Real-time data acquisition using peer-to-peer technologies

In certain embodiments, a network-based data acquisition system has an acquisition device and an access device. The acquisition device has (a) a reader-specific module that (i) receives reader-specific data generated by a data reader (e.g., an RFID or other type of reader) and (ii) converts the data from the reader-specific format into reader-agnostic data in a reader-agnostic format and (b) at least one reader-agnostic module that (i) receives the reader-agnostic data from the reader-specific module and (ii) transmits the reader-agnostic data to the access device. In one implementation, the access device runs a web browser that accesses a web server on a controller of the acquisition device, and the reader-agnostic data is transmitted from the controller to the access device via a point-to-point communication path, such as a WebRTC data channel. The reader-specific module can be replaced/modified to support a new data reader without having to replace/modify any reader-agnostic module.