4 Things You Need to Know About Barcode Scanners

Author: Justin

Dec. 02, 2024

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4 Things You Need to Know About Barcode Scanners

1. One Dimensional vs. Two Dimensional Barcode Scanners

Goto WCMI to know more.

There are two main categories of barcode scanners, 1D and 2D.

One dimensional barcode scanners, or linear barcode scanners, can only scan one dimensional barcodes, including:

  • UPC Code
  • ISBN
  • Code 128
  • All barcodes consisting of only lines and spaces

Barcode scanners that read two dimensional barcodes are known as 2D imagers, and they are capable of reading both 1D and 2D barcodes. Types of two dimensional barcodes include:

  • QR Code
  • Aztec Code
  • PDF417 (commonly found on driver&#;s licenses in the United States)

Learn more, read &#;What is a barcode?&#;

Linear barcode scanners are the lower-cost option of the two types of barcode scanners, but they are incapable of reading two dimensional barcodes.

Although 2D imagers do have a higher initial cost associated with them than linear scanners, 2D imagers may end up being cheaper in the long run if a need is identified for 2D imaging in the future. For example, this Linear Barcode Scanner from Honeywell lets you upgrade your scanner with 2D capabilities whenever the need is identified, for a cheaper price than buying a whole new collection of barcode scanners.

For more information on 2D Imaging, check out this infographic.

2. Form Factor

Handheld

  • Handheld Barcode Scanners are most often found in retail, warehousing, healthcare, and manufacturing environments.
  • They are held in the hand of whomever is doing the scanning, and feature a large trigger button that initiates each scan.

Presentation

  • Presentation Barcode Scanners are ideal for any task where a barcode is waved in front of a stationary scanner
  • One common use for this is in Mobile Marketing Campaigns: the customer takes out his/her , places it in front of the presentation scanner, and then the barcode is read and any relevant discounts are applied.

In-counter

  • In-counter Barcode Scanners (or Integrated Barcode Scanners) are usually found in grocery stores and other stores with high volumes of barcodes that need to be scanned at checkout, such as department stores
  • In-counter scanners often contain built-in scales for weighing out fruit, vegetables, and bulk foods.

3. Connectivity

Wired

  • Wired Barcode Scanners are the more economical option of the two types of connection technology. They are more limited in their uses, as they must stay plugged into the computer that is going to collect the data.
  • Most wired barcode scanners use USB as their connection type of choice, but there are also scanners available with PS/2 and RS-232 wired connections.

Wireless

  • Wireless Barcode Scanners are slightly more expensive than wired ones, but the added benefit they provide can far outweigh the extra cost for many applications.
  • If the scanner needs to be moved from the location of the computer it is connected to, then it is recommended to use a wireless barcode scanner.
  • Almost all wireless barcode scanners use Bluetooth technology to connect to their base.
  • They are available with ranges of 33 feet to over 200 feet to accommodate any application.

4. Other Devices

Mobile Computers & Tablets

Most industrial & enterprise mobile computers have the ability to scan barcodes. This, coupled with the fact that many mobile computers are capable of connecting to cellular networks to transfer data, means that mobile computers offer some of the most versatile barcode scanning of any device, as they can go wherever you do.

Some business-ready tablets also have barcode scanning capabilities, in order to provide many of the same benefits that mobile computers offer.

Questions about barcode scanners? Feel free to contact us and our tech experts will clear up any questions you may have!

Call 800-830-   or    

If you would like to learn more about types of barcodes, you can try out our free Barcode Generator and see what the world of barcodes has to offer!

About the Author:

For more Handheld Terminal Barcode Scannerinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.

Cal Goheen is on the marketing team here at L-Tron, specializing in content creation. When he&#;s not busy writing informative blog posts, you can find him absorbed in his studies at the University of Rochester.

The Little Things That Matter Most When Buying Barcode ...

It's the little things in life that seem to have the greatest impact on our well-being and happiness. The same is true in business, especially when it comes to technology.

For example, many retail, healthcare, and hospitality leaders have been telling me they would be so much happier if devices like barcode scanners were physically smaller and easier to install and manage.  

They know they need compact customer-facing scanners at checkout lanes, online order pickup stations, and in kiosks (whether used for self-service ordering or check-in). They also see the value of having fixed barcode scanners at centralized or mobile point-of-sale (POS) lanes. But they don&#;t want these scanning devices to be so &#;in your face.&#; They need to be visible, but they also need to blend in.

If we could solve this little thing &#; tone down the dominating physical presence of standalone barcode scanners &#; it would make a big difference to them, they&#;ve said. It would help them achieve their desired aesthetic design in customer-facing spaces, and it would enable them to declutter workspaces a bit more, increasing efficiency and productivity. (Maybe you feel the same way.)

Another little thing these business leaders believe could have a big impact on employee satisfaction would be to simplify the setup and management of barcode scanners. Many scanners in stores, restaurants, and hospitals today are not just seen as physically obtrusive but also technically obtrusive. Operations managers and IT teams struggle to get them synced up with other devices and talking to information systems. Once they get the initial setup complete, they find that it takes a lot of effort to monitor and manage the scanners. This often leads to less-than-stellar performance (because scanners need routine, proactive maintenance like printers or mobile computing devices). People start getting frustrated &#; feeling they&#;ve wasted money or they&#;re stuck using a device that isn&#;t working well. It&#;s not a good situation, but it&#;s one that can be avoided if they could find scanners that were so simple to set up and manage that they were almost easy to forget about.

Of course, scanners with these traits do exist. You can buy several right now that have built-in wizards to help even non-technical people quickly get the scanners configured and online. There are also scanners that can be remotely managed or kept running perfectly with semi-automated software updates.

However, the biggest concern from the people I spoke with is that these positive traits weren&#;t commonly found in the barcode scanners most often pitched to them for use in kiosks or on countertops or mobile workstations.

So, my curiosity was piqued, and my wheels started churning. I asked them what other &#;little things&#; they had on their wish list. There were five things that kept coming up (in so many words):

1. &#;It would be great if I could use the same barcode scanners across my entire business. I don&#;t want to have one model at cashier-staffed checkout lanes, another model at self-checkout lanes, and yet a third model for my self-service kiosks or online order pickup lockers.&#;

2. &#;I want [patients, shoppers, store associates, lab techs, pharmacists, etc.] to be able to quickly walk up to a check-in/checkout lane, a kiosk, or workstation flash the barcoded item, paper, or ID/loyalty card in front of the scanner, then be able to move on. I don&#;t want them to have to pick up a scanner with one hand to scan whatever is in the other hand. And I don&#;t want them to have to try to perfectly position the barcode in front of the scanner. That&#;s how people and lines get backed up.&#;

3. &#;I want it to be easier to keep the scanners clean. They&#;re going to be in spaces where hygiene is important (i.e., a lab or pharmacy).&#;

4. &#;I want to have more mounting and accessory options for my barcode scanners. If I want to use a third-party mount, I should be able to. If I want to install a kiosk or wall-mounted barcode scanner with a smaller footprint for online order pickups, I should be able to work with third-party solution designers to do that. I shouldn&#;t have to be stuck using the one or two mounting accessories offered by the scanner original equipment manufacturer (OEM).&#;

5. &#;I would love it if the barcode scanner could read text and not just a barcode/QR code. If it could parse all the other data on that piece of paper or ID in addition to reading the barcode data, that would make it so much easier to process transactions such as bill payments or patient records.&#;

So, it has been my mission the past several months to sit down with engineers and figure out if all these &#;little things&#; that matter from a design, management, and usability perspective could be baked into a single, corded barcode scanner. Could we make the little changes that were a big deal to these people (and possibly to you)?

Fortunately, I am surrounded by really smart, innovative people who surprisingly didn&#;t say &#;no&#; to any of the requests I made on behalf of these business leaders. These engineers were able to deliver a barcode scanner that addressed all the little things that were bugging people about their current barcode scanners.

So, I guess the moral of the story here is:

Don&#;t be afraid to express your frustrations to people willing to listen, and never hesitate to ask for something you know will improve your efficiency and well-being or someone else&#;s. It might be easier than you think to get what you want.

Just ask all the business leaders who recently got what they wanted in a barcode scanner (and got it quickly).

For more information, please visit Qr Access Control Reader.

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