sales floor can be removed from stockroom stock automatically. Zebra says the data kept over time can show process gaps.

Made for backrooms and aisles with metal and fluorescent light. Zebra designed the ST5500 for areas where metal and fluorescent lights interfere with RFID, and for collection counters where the read zone has to stay tight.

Inputs and outputs for sensors and lights. Two optically isolated inputs and three outputs on a terminal block take devices such as a door sensor or a light, which we wire at install.

Installing the Zebra ST5500 at a doorway

The Zebra ST5500 arrives with the reader and antennas already in one housing, so installing it comes down to mounting it, running a network cable and setting it up. Mounting hardware and tags are specified on the quote.

Ceiling or wall mounting. The ST5500 hangs from the ceiling over the opening, and the ST5501 is the wall-mounted configuration. Which one suits your door depends on the ceiling and the walls around the opening.

Power over the network cable. The ST5500 runs on PoE or PoE+ with an input power of 18 W maximum, so one Ethernet cable carries power and data. Where the switch has no PoE, a 24 V DC supply is the alternative, and Zebra says 12 to 48 V DC operation can be supported. PoE+ or DC power gives the full transmit power of +31.5 dBm; plain PoE gives +30.0 dBm.

Size and weight. At 1194 x 559 x 229 mm and 10.4 kg, the ST5500 is a large unit, and the ceiling or wall it hangs from has to carry it.

Indoor use. The ST5500 works from -20°C to +55°C at up to 95% humidity without condensation. No sealing rating is published for it, so it belongs on indoor doorways. A yard gate or an exposed quay needs a sealed reader such as the Zebra FXR90.

Connecting the ST5500 to your WMS or stock system

The Zebra ST5500 passes its reads to your software over LLRP, the standard protocol for RFID readers.

Programming tools. Applications on a host computer can use Zebra’s .NET, C and Java EMDK, and applications can also run on the reader itself through the C and Java SDK. Before we quote, we settle with you, and with Zebra where needed, which software turns the reads into in and out movements in your WMS, ERP or stock system.

Management and security. Firmware upgrades run through the web interface or remotely, and network traffic is protected with TLS 1.2 and FIPS-140.

Zebra ST5500 technical specifications

Download the Zebra ST5500 spec sheet (PDF)

Zebra ST5500 configurations and part codes

The Zebra ST5500 comes in the configurations below, and we pick the one that fits your work: hanging from the ceiling or mounted on the wall. Both include the reader and the antennas. Tell us the task and we specify the part code. Units are usually from stock or within a few days, depending on regional availability.

ST5500 or an FX9600 with antennas: which fits your door?

The Zebra ST5500 suits a single doorway where you want in and out records with little installation work, because its antennas are already in the housing. An FX9600 fixed RFID reader takes four or eight antennas placed to cover a wide, oddly shaped or multi-lane opening. It also has four inputs and four outputs.

Zebra no longer sells its assembled dock-door portal, so for wide docks the FX9600 with chosen antennas is what we quote in its place.

The ST5500 tells you that an item passed the door, not where it sits inside the hall. To locate tagged items within a zone, the Zebra ATR7000 RFID locationing reader reads from overhead. If you count stock once a week instead of at every movement, a handheld RFID reader covers it with nothing fixed to the building.

What Sirap does with an ST5500 order

Sirap is a Zebra RFID Specialist. Before we quote, we survey the doorway and test the reader with your own tagged goods, because no read range is published. The same visit checks that the ceiling or wall can carry 10.4 kg and that there is PoE or a 24 V supply. Our engineers mount, cable and commission the reader and test the reads at handover. Zebra OneCare is quoted with the reader, and we support it locally after handover.

Frequently asked questions about the ST5500

Will the ST5500 work with our WMS or ERP?

Yes, if your system or its middleware can take reads over LLRP or through Zebra’s APIs. The Zebra ST5500 speaks LLRP, and Zebra supplies .NET, C and Java tools for the link. Which software turns its reads into stock movements depends on your system and is part of the quote.

What do we need at the door before the ST5500 is installed?

The Zebra ST5500 needs a network point with PoE or PoE+, or a 24 V DC supply. The ceiling or wall has to carry a unit 1194 mm long that weighs 10.4 kg, and the doorway should be indoors.

Who services the ST5500 in Malta?

We supply, install and support the Zebra ST5500 locally in Malta. Zebra’s warranty covers the ST5500 against defects in workmanship and materials for 12 months from shipment, provided the unit is unmodified and used under normal conditions.

Talk to a Sirap engineer about the ST5500

Tell us about the doorway, the goods that pass through it and the system that should receive the reads. We then arrange the site visit and quote the ST5500 configuration that fits.

Request a quote for the Zebra ST5500 or call (+356) 2138 5911 · Price on request