Handheld Barcode Scanners and Symbol Scanner

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A wide variety of handheld barcode scanners are available on the market today, ranging from CCD scanners connected by cable, to laser scanners that have no cable and can read barcodes from longer distances. There are situations where hand-held barcode readers are ideal and other scenarios where a different scanner would be more appropriate. Here are the pros and cons of hand-held barcode scanners.

Advantages of Handheld Symbol Scanning Equipment

The great advantage of handheld barcode scanners is that the scanner does not have to actually touch the barcode itself to function (laser). The range at which a laser barcode scanner can read symbols can be anything from six to 24 inches and a long-range scanner can read barcodes from between two and eight feet away. As technology develops, distances increase, and an extra long-range scanner today could be capable of reading barcodes from distances of up to 30 feet.

This long-range scanning distance makes the handheld symbol scanner the perfect option for capturing vast amounts of information in shops and warehouses in a fraction of the time that it would have normally taken.

Handheld scanners are also widely used in hospitals and in offices and are useful when it is necessary to make an inventory and take stock. They are also good at scanning barcodes printed on uneven surfaces, such as those on frozen food.

Other obvious advantages with handheld wireless scanners are that they are easy to carry around and are much more versatile than scanners attached by cable.

Disadvantages of the Handheld Option

Hand-held wireless scanners have very few drawbacks and technological advances mean that year-by-year equipment becomes increasingly more efficient and user-friendly.

There are, however, a number of disadvantages to handheld scanners that are not wireless, such as CCD scanners and pen-and-wand scanners. In the case of wands, the operator must make continuous contact with the barcode while reading it and hold the wand at the correct angle and at the right speed, often causing the reader to have to scan the code again and waste time.

Other drawbacks with CCD barcode scanners include their short reading range, which means that the scanner can be held no further than three inches away from the barcode. These scanners also have a limited width, which makes it impossible to read barcodes wider than the face of the scanner itself.