Outdoor RFID Reader Development

I need a custom-built RFID reader that can reliably pick up standard identification tags in an outdoor setting. The enclosure must withstand sun, rain, and an occasional hose-down while still offering stable read range and low error rates.

At this stage I am open about the operating band—LF, HF, or UHF—so long as we can balance range, power consumption, and tag cost. I expect us to discuss the trade-offs early and lock the decision in before PCB layout begins.

Here is how I see the work flowing:

• Electronic design—from antenna matching through to the microcontroller or SoC that will parse tag IDs and forward them over a simple UART, USB, or Ethernet interface.
• Firmware—clean, documented C/C++ code (Arduino, ESP-IDF, or a bare-metal toolchain is fine) that wakes the reader, captures the tag UID, applies basic error checking, and pushes the data upstream.
• Weather-resistant enclosure—3D model plus STL/STEP files suitable for injection moulding or rugged 3-D printing.
• Prototype build and functional test—photos, short video, and log files proving outdoor reads of at least 95 % success over 500 cycles.

Acceptance criteria
1. Reader consistently detects ISO-compliant identification tags at the agreed range.
2. Operates for 72 h on continuous duty in 0 °C-40 °C with no memory leaks or resets.
3. Complete deliverables: schematic, BOM, Gerbers, firmware source, enclosure CAD, and a concise user guide.

If you have experience with antenna tuning, low-power RF design, and environmental sealing, let’s talk so we can decide on the frequency and map out the milestones.