OpenRFID & Barcode Simulator — Virtual HID Keyboard Wedge
Cross-platform virtual barcode scanner, HF/UHF RFID reader, NFC tag, and industrial sensor keyboard wedge simulator for testing POS, ERP, and WMS software.
Watch Video Walkthrough Before Using
OpenRFID & Barcode Simulator: Virtual HID Keyboard Wedge Master Walkthrough
View Dedicated Video Page & Notes →Master guide explaining virtual barcode scanning, RFID keystroke injection, Win32 focus-safe mini-HUD, and zero-RAM 50M+ row streaming.
Project Overview & Architecture
High-performance open-source hardware protocol emulator and virtual HID keyboard wedge built in C# 13, .NET 8, and Avalonia UI. Emulates 1D/2D optical barcode scanners (Code 128, QR Code, Data Matrix, GS1-128 with FNC1 separators), HF RFID (13.56 MHz Mifare & ISO 15693), NFC NDEF records, UHF RAIN RFID (EPC Gen2 4-bank memory), ICAO Doc 9303 MRZ Passports, Industrial Digital Scales (Mettler-Toledo/CAS), and BLE Beacons (iBeacon/Eddystone). Injects synthetic tag streams and barcode keystrokes directly into any web browser, ERP (SAP, Tally, Zoho), WMS, POS, or desktop application via sub-millisecond Win32 SendInput bursts or human-jitter typing simulation with zero RAM footprint (<30 MB) across 50M+ rows.
4-Tier Edge Pipeline Architecture
Data Formulation
Synthesizes 1D/2D barcodes, GS1-128 FNC1 strings, EPC Gen2 hex banks, MRZ passport strings, and weight metrics.
MMF & Span Buffers
Streams continuous synthetic sequences or 50M+ row CSV files via Memory-Mapped Files with <30 MB RAM overhead.
Win32 Overlay
Renders floating controls with WS_EX_NOACTIVATE style so user clicks never steal active input focus from ERPs.
SendInput & Jitter
Injects hardware keystrokes at <8ms/scan or simulates realistic human typing speeds with typo-correction models.
Feature Benchmark: OpenRFID Solution vs. Proprietary Alternatives
| Feature Capability | OpenRFID Solution (MIT) | Commercial Paid Solutions | Hardware Rig / Manual |
|---|---|---|---|
| License & Cost | 100% Free & Open Source (MIT) | $79 - $199 / License | $250 - $1,500 / Device |
| Focus-Safe Mini-HUD | ✓ Win32 WS_EX_NOACTIVATE (Zero Focus Theft) | ✗ Steals focus on button click | ✓ Hardware laser triggers input |
| 50M+ Row Zero-RAM Engine | ✓ <30 MB RAM (Memory-Mapped Files) | ✗ High RAM crash on >1M rows | N/A (Hardware only) |
| GS1-128 FNC1 (]C1) | ✓ Full AIM prefix & 0x1D group separator | Partial (Plain text only) | ✓ Configurable via barcode manual |
| Headless CI/CD CLI | ✓ openscansim-cli.exe for Playwright/Selenium | ✗ GUI only / No CLI flags | ✗ Requires physical test rig |
CLI Arguments & Configuration Reference
| Parameter / Flag | Type | Default | Description & Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| --barcode <string> | string | "PRD-001" | Barcode string payload to inject as simulated optical scan. |
| --symbology <type> | string | code128 | Symbology standard: code128, gs1-128, datamatrix, qr, epc-gen2, mrz. |
| --keystroke-delay <ms> | integer | 0ms | Inter-character typing delay (0ms for instant burst, 60-150ms for human mode). |
| --suffix <string> | string | "{ENTER}" | Keystroke suffix: {ENTER}, {TAB}, or empty string. |
| --count <n> | integer | 1 | Number of sequential or masked scans to fire. |
| --stream-file <path> | filepath | none | Path to 50M+ row CSV/TXT file to stream via Memory-Mapped Files. |
User Interface & Studio Showcase
Explore the high-fidelity Avalonia UI Windows 11 Fluent dark interface, floating HUD widget, and protocol studios:
1. Main Control Dashboard
Full reader protocol selector, live hex memory bank preview & keystroke streaming controls with sub-millisecond precision.
Full reader protocol selector, live hex memory bank preview & keystroke streaming controls with sub-millisecond precision.
Always-on-top 350x220px floating HUD with Win32 WS_EX_NOACTIVATE style. Click controls without losing cursor focus in SAP or web forms.
Generate dynamic synthetic masks, sequential serial numbers, cryptographic hex sequences, and stream 50M+ rows via memory-mapped files.
Comprehensive 1D/2D symbologies (Code 128, QR Code, Data Matrix, GS1-128) with automatic AIM IDs (]C1, ]Q1) and ASCII 0x1D (GS) FNC1 separators.
Live transmission latency metrics, peak TPS tracking, chronographical scan audit logs, dropped packet emulation, and CRC error injection.
Code & Integration Blueprint
Copyable starter templates, CLI flags, and CI/CD pipelines:
Technical Specifications & Runtime Environment
| Target Architecture | C# 13 / .NET 8 LTS / Avalonia UI • MIT Open Source License |
| Supported Protocols | 1D/2D Barcodes, HF RFID (13.56 MHz), NFC NDEF, UHF EPC Gen2, MRZ Passports, Digital Scales |
| Keystroke Engine | Win32 SendInput batch burst (<8ms/tag) & Gaussian Human Typing |
| Focus Architecture | Win32 WS_EX_NOACTIVATE Floating HUD (Zero cursor focus theft) |
| Memory Footprint | Zero-RAM Stream Engine (<30 MB RAM across 50,000,000+ rows) |
| Symbologies & Formats | Code 128, GS1-128 (FNC1 ]C1), DataMatrix, QR Code, MRZ TD3, CAS/Mettler Scales |
Key Features & Capabilities
- ✓ Multi-Protocol Simulation (1D/2D Barcodes, HF RFID, NFC NDEF, UHF EPC Gen2, MRZ Passports, Digital Scales, BLE Beacons)
- ✓ Ultra-Fast Device HID Wedge (<8ms/tag) & Human-Typing Simulation with Gaussian Jitter & Typo Correction
- ✓ Zero-RAM Streaming Engine (<30 MB RAM) for Continuous Lazy Generation & 50M+ Row File Streams
- ✓ Always-On-Top Floating Mini-HUD (350x220px) with WS_EX_NOACTIVATE Focus-Safe Technology
- ✓ GS1-128 & 2D Barcode Engine with AIM Symbology IDs (]C1, ]Q1) and ASCII 0x1D FNC1 Group Separators
- ✓ System Tray Background Daemon with Global Hotkeys (F8 Start, F9 Pause, F10 Single Test Scan)
- ✓ Headless CLI Automation Tool (openscansim) for CI/CD Pipeline & E2E Testing
- ✓ Hardware Fault & Chaos Injector for Simulating NOREADs, Truncated Strings, and CRC Inversion
Related Hardware & Commercial Solutions
Explore compatible RFID readers, pre-built warehouse inventory software, and asset management systems developed by RFID Softwares:
Frequently Asked Questions
How does OpenRFID & Barcode Simulator inject keystrokes into web forms and ERPs? ↓
It utilizes native Win32 SendInput hardware batching on Windows (and OS-native input hooks on Linux/macOS) to emulate physical USB HID keyboard wedge scanners. Keystrokes are injected directly into whichever web browser, desktop ERP (SAP, Tally, Zoho), POS, or inventory app has active cursor focus in under 8 milliseconds per tag.
Does the floating Mini-HUD steal cursor focus from test applications? ↓
No! The floating mini-HUD widget is engineered with the Win32 WS_EX_NOACTIVATE extended window style. You can click start, pause, or switch simulation tabs on the mini-HUD while your web browser or ERP retains 100% uninterrupted keyboard focus.
Can it simulate GS1-128 barcodes with FNC1 group separators and AIM Symbology IDs? ↓
Yes. It fully supports GS1-128, QR Code, and Data Matrix symbologies with automatic ASCII 0x1D (GS) FNC1 group separators and standard 3-character AIM prefixes (such as ]C1 and ]Q1), ensuring strict compliance with enterprise barcode parsing standards.
How can QA engineers use OpenScanSim CLI in CI/CD automated test pipelines? ↓
The headless CLI executable (openscansim-cli.exe) can be invoked with arguments like `--symbology code128 --count 500 --keystroke-delay 15ms` in GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or Jenkins. It integrates seamlessly with Playwright, Selenium, and Cypress automated browser test suites.
How does the Zero-RAM streaming engine handle 50,000,000+ tag files without crashing? ↓
Instead of loading full dataset arrays into RAM, OpenScanSim uses C# IAsyncEnumerable lazy generators and Memory-Mapped Files (MMF) with Span<char> zero-allocation buffers, keeping runtime RAM consumption strictly under 30 MB even across 50M+ rows.
Is OpenRFID & Barcode Simulator free and open-source under the MIT license? ↓
Yes, OpenRFID & Barcode Simulator is 100% free and open-source under the permissive MIT license for both commercial enterprise testing and open-source community development.
Application & SDK Preview
Tested Hardware Devices
Paid Customization & Free Help
We offer free community help on GitHub issues and discussions. If you need bespoke features, customized mobile apps, or dedicated on-site deployment, contact us for paid enterprise integration services.