A "Gen 2" RFID Monitor Based on the USRP

The authors have developed a low cost software radio based platform for monitoring EPC Gen 2 RFID traffic. The Gen 2 standard allows for a range of PHY layer configurations and does not specify exactly how to compose protocol messages to inventory tags. This has made it difficult to know how well the standard works, and how it is implemented in practice. Their platform provides much needed visibility into Gen 2 systems by capturing reader transmissions using the USRP2 and decoding them in real-time using software the authors have developed and released to the public.