Universal Pet Microchip Scanners

For those of you that want to geek out for a minute, we would like to provide you with information on universal scanners. Of all the identified scanners in the market today, Avid’s patented universal readers, Home Again Universal scanner and Omni Max scanner by Datamars are the competitions for Peeva’s Universal Scanner currently being finalized for production. 

After exploring universal scanners, discover the convenience of our pet microchip scanner app.

Below is given a brief summary of the tech specifications of the three brands.

 Reads the following microchips:

Microfindr™, Datamars™, PetLink™, Bayer resQ®, 24 Pet Watch™, AKC CAR/EID™, Αllflex®, Avid™, Banfield®, Crystal Tag™, Destron Fearing™, Digital Angel®, HomeAgain®, Lifechip®, Schering Plough™, Trovan®.

 Avid has three universal scanners of the form factors, Mini Tracker 3, Power Tracker 6 and Mini Tracker 3 Wand Reader.

Avid Universal Scanners – Reading Distances

 Avid Scanners capable of reading most microchips1) Mini Tracker 3 (Extended Multi Mode Tag Reader) /(Universal)

· Operating Frequency: 125 kHz

· Temperature Range: Operating = 32° to 122° F / Storage = 4° to 158° F

· Power: 9-Volt alkaline battery

· Display: 16 Character Liquid Crystal Display

· Indicators: Audio beep/Visual LCD

· Tag Compatibility: Avid, Fecava, Trovan and ISO (FDX-B) coded ID tags, produced by multiple manufacturers

· Dimension: 2.4″ W x 6.9″ L x .86″ H

· Weight: .47 lbs

2) Mini Tracker 3 Wand Reader (Universal)

· Operating Frequency: 125 kHz

· Temperature Range: Operating = 32° to 122° F (0° to 50° C) / Storage = 4° to 158° F (-20° to 70° C)

· Power: 9-Volt alkaline battery

· Display: 16 Character Liquid Crystal Display

· Indicators: Audio beep/Visual LCD

· Tag Compatibility: AVID, FECAVA, TROVAN and ISO FDX-B coded ID tags, at 125kHz, 128kHz and 134.2kHz produced by multiple manufacturers

· Dimensions: Reader: 2.4” W (6cm) x 6.9” L (18cm) x .86” H (2cm)

· Weight: 1.05 lbs. (477 grams) including battery

3) Power Tracker 5 (Patented Multi Mode Extended Range Reader)

· Operating Frequency: 128 kHz

· Temperature Range: Operating = 32° to 122° F (0° to 50° C) / Storage = 4° to 158° F (-20° to 70° C)

· Power: One 8.4v NiMH rechargeable battery with charger, or optional AC adapter

· Display: 16 Character Liquid Crystal Display

· Indicators: Audio beep/Visual LCD/Visual LED

· Tag Compatibility: AVID, FECAVA and ISO FDX-B coded RFID tags at 125kHz and 134.2kHz produced by multiple manufacturers

· Dimension: 8.2″ L (21cm) x 6.0″ W (15cm) x 3.5″ H (9cm)

· Weight: 1.7 lbs (770 grams)

4) Power Tracker 6 (Patented Multi Mode Extended Range Reader)/ (Universal)

· Operating Frequency: 128 kHz

· Temperature Range: Operating = 32° to 122° F (0° to 50° C) / Storage = 4° to 158° F (-20° to 70° C)

· Power: One 8.4v NiMH rechargeable battery with charger, or optional AC adapter.

· Display: 16 Character Liquid Crystal Display

· Indicators: Audio beep/Visual LCD/Visual LED

· Tag Compatibility: AVID, FECAVA and ISO FDX-B and TROVAN coded ID tags, at 125kHz, 128kHz and 134.2kHz produced by multiple manufacturers

· Dimension: 8.2″ L (21cm) x 6.0″ W (15cm) x 3.5″ H (9cm)

· Weight: 1.8 lbs

5) Power Tracker 8 (Patented Multi Mode Extended Range Reader)

· Operating Frequency: 128 kHz

· Temperature Range: Operating = 32° to 122° F / Storage = 4° to 158° F

· Power: One NiMH rechargeable battery with battery charger, or an optional 110V AC adapter

· Memory: 256K non-volatile RAM w/10 year battery backup, 2000 ID number capacity

· Translation: Translates ID tag code into 8 or less user defined alphanumeric characters as study name with up to six numeric characters as the identifier

· Indicators: Audio beep/Visual LCD/Visual LED

· Tag Compatibility: Avid, Fecava and ISO (FDX-B) coded ID tags, produced by multiple manufacturers

· Dimension: 8.2″ L x 6.0″ W x 3.5″ H

· Weight: 1.8 lbs

In addition to these, iMax Black Label by Datamars, distributed by Bayers Animal Health was also reported by the manufacturers to read (detect and display microchip number)125kHz(encrypted & un-encrypted), 128kHz and 134.2kHz; Trovan AKC CAR scanner could only read 125kHz (encrypted & un-encrypted) but only detect 134.2kHz.

Pros – All the universal scanners from these manufacturers claim to scan microchips that operate at three different frequencies, viz., 125kHz, 128kHz and 134.2 kHz. But with reference to a journal on the sensitivity of commercial readers, “Sensitivity of commercial scanners to microchips of various frequencies implanted in dogs and cats”, Linda K Lord et al, published on December 1, 2008, universal scanners often failed to detect the presence of a microchip and this failure was associated with the weight of the animal, improperly implanted microchip or microchip lost after implantation – which is beyond the scope of our project.

Cons – None of the above mentioned systems have the ability to pull up medical records instantly from the cloud over a wireless communication channel. The systems do not have a seamless user interface to obtain detailed information of the registered microchip from a registry (if a tab is proposed, minimal interaction with a desktop could be avoided). None of these devices have a Wi-Fi module (They have a USB, Bluetooth or both). None of the devices have a cloud compatible interface.

In order to make the product stand out in the market, we have done a significant amount of research on improving the features/technical aspects and identifying the flaws in the existing scanners from a technical standpoint, and improving functionality of the product by adding services that will benefit the process.

Please follow this link for some insight into the technology and manufacturers.

Link: http://act.wikia.com/wiki/Animal_identification