In today’s post our experts have put together their top 5 tips for choosing the right barcode scanner. This can be tricky as there are so many different devices available on the market today.
Below you will find the different types of barcode scanners available followed by our expert tips.
Types of Barcode Scanners:
Fixed Barcode Scanners: These are used in shops and retail outlets at checkouts. They are attached to the checkout and transmit data as each barcode is scanned.
Portable Batch Barcode Scanners: These are barcode scanners that store data that is later transferring to a computer. They are battery operated and contain an LCD monitor and keypad that lets users perform specific tasks. Portable batch scanners come in handheld, wearable, and mounted styles.
Wireless Barcode Scanners: These models can also store data, but they transmit the data in real time. Wireless barcode scanners have the highest level of productivity and are great for real time asset tracking.
5 Tips For Choosing The Best Barcode Scanner
- Check your flooring: The flooring in your warehouse can be the cause of many dropping accidents. Barcode scanners can be rugged (industrial) or general usage. If you need the device to perform under harsh conditions, it might be better to get a rugged model.
- What’s the air quality like?: If you have a lot of dust, sawdust or particles in your warehouse you need to take this into consideration when choosing your barcode scanner. Look at the IP rating as this will tell you how much protection the device has.
- Do you need specific lighting conditions?: If you work in an environment with low lighting or you are scanning barcodes outdoors in full sunlight you will need to ensure that your barcode scanner is suitable for your lighting conditions. You need to make sure that the barcodes can be read correctly in the lighting environment it is going to be used in.
- Will you need a keyboard?: If your barcode scanner users will need to type in numbers you’ll need a scanner with a keypad that is ergonomic to use. It is also important to take into consideration whether or not they will be wearing gloves. If they are you will need larger sized keys. It is important to take everything into consideration including the location of the keys.
- What type of barcodes will you be scanning?: It is essential that you give some thought to the barcodes you will be scanning as well as the scanning distance. 2D imaging models will work with any type of barcode scanning but 1D barcodes require a linear barcode scanning engine. If you need to scan from a distance you need to make sure that your barcode scanner will meet those specifications.
Now that you’re aware of the things you need to look at when choosing the best barcode scanner for your warehouse, why not take a look at the range of industrial handheld barcode scanning models AIS Ltd offers. Our experts are always on hand to answer questions if you have them too.