All about Hand Held Barcode Scanners

There are many combinations and interfaces for Hand Held Barcode Scanner and it is important to find the best solution for your business or application. 

Important things to think about when you buying a barcode scanner include the interface, scan engine, size, which types barcodes you will be scanning, the environment and compatibility with your POS System.

The common interfaces used in todays range include Serial (RS232), USB & Bluetooth. The RS-232 scanners are mostly used with Cash Registers, USB Scanners are used in most circumstances even if you choose a Bluetooth Barcode Scanner. We have a range of wireless barcode scanners that have in-built bluetooth (mainly used with Tablets) or Bluetooth Handheld Scanner which communicates with the cradle which is hosted by a USB interface. This provides communication from the scanner unit to the base station and not directly with the tablet. This also charges the scanner when it is returned to the cradle.

The scan engines that are most commonly used at this point in time are Laser and Imager. The simple different between these are the Laser sends a thin beam of light to the barcode which reflects from a white background detecting the black lines whereas an imager (also known as a CCD) functions similar to that of a digital camera. It has many light sensors measuring the ambient light so once a linear imager detects a barcode within its field, the sensors take a reading of light detected and basically take picture of the barcode. 2D Imagers work the same way but instead of a single row, it utilised an array of light sensors.

The size of the barcode scanner is not always the most important thing compared to it's functionality, however, it needs to be ergonomically useful to provide comfort throughout a full business day. 

The type of barcodes you will be scanning is an important factor due to the rapid rate of technology and use of promotional material through mobile app. Standard barcodes are 1D and when viewing them, they look like thin black lines with slighly different thicknesses. 2D and QR Barcode are square in shape and used in many different environments as you can capture a range of different data. The great thing about 2D Hand Held Scanners is that you are able scan directly from an LCD Display such as a Tablet or Mobile Phone.

It is important to look at the environment you will be using the barcode scanner. Is it a retail shop or a factory in which it will be used. Do you require a rugged scanner to be used in a warehouse or do they need to be used in different climates? These are the questions you need to ask yourself before selecting the most suitable product for the application.

Compatibility is an important factor especially for cloud applications. Software vendors select tested and recommended barcode scanners to work with their Point of Sale (POS) Software so we recommend that you stick to these to ensure complete satisfaction.

Held Held Barcode Scanners are still the most popular option when it comes to selecting an all round scanner for your business or application.