It is necessary to have a working knowledge of inventory systems with any business out there. More so, your inventory system must be working flawlessly and efficiently. An inventory system that works well saves you time and money. The RFID system is one, if not the most, efficient system.

STEP ONE: GETTING STARTED

In this section, we'll discuss the bare essential components that you need to implement an RFID system into your business — from hardware to software, everything that will enable you to get the ground running effectively.

What composes an RFID System?

RFID Inventory Management System comprises three parts: your hardware, software, and inventory. Without these three, you cannot design a business system around RFID. Let's discuss further what composes these three elements.

HARDWARE

Three hardware components are essential to completing a rudimentary RFID system: RFID scanner, RFID tags, and RFID printers. These three will be heavily used in your day-to-day inventory management using an RFID system.

RFID Scanner

You need a handheld scanner that uses RFID technology to scan RFID tags. We have [bundles that you can choose from on our website](/buy-wave/"Buy our Wave app") to tailor to your specific needs. What we recommend getting for your first gear is the CS108 Handheld.

We recommend getting our starter kit if you are still on the fence about investing in RFID. It's reasonably priced, and we have a 30-day money-back guarantee.

RFID Tags

There's a lot to talk about about RFID tags. Specifically, what surfaces or items you're going to use it on. We've summarized it down below to select a starting piece that you can play around with. To learn more about our tags, you can visit this page.

RFID Printers

We can recommend several printers: Zebra, Printronix, etc. What you want, of course, is something that will fit your overall needs. Different printers have different quirks, and it takes time and loads of experience to recognize these patterns. Generally, any RFID printer should work as long as you understand the printer's quirks.

SOFTWARE

You need to have two software before starting inventory management using RFID. Continue reading below to know more about these.

Wave

SimplyRFiD Wave Retail is a turn-key, instant success solution for your store's inventory. It links to your handheld and displays all the RFID tags picked up by the scanner. Wave is where you'll start your journey into the RFID system and is essential in daily inventory management. The app is where you'll commission assets and where you can take inventory. Wave synchronizes data to the SimplyRFiD Pogi data server on AWS (Amazon Web Services).

To start with Wave, you should already be [subscribed to the app](/buy-wave?wavePackage=software/"Subscribe to Wave app."). You can then [download the app here](/faq/how-do-I-download-wave-app/"Download link of WAVE app through App Store").

Pogi

SimplyRFID Pogi has an intuitive, speedy user interface for managing work orders and monitoring/accepting your stock count from multiple devices.

Once you subscribe to Wave, you instantly get a Pogi subscription. These two platforms interact to make your life easier with inventory management.

To summarize, Wave is the mobile platform you'll use whenever you commission items and take inventory. At the same time, Pogi is a desktop application with features to further expand the list and audit capabilities of our RFID System.

After you've completed these essential items, you can continue [working on your inventory system with Part 2 of our Quick Start Guide here](/faq/implementing-inventory-system-with-rfid-part-2/"Building an RFID Inventory System").