Zebra RFID from handheld sleds to fixed readers, installed and connected by Sirap
Sirap supplies, installs and connects Zebra RFID in Malta and Gozo, from sleds and handhelds to fixed readers, antennas, RFID printers and tags. RFID (radio-frequency identification) lets you count tagged stock, pallets or assets without scanning each label. A handheld sled, a handle with a reader that clips onto a handheld, reads hundreds of tags a second. A reader fixed at a door records what passes.
We connect the reads to your ERP (business system) or WMS (warehouse system) ourselves, with your software partner, or hand the reader interface to your IT team. For a PLC (the controller that runs a production line), we plan the link around the Zebra FX9600. We are a Zebra Premier Business Partner in Malta and a Zebra RFID Specialist, part of Maltese IT and industry since 1981. Tell us what you want to count or track and where, and we reply within one working day. Ask us for an RFID quote or call +356 2138 5911.
Why buy RFID from Sirap?
A Zebra RFID Specialist in Malta
Sirap is a Zebra RFID Specialist, a certification that covers Zebra's full RFID range, including the ATR7000 locationing reader and dock-door read points. We quote every part of a Zebra RFID system, from a sled for one shop to fixed readers across a warehouse, and our sales team in San Gwann works out the right mix with you.
Tested on your own tagged goods first
Read range depends on the tag, what it is stuck to and where the antennas sit, and Zebra publishes no range at all for several of its fixed readers. So we survey the door, shelf or gate and test reads with your own tagged goods before we quote. The test decides the reader, the antennas and the tag.
We install, commission and integrate
Our technical team mounts and cables the readers and antennas, commissions them on the EU band and wires stack lights, sensors and gates to their inputs and outputs. For the link to your ERP or WMS, we configure it ourselves, work with your software partner or hand the reader interface to your IT team, whichever suits you. Zebra's standard warranty applies, claims go through our technical team, and Zebra OneCare service plans are quoted on request.
Readers, printers, tags and handhelds from one supplier
An RFID project needs tags, something to encode them and something to read them. We supply all three: Zebra RFID labels and inlays, Zebra RFID printers, and Zebra handhelds, sleds and fixed readers. The same team quotes and supports them, on +356 2138 5911.
Which RFID reader for which job?
One question splits the range: do staff walk with a reader, or does a reader stay where the goods pass? A site that tags its own goods may need a printer that encodes the labels, sleds for the counts and a reader at the door, and we specify them together.
Counting a shop floor or a stockroom
Zebra RFD40 RFID sled
A stock-take that closes a shop for a day turns into a walk down the aisles. The Zebra RFD40 RFID sled clips onto a Zebra handheld or a phone and reads more than 1,300 tags a second, about 6 m away with the standard antenna. Its item-finder mode then leads staff to a missing size.
Counting a warehouse, yard or factory by hand
Zebra RFD90 ultra-rugged RFID sled
High racking, dust and drops wear out a shop-floor sled. The Zebra RFD90 ultra-rugged RFID sled is sealed to IP65 and IP67 and survives 1.8 m drops, and its long-range version reads tags about 23 m away, up at the top of a rack.
Finding an item or checking a basket close by
Zebra TC53e RFID handheld
A return, a click-and-collect order or a single missing item needs only a short read, and a handheld with a built-in reader does it. The Zebra TC53e RFID mobile computer finds tagged items within about a metre, in the same 6-inch Android handheld staff use for scanning.
Goods in and out through one dock door
Zebra ST5500 transition RFID reader
A goods-in bay or a stockroom door where you also want to know which way the goods went. The Zebra ST5500 transition RFID reader has its reader and antennas in one housing that hangs from the ceiling or fixes to a wall, and according to Zebra it reports the direction of travel.
A wide dock, a conveyor or several lanes
Zebra FX9600 fixed RFID reader
A wide loading door or a conveyor needs antennas placed for the opening. The Zebra FX9600 fixed RFID reader drives four or eight antennas on Power over Ethernet and has four inputs and four outputs for lights, sensors and gates. It is also the reader Zebra documents for a direct PLC link.
An outdoor gate, a quay or a cold store
Zebra FXR90 ultra-rugged fixed RFID reader
Salt air, rain and sun stop an indoor reader. The Zebra FXR90 outdoor RFID reader is sealed to IP65 and IP67 and rated from -40°C to 65°C on Zebra's spec sheet. It comes with a built-in antenna option, and Wi-Fi 6 or 5G versions serve a gate that no network cable reaches.
Where a tagged item is inside a hall
Zebra ATR7000 RFID locationing reader
A reader at the door tells you a pallet came in, and only location reads tell you where it is now. The Zebra ATR7000 RFID locationing reader hangs from the ceiling. With Zebra's location software it places tagged items to about 0.6 m, according to Zebra, and follows their direction through four or six zones.
A stockroom door or a shelf bay
Zebra FX7500 fixed RFID reader
A small indoor read point does not need eight antenna ports. The compact Zebra FX7500 fixed RFID reader drives two or four antennas on one Power over Ethernet cable (power carried in the network cable). It reads up to 1,200 tags a second in dense reader mode and is sealed to IP40. That suits a stockroom door, a shelf bay or a hospital store.
Reading a whole basket at the till
Zebra FXP20 RFID checkout reader
A tagged basket can be rung up in one pass. The Zebra FXP20 RFID checkout reader is a flat pad 136 x 117 mm that connects to the till by USB and reads the items on the counter, while ignoring tags in the next lane.
Shaping where the tags are read
Zebra UHF RFID antennas
A fixed reader reads only where its antennas point. Our Zebra RFID antennas page compares twelve models. Ten are antennas, from a 12 mm panel under a counter to sealed IP67 dock-door panels and a floor antenna. Two are Zebra SmartLens sensors for stockrooms and tills that run on Power over Ethernet. The right one stops the read zone at the edge of the door, the till or the shelf.
Printing and encoding RFID labels on site
Zebra ZT411R and ZT421R RFID printers
Tagging pallets or cases in-house means encoding the RFID chip as the label prints. The Zebra ZT400 series industrial printers take a UHF RFID encoder, fitted in the field if needed. The ZT411R also takes Zebra's on-metal tagging kit on its 203 and 300 dpi models; the ZT421R has no on-metal kit.
RFID labels, tags and inlays
Zebra ZipShip and custom RFID labels
Metal and liquids are the hard cases for a tag, and the tag has to be made for them. Our Zebra ZipShip RFID labels page covers stocked labels, wristbands and hard tags. It also covers custom labels on a wide choice of thermal materials.
Zebra RFID readers side by side
| Job | Zebra device | Carried or fixed | Read distance (Zebra’s figure) | Sealing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shop floor or stockroom count | RFD40 sled | Carried, on a handheld or phone | About 6 m nominal; long-range version up to 24 m | IP54 |
| Warehouse, yard or factory count | RFD90 sled | Carried, on a rugged handheld | Long-range version about 23 m | IP65 and IP67 |
| Find an item, check a basket | TC53e RFID or TC501 | Carried, reader built in | About 1 m (TC53e); about 2 m (TC501) | IP68 and IP65 |
| One dock door, direction of travel | ST5500 | Fixed, ceiling or wall | Not published; set by a read test | Not stated; indoors |
| Wide dock, conveyor, PLC link | FX9600 with antennas | Fixed, 4 or 8 antennas | Set by the antennas and the test | IP53 |
| Outdoor gate, quay, cold store | FXR90 | Fixed, built-in antenna or up to 8 | 16.7 m nominal with the built-in antenna | IP65 and IP67 |
| Item location in a hall | ATR7000 | Fixed, overhead | Locates items to about 0.6 m | IP51 |
| Stockroom door, shelf bay | FX7500 with antennas | Fixed, 2 or 4 antennas | Set by the antennas and the test | IP40 |
| Whole basket at the till | FXP20 | Fixed, on or in the counter | The counter top; next lane filtered out | Not stated; indoors |
Which handhelds and printers have RFID built in?
Several Zebra handhelds read RFID without a sled, and several Zebra printers encode RFID labels as they print. For handhelds, the job decides the model:
- For finding tagged items within about 2 m, the Zebra TC501 is a 6-inch handheld with a reader in every model.
- Teams that want one device and no sled can use the Zebra TC22R, which builds in a reader of up to 1,300 tags a second.
- Shaped like a phone, the Zebra EM45 RFID finds tagged items up to 1.2 m away.
- Staff wearing the Zebra WS50 RFID sort, receive and pick with both hands free and read tags at about 1.5 m.
- At the checkout, the Zebra DS82 with RFID scans barcodes and reads tags at about 1 m, for returns and cycle counts.
- The RFID version of the Zebra TC201 is due from the last quarter of 2026, according to Zebra; we confirm the date in the quote.
To encode RFID labels in-house:
- The Zebra ZT231R is the 4-inch ZT231 industrial printer with Zebra’s UHF RFID kit, available on request.
- In the ZT600 series, the Zebra ZT610R and ZT620R take UHF RFID as an option.
- On a desk, the 4-inch Zebra ZD621R encodes RFID labels, tags and wristbands.
- For specimen labels, small item tags and wristbands, there is the 2-inch Zebra ZD611R.
How do we install RFID and connect it to your ERP, WMS or PLC?
We install RFID in four steps: a read test with your own tagged goods, the install and wiring, the connection to your software, and a read test at handover. The first test decides where the antennas go, and that decides the cabling and the power.
Power at the door. Zebra’s FX readers and the FXR90 run on Power over Ethernet (power carried in the network cable), but full transmit power needs the stronger PoE+ standard or a DC supply. So we check the switch at each read point before the install. Outdoors, the reader and the antenna cables are earthed to the building. Who does that, our technicians or your electrician, is agreed per job at the survey.
Antennas and the read zone. The transmit power is set for each antenna port, and the reader takes each cable’s loss into account. We set both at commissioning so a door reads its own pallets and not the ones waiting behind it.
Lights, sensors and gates. The FX9600 and FXR90 have four inputs and four outputs. A light beam or a door contact starts the reading, and a command from your software or an app on the reader switches a stack light, a buzzer or a barrier.
Reads into your ERP or WMS
Sirap connects RFID reads to your ERP or WMS in one of three ways, depending on how your systems are run. It configures the link itself, works with your software partner, or sets up the readers and hands the reader interface to your own IT team.
On the reader side, Zebra’s IoT Connector sends filtered tag events by MQTT or HTTP to an endpoint your system listens on, or to AWS IoT Core or Azure IoT Hub. It is built into the FX9600, FXR90 and ATR7000; on the FX7500 it needs firmware that includes it. RFID middleware can use LLRP, the standard reader protocol. Zebra lists no direct SAP connector, so an ERP or WMS takes the events through middleware or its own endpoint.
Reads into a PLC
Sirap plans a PLC link around the Zebra FX9600, the reader Zebra documents for it. The FX9600 talks to a PLC over EtherNet/IP (Rockwell controllers), PROFINET or Modbus TCP (Siemens controllers) through Zebra’s apps on the reader, subject to Zebra’s licence terms. The line can then act on a tag without a server in between.
Firmware and support. Zebra’s FX readers update their firmware from the web console or a USB drive. If an update is interrupted, the reader can return to the previous firmware version. After handover we support the read points locally.
Can your own developers build on Zebra RFID?
Yes. Zebra publishes software kits for sleds, handhelds, fixed readers and the till, and the choice depends on the reader and where your code runs. For the RFD40 and RFD90 sleds on Android there is an RFID SDK in Java (Android 10 or later). An iPhone or iPad uses the iOS SDK with the Bluetooth sleds, and Windows software uses a .NET SDK for the sleds and the FXP20.
The RFD40 and RFD90 sleds can also publish reads by MQTT straight to your own server, with no handheld in the path. The FXR90 takes commands over a local REST API and MQTT, and the FX7500 and FX9600 run your own C, C++ or Java apps on the reader. At the till, the FXP20 has a JPOS driver for Java point-of-sale software.
Impinj Gen2X features such as Protected Mode work on the RFD40 and RFD90 sleds and, from firmware 4.0.8, on the FXR90. Protected Mode hides a tag from readers that do not know its password. If your developers build the receiving side, we set up the readers and hand over the reader interface they work against.
Which RFID tags do you need?
The right RFID tag depends on what it goes on, and a test on your own items settles it before you order thousands. Paper and plastic items read easily; metal and liquids are the hard cases and need tags made for them. Our Zebra ZipShip RFID labels page lists the stocked and custom labels. The main types:
- RFID labels: printed and encoded on a Zebra RFID printer, for cartons, cases and items; Zebra stocks them for its industrial, desktop and mobile printers.
- Inlays: the chip and its antenna without a printed face, for converting into your own labels or packaging.
- Wristbands: for patients and visitors, encoded on the desktop RFID printers.
- On-metal labels: for metal assets; Zebra’s on-metal labels run on the ZT411R.
- Hard tags: rugged tags for assets, returnable crates and laundry that a paper label would not survive.
Tags with Impinj Gen2X chips add the Gen2X features on readers that support them, and ordinary Gen2 tags still read on every Zebra reader.
Where has Sirap used RFID in Malta?
Our RFID work in Malta includes tree tagging for a government environment agency: we supplied hard RFID tags, one per tree, and the Zebra handhelds and sleds the field staff read them with. We have also set up tool tagging and RFID audits for other customers.
Abroad, Zebra’s published success story with a food manufacturer shows hard tags in a harsher place. Passive RFID hard tags went on every transport container, built for -15°C to +80°C and daily washdown. Zebra FX9600 fixed readers with ultra-rugged antennas read them from raw materials to finished goods, and staff stopped recording movements by hand.
When a barcode, or a different tool, is the right call
RFID pays where many items move or need counting often. Where few items move and counts are rare, a barcode scanner and a good label usually do the job, and our labelling and barcoding page covers that. Most handhelds with RFID built in read one to two metres, enough to find an item but not to count a floor. Tell us how many items you count and how often, and we will say whether RFID or barcodes suit you.
What happens when you ask for an RFID quote?
Sirap’s RFID quote takes three steps, and the first answer comes within one working day.
- We reply with the questions we need answered: what is tagged, how many items, where they must be read and which system receives the reads.
- If the site needs a look, an engineer visits, anywhere in Malta and Gozo. The visit includes a read test with your own tagged goods.
- You get a quote with the exact part codes, the antennas and tags, the installation and integration scope and the warranty route.
Ask for an RFID quote or call +356 2138 5911.
RFID and Zebra guides
- Warehouse automation in Malta, where RFID at the dock door sits beside scanning and mobile computers
- Zebra ET401, DS82 and TC22R: new rugged devices for Malta
- Wearable technology in retail and logistics
- Genuine Zebra labels and ribbons
- The Zebra range we supply in Malta
RFID across sectors: logistics and warehousing, retail, manufacturing and healthcare.
RFID in Malta: FAQs
Who supplies and installs RFID systems in Malta?
Sirap supplies, installs and connects Zebra RFID systems across Malta and Gozo: sleds and handhelds, fixed readers and antennas, RFID printers and tags. Sirap is a Zebra RFID Specialist based in San Gwann. Its technical team commissions the readers and wires them to lights and gates. Sirap links the reads to your ERP or WMS itself or with your software partner, or hands the reader interface to your IT team. PLC links are planned around the Zebra FX9600.
Which RFID frequency is used in Malta?
RFID in Malta runs on the EU UHF band, 865-868 MHz, under EN 302 208. Every Zebra reader and sled we supply for Malta is an EU-band version, or a worldwide version configured for that band where Zebra allows it, and we pick the right one for you.
How far can an RFID reader read?
That depends on the reader, the tag and what the tag is on. Zebra’s figures run from about a metre for a handheld with RFID built in, through about 6 m for a standard RFD40 sled, to a nominal 16.7 m for the FXR90 with its built-in antenna. Metal, liquids and the antenna position change the real figure, so we test with your own items.
Can RFID reads go straight into our ERP or WMS?
Yes, through an integration that we configure, build with your software partner or hand to your IT team. Zebra’s FX9600 and FXR90 send tag events by MQTT or HTTP, and middleware can collect them over LLRP.
Can a PLC read RFID tags directly?
Yes, with a Zebra FX9600, which Zebra documents with Rockwell and Siemens controllers. The FX7500 and ATR7000 do not offer these connections.
Do RFID tags work on metal and liquids?
Ordinary RFID labels read poorly on metal and near liquids. Tags made for those surfaces make them workable: Zebra makes on-metal labels and hard tags, and the ZT411R printer takes an on-metal tagging kit. We test the tag on your own items before you order in volume.
What does an RFID project cost?
Sirap quotes an RFID project on request, line by line. The tags, the encoding printer, the handhelds or sleds, the fixed readers, antennas, cables, mounts and the installation each get their own line. Tell us what is tagged and where it must be read, and the read test sets the hardware.
Is RFID equipment held in stock in Malta?
Most Zebra RFID readers, sleds and antennas come from stock or within a few days, depending on regional availability. Sirap confirms delivery for your exact list, tags included, in the quote that follows the read test.
RFID products we supply
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Zebra FXR90 Ultra-Rugged Fixed RFID Reader
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Zebra RFID Antennas
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Zebra RFD40 UHF RFID Sled
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Zebra RFD90 Ultra-Rugged RFID Sled
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Zebra FXP20 Point-of-Sale RFID Reader
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Zebra FX7500 Fixed RFID Reader
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Zebra ATR7000 RFID Locationing Reader
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Zebra ST5500 Transition RFID Reader
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Zebra FX9600 Fixed RFID Reader
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Zebra TC22R Mobile Computers with RFID
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Planning an RFID project?
Start with what you want to count or track and where it must be read, and Sirap’s sales team in San Gwann takes it from there.
Monday to Friday 8:30 to 16:30. We reply within one working day. Request an RFID quote or call +356 2138 5911.
