Connecting an EID Reader and Scale

Cattle360 can talk to a Bluetooth EID reader and a Bluetooth scale indicator so that scanning a tag pulls up the animal and a live weight drops straight onto the weight task. Both are configured in one place: the Device Settings dialog on the chute screen.

Before You Start

• Bluetooth hardware works in the Cattle360 mobile app (Android or iOS). A desktop web browser can’t connect to a reader or scale — use Demo Mode there instead (below).
• Make sure the device is charged, powered on, and has Bluetooth enabled.
• On iPhone/iPad, EID readers that pair as MFi accessories must first be paired in Settings → Bluetooth; then return to Cattle360 to connect.

Opening Device Settings

1. Open a working’s chute screen.
2. Tap the menu button (☰) in the top-right corner.
3. Choose Device Settings.

The dialog has two tabs — EID Reader and Scale — and a pair of status pills at the top that show, at a glance, whether each device is connected.

Connecting an EID Reader

1. On the EID Reader tab, pick your reader model from the grid. This filters the Bluetooth scan to matching devices.
2. Tap Scan for Readers.
3. Select your reader from the list. If it doesn’t appear, use Show all devices to reveal readers with custom Bluetooth names.
4. Tap Connect. The status pill turns green and reads Connected.

Expand Pairing tips on the tab for model-specific guidance. To end the connection yourself, tap Disconnect.

Connecting a Scale Indicator

1. On the Scale tab, pick your scale indicator family from the grid.
2. Choose the Data output format to match how the indicator is configured:
   • Data Logger (recommended) — Sends the EID along with each weight, so the scale alone can identify the animal without a separate EID reader scan.
   • Ruddweigh — Sends weight, unit, and a stability flag only (no EID).
3. Choose your Weight display unit (pounds or kilograms). Weights are always saved as pounds regardless of how they’re displayed.
4. Tap Scan for Indicators, select your scale, and tap Connect. Scales are found over both Bluetooth LE and Bluetooth Classic.

Connection Status & Automatic Disconnect Detection

The status pills (and the connection dot on the chute) reflect the live state of each device. If a reader or scale powers off, goes out of range, or its Bluetooth is turned off mid-session, Cattle360 detects the drop, flips the status to Not connected, clears any stale live weight, and shows a brief warning so you notice. Weight tasks simply fall back to manual entry until the device reconnects — just power it back on and connect again from Device Settings.

Demo Mode — Try It Without Hardware

At the bottom of Device Settings is a Demo Mode toggle. Turn it on to simulate a connected EID reader and scale:

• A floating toolbar appears on the chute screen that lets you trigger simulated tag scans and weight readings.
• It’s ideal for training staff, testing your task setup, or exploring the full chute workflow on a desktop browser where no hardware is available.
• Turn it off when you’re ready to use real devices.

Tips

• Use Data Logger mode on supported scales so a single weigh both identifies the animal and records the weight.
• Pair once, then connect. On iOS especially, complete the OS-level Bluetooth pairing first; after that, connecting inside Cattle360 is quick.
• Watch the pills. Two green pills at the top of Device Settings mean both the reader and scale are live.