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Lubricants distribution software for iOS

September 5, 2018 by admin Leave a Comment

The goRoam Lubricants distribution software for iOS app for lubricants delivery has all the capabilities of our Android app for bulk and packaged lubes distribution, including barcode scanning, electronic signature capture, wireless dispatch and LCR-II meter integration.

goRoam iOS app – start trip for lubricants delivery

goRoam iOS app – list of orders and stops for lubricants distribution

goRoam iOS app – signature capture for lubes delivery

Lubricants distributors are looking to iOS for a few reasons.  One of the top 3 lubes manufacturers released a contamination app that only runs on iOS.  In addition, many distributors are providing drivers with company iPhones for phone, email and texting.

Whether you use the iOS or the Android version of goRoam, it makes a statement on customer service when drivers do everything electronically and then hand the iPhone to the customer for their electronic signature, printed and emailed delivery receipt for Proof of Delivery (POD).

Key capabilities of the goRoam iOS app include:

  • Barcode scanning of tanks to confirm the product compatibility, which eliminates the chance of contamination or cross-fills.
  • Wireless dispatch – drivers get and send realtime updates on orders, loads, GPS, inventory, etc.
  • Electronic dispatch and integration with route optimization services like Ortec’s ORD and OIR
  • Electronic signature capture – customers sign the iOS device
  • Realtime inventory tracking of the truck and/or trailer
  • Workflow specific to bulk and package product delivery.
  • Bulk delivery with LCR-II meter integration or mechanical mode without meter control, but still using barcode scanning and validation
  • Mobile iOS receipt printing to 4″ thermal printers like the Zebra ZQ520 or QL Series
  • Mapping and directions (including real time traffic) using the native mapping app.  On iOS, we use Apple Maps.  On Android, goRoam uses Google Maps.
  • Store and forward, so the app keeps working even if you are out of wifi or cellular range
  • Super fast and easy to use.  Quick driver learning curve.

In addition to the features listed above, our Q3 2018 release will include:

  • Commercial truck routes with restrictions for height, length, max weight, weight per axle and HazMat (e.g. explosives, flammable, inhalants, caustic).
  • 2-way driver messaging.  Driver chat with dispatchers.

The Lubricants distribution software for  iOS app has all the features of our Android app.

If you are trying to decide whether to use iOS or Android, you should consider the following factors:

  • Our Android device has wifi tuning specific to truck hotspots and metered delivery.  We’ve worked with our device manufacturer to configure the device to not roam or search for different AP’s (Access Points), change the wifi drop threshold, reduce the channel search and times to aggressively reconnect to the truck network, manage the power settings to maintain high connectivity, etc.  iOS devices do NOT support changing fine grained wifi setting like you may use in a warehouse or industrial setting.
  • Android has a built-in barcode scanner. If you scan a lot of assets (tanks, vehicles, equipment), the built-in barcode scanner is easier to use because we have a pistol grip that helps aim the scanner.
  • Android has a higher degree of ruggedness – designed to work in harsh conditions like rain or snow.
  • iOS is a great solution for lubricants distribution where you don’t scan a lot of assets. You may only scan 3-4 tanks per delivery with lubricants where with fleet fueling (wet hosing), you may scan 100 assets per customer.
  • iOS is great if you want to support manufacturer’s iOS apps for cross-filling or contamination tracking, and they only run on iOS.
  • iOS is great if you have a mixed fleet and want to do lubricants distribution software with iOS and fuels distribution with Android.

Filed Under: Barcode scanners, Distribution software, Fleet Fueling, Uncategorized Tagged With: bulk delivery, LCR-II meters, lubricants distribution software, Proof of Delivery

3 Tips for better fuels and lubes customer service

September 18, 2017 by admin Leave a Comment

Send a powerful message!

It seems simple, but a notification email that order #9987 will arrive between 8:15 am – 11:00 am tomorrow sends a powerful message about your company’s logistics.

It also says you care about customer service.

Here are three easy ways to improve customer service for fuels and lubes distributors while sending a powerful message about your company:

  • Send pre-delivery emails with the scheduled delivery window
  • Capture electronic signatures at point of delivery
  • Email POD (Proof of Delivery) receipts with detailed filling info

A further customer service differentiator is capturing an electronic signature on a mobile device for proof of delivery. When top logistics carriers make a delivery, customers expect a barcode scanner and signature capture.  A key benefit when customers call your customer service is saying..“Tom signed @ 11:01 am,  here is his signature, GPS of the delivery,  the tank readings and list of filled assets”.

Emailing a delivery receipt with all of the delivery details makes an immediate and lasting impression within minutes of signing for the delivery.

Examples:

* Pre-delivery notification

 

* Signature capture

Signature capture on a rugged Panasonic Android tablet

* Delivery receipt

POD delivery receipt with detailed unit/asset filling info

Filed Under: Barcode scanners, Distribution software, Fleet Fueling, Proof of Delivery

Customer Service Impressions – What your delivery system says to your customers

February 22, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

 

Signature capture on a rugged Panasonic Android tablet

“Quality in a service or product is not what you put into it. It is what the customer gets out of it.” – Peter Drucker

Do your competitors offer a better delivery service? Do you show appreciation of your customers’ business in all facets of customer interaction – from order entry to scheduling, dispatch, delivery and invoicing. For distributors, your delivery drivers are the face of your company. Your drivers are who your customers see each day.

The impression your drivers make is key to your customer service.

Paper-based deliveries involve manual processes that are time consuming, prone to errors and costly to manage.  While many companies still use paper tickets, imagine going to Walmart or Target and getting a receipt with hand written quantities for thousands of dollars of products.

Compare that to a delivery where you sign a mobile device and get a receipt printed on the spot.  The following are examples of what best in class distribution companies use:

  • A handheld device to sign for their delivery, just like UPS and FedEx.
  • A barcode scanner to quickly and accurately confirm what you deliver
  • A printed receipt with your logo, transaction details, the person’s name who signed and their signature
  • An email with a PDF copy of their delivery receipt
  • Advanced email notifications of a scheduled delivery with the estimated arrival time
  • A web portal that let’s them view and export deliveries to Excel. For metered customers, they can filter transactions by individual tank or truck.
  • Get invoiced immediately with orders sent electronically to your invoicing application

If you would like to learn how BizSpeed helps deliver best in class customer service, contact us!

Filed Under: Barcode scanners, Distribution software, Fleet Fueling, Proof of Delivery Tagged With: bulk delivery, handheld data collection, Proof of Delivery

Updates to barcode fleet fueling

January 27, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

imageWe released an update to goRoam for metered delivery to support fixed fueling dispensers such as Gilbarco, Wayne and Gasboy.  The system is ideal for private fleet operators, rental car companies, auto dealers and vehicle manufacturers who need to scan a VIN and preset a quantity based on the vehicle being fueled. For instance, if you need to fuel a small passenger car to 2 gals to turn the ‘fuel light’ off, we will authorize the pump for that amount.  However, a larger SUV may need the amount set to 3 or 4 gallons.

goRoam allows you to ‘request more’ if you hit the preset quantity and the vehicle still requires more fuel.  An example would be when the 2 gals did not turn off the fuel light, so you want an extra .5 gallons to see if that will turn it off.

Alternatively, you may fuel fleets where you need to authorize the size of the fuel tank (e.g. 18.6 gals) and simply record the quantity fueled.  You may fuel less than the authorized amount since there is already some product in the vehicle.  When the driver hangs the hose on the dispenser, the transaction is closed and the quantity fueled is sent to our web based inventory system.

In all cases, the quantities are read directly from the fuel dispenser.

In all cases, the quantities are read directly from the fuel dispenser, and the fuel dispenser is locked until the barcode scanner validates the vehicle and driver.

goRoam can integrate with existing applications through our web service API.  This allows you to provide your own logic and authorization for each vehicle/driver.  Or, you can use goRoam with our web  application to manage and track the quantities.  As fueling transactions are processed, the inventory in the tank is updated as shown in the screen below.

image

Filed Under: Barcode scanners, Fleet Fueling, News, Proof of Delivery Tagged With: bulk delivery, fleet fueling, handheld data collection, mobile fueling, Proof of Delivery

How to choose between Intermec CS40, CN50, CN4 and 70 Series

May 19, 2011 by admin 5 Comments

We are often get asked for recommendations on mobile devices. If a client is looking at Intermec mobile devices, we get asked to help them choose between CS40, CN50, CN4 and the 70 series (CN70, CK70 etc.). We have customers using all models.

This article will help explain what what you should consider when choosing and will highlight real-life customer examples for field data capture and proof of delivery applications.

Intermec CS40, CN50, CN4, CN70

Feature IntermecCS40-NUM with Proof of Delivery software Intermec CN50 with proof of delivery software Intermec CN4 with proof of delivery software Intermec CN70 with proof of delivery software
Model CS40 CN50 CN4 CN70
Screen size 2.8” @ 240×320 3.5”  @ 240×320 3.5” @ 240×320 3.5” VGA 480×640 with gorilla glass
Weight 6.9oz 11oz 14oz 16oz
Intrusion Protection (IP) rating IP54 – 4’ drop IP54 – 4’ drop IP64 – 6’ drop IP67 – 6’ drop + submersible
Environment 14 F to +122 F 14 F to +122 F -4°F to +140°F -4°F to +140°F
CPU ARM 11 @ 528 MHz (Fast) ARM 11 @ 528 MHz (Fast) Marvel @ 520MHZ (Fast) 600MHz OMAP3 multi-processor (fastest)
Max cellular download 7.2Mbps 7.2Mbps 3.6Mbps 7.2Mbps
Camera 3.2MP fixed focus 3.1MP autofocus 2MP 5MP autofocus
List price (w/o accessories) $1795 $2195 $2845 $2995

Before we start, it is important to understand what features you need today as well as in the future. With rugged devices, once you purchase the device, you cannot go back and add hardware options like a camera, GPS or Bluetooth. The devices we will discuss are:

  • CS40 – smallest form factor, targeted at a size closer to a BlackBerry with a true integrated barcode scanner (not a camera scanner like the ES400, iPhone or Android devices).  Small enough to comfortably use as a cell phone and slip into your pocket.
  • CN50 – smaller form factor with solid ruggedness characteristics.  Small enough to slip into your pocket but almost too large to use as a salesperson’s full time cell phone, although it would be fine for a technician to use given they usually have less talk time.
  • CN4 – fully rugged device that replaced the CN3.  The key upgrade from a CN3 is the addition of a camera.  All CN3 accessories work with the CN4.  Larger and heavier, designed to work in field conditions – rain, snow, mud, multiple drops to concrete, etc.  The WiFi radio is designed to work in a warehouse or other environment where you may switch between access points (AP’s).
  • CN70 – eventual replacement for the CN4.  This is the most rugged, featuring an IP67 rating – you can submerse it in water and it will still work.  This has the fastest CPU.  Like the CN4, you can use it as a cell phone but it will likely not be a comfortable choice for extended phone calls.

Questions and Criteria

You can start to narrow the hardware choice by asking the following questions.

How rugged a device do you need?

  • If you’re making deliveries or have substantial outside or field data collection, you need to get a device with an IP rating designed for your environment. For instance, in fleet fueling you deliver fuel in the rain, snow, sleet or hail.  The CN50, CN4 or CN70 would meet your needs. The CN70 is the most rugged.  Our customers have had good success with the CN4 and CN50 in terms of rugged field use – surviving drops, rain and snow.
  • The CS40 is better suited for more indoor types of use, such as a sales rep that needs to scan items to place an order. It will sustain drops to concrete and is more rugged than a consumer cell phone, but is not designed to be used in the elements.

Do you need cellular data? If so, what cellular carrier do you use and do you know what the data coverage is like in your territories?

  • The reason for this is simple – some territories like the North East are completely owned by a carrier (Verizon). If you want T-Mobile or AT&T coverage, you need to check coverage or consider changing carriers.
  • All of these devices support AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile; however, they will not get 3G speeds on the T-Mobile networks since T-Mobile’s 3G is a different frequency.
  • While the cellular speeds on the CN4 are less than the other devices, it is still very fast and unlikely you would notice the difference unless you had large downloads or uploads.  An  of larger data would be taking 3MP pictures to upload. If this was a common occurrence, you may notice it but for most applications like Proof of Delivery, you would not notice a difference.

Do you need to take pictures? If so, do they need to be high quality?

  • If you need to take better quality pictures, you’ll want  an autofocus camera (CN50 or CN70). The CS40 and CN4 have good quality color cameras but are fixed focus.
  • For example, if you need to take a picture of a utility meter with the current meter reading (when replacing), any camera would be fine. However, If you need to take a picture of a utility pole where the distance is great, you would be better off with an autofocus camera like the CN50 or CN70.
  • The CN70 has the highest quality (5MP) camera and provides autofocus.  The CN50 is 3.1MP with autofocus. The CS40 and and CN4 are comparable but fixed focus. For basic pictures, the CS40 and CN4 should suffice for things like taking a picture of an asset you installed or delivered.
  • For a comparison, most newer but inexpensive cell phones have 2MP fixed focus cameras.  The iPhone 4 has a 5MP autofocus camera.

Do you need GPS?

  • GPS is built in to all of these Intermec devices.  Accuracy is 3-10 meters. If you need sub-meter accuracy, you would need an external GPS device such as those from Trimble. Their cost can be greater than $2000/ea but obviously are needed when you do things like buried meter installations.
  • All devices support Assisted GPS (AGPS), which helps by triangulating with cellular towers.  It can speed up your GPS first time to fix and more importantly help with location when inside buildings.

Do you need barcode scanning?

  • All of these devices have barcode scanning. The only decision is whether you need 1D/2D or long-range.
  • 2D scanners can be helpful if you have barcodes that may get dirty or damaged. Examples of this include plant nurseries where 2D barcodes may be easier to read due to dirt on the barcode.
  • Long range scanners can scan barcodes up to 40’ away. Long range scanners are only available on the MC909x platform. Examples of long range scanning would be scanning the barcode at the top of a warehouse rack from a forklift.
  • The CN70 has the newest, most advanced scan engine.  Under most circumstances you may not notice a difference scanning between these devices, but if you have a very scan intensive application, you should consider the CN70.

Will screen size impact your application?

  • The CS40 has a 2.8” screen versus all others with 3.5”.  While this does not seem like a lot, if your application requires a lot of screen interaction or signature capture, you would notice and appreciate the larger screen.
  • Other than the CN70, all devices have a  240×320 resolution. The CN70 has a VGA 480×640 resolution. This means for things like photos, you would notice the better screen. For standard field data collection, you may not notice the difference.
  • The CN70 uses Gorilla Glass for the screen, so it is the most durable.

So which device is right for you?

The following highlight examples of BizSpeed customers using each type of device.

CS40 – customer order entry. A distribution customer places devices at their customers’ locations to let their customers scan item UPC’s and place orders. Their primary interest was getting the lowest cost device with a solid scan engine. They considered both the CN50 and the CS40 and selected the CS40.  They use a dialup modem and did not need cellular, camera, GPS or WiFi.

CN50 – Pharmaceutical HazMat pickup. A Hazmat customer places devices at their customers’ locations (pharmacies, hospitals, nursing homes) so customers can scan items into bins to be picked up, tracked and disposed of according to EPA and FDA regulations. The items, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment,  usually have UPC or similar barcodes.  They considered CS40’s and CN50’s. The CN50 was selected due to the larger screen size and larger keyboard than the CS40.

CN4 –Fleet fueling and bulk product delivery. This customer provides fleet fueling to customers like Coca-Cola, Staples, 84 Lumber, Waste Management, etc.  Their customer’s trucks are parked in their yards overnight. They use our goRoam.FuelSales module to scan each truck they are fueling, confirm the correct product (on-road vs off-road diesel for example) and then pump fuel into their customer’s vehicle.  The handheld wirelessly reads the fuel pump meter to record the quantity per vehicle.   They deliver in rain, snow, cold and hot temperatures. They considered the CN50 and the CN4.  They selected the CN4  due to it’s better IP/ruggedness rating, bigger backlit keyboard, more powerful wifi radio (for communications with the truck meter) and better truck mounted vehicle cradle.   At the time, the CN70 was not available.

If you have questions or comments, please feel free to contact us regarding rugged mobile hardware selection. To learn more about BizSpeed and goRoam Proof of Delivery Software click or call 866-270-0541 (toll-free).

Filed Under: Barcode scanners, How-To, News, Proof of Delivery Tagged With: bulk delivery, GPS, handheld data collection, Intermec, mobile forms, Proof of Delivery, Windows Mobile

Why on-site fleet fueling?

May 16, 2011 by admin 1 Comment

Semi Truck FleetImagine you arrived at the dispatch office this morning and all your vehicles were fueled before drivers arrived.  On your desk was a printed receipt with gallons fueled and odometer reading for each vehicle and you saved $.10/gal over pump prices.  If that sounds like it might interest you, keep reading because on-site or mobile fleet fueling can drive savings directly to your bottom line.

Fuel costs are an assumed operating expense, but many companies only look at their monthly fuel bill and try to figure out how to get drivers to use less or pay less at the pump.  They don’t consider the total cost of fueling and fuel management.

If your drivers fuel their own vehicles then you pay for the time and mileage for a driver to get to the pump and to pump fuel into their vehicle. That’s time the driver is NOT spending delivering your products or service.  You’re trusting the driver to accurately record the gallons, the odometer reading and NOT wait or linger at the pump.

Compare this to on-site fleet fueling.

  • The fleet fueling driver arrives at your facility and pulls up to the first vehicle.
  • He scans the vehicle’s barcode which confirms the type of product the vehicle uses (dyed diesel, clear diesel or gas).  The handheld prevents him from putting in the wrong product.
  • He records the odometer reading of the vehicle.
  • He fuels the vehicle and his handheld wirelessly reads the fuel truck’s meter – no back and forth to his truck and no writing meter readings on paper.
  • He quickly moves to the next vehicle and scans it’s barcode, following the same procedure.
  • When all vehicles have been fueled, he gets your signature on the handheld and prints a legible receipt with the details for each vehicle:  truck ID, gallons, odometer and product.
  • You receive a weekly, monthly or quarterly report and electronic file of fuel usage by vehicle.

‘Okay, I see there’s benefits but what is the ROI with on-site fueling?’.  Let’s assume you use an average of 20 gals/day per vehicle and your fuel is $4/gal.

  • Driver time savings – you’re paying your driver to fuel your vehicles, not deliver your products. If it takes 15 minutes per vehicle and your driver’s loaded cost is $25/hr, you paid $6.25 on top of your fuel cost.  You paid an extra $.31/gal on top of the pump/rack price.
  • Mileage – the loaded cost per mile averages $2.50-3.00/mile (vehicle, labor, fuel, etc.).  If you drive an extra 3 miles to fuel you vehicle, you paid $9 in transportation costs.   You paid an extra $.45/gal in transportation costs.
  • Environmental – if you use an on-site storage tank and have your drivers fuel at your facility, you now have the environmental liability of the storage tank.  Additionally, if your drivers spill while fueling then you have the environmental reporting responsibility and have to ensure your drivers know what to do for HazMat.
  • Better fuel control– fuel is an expensive commodity. Drivers can pump into their own vehicles/containers, not turn in fueling receipts or report inaccurately to improve their metrics like miles per gallon. Taking the driver out of the equation reduces theft and improves accuracy.
  • Fuel price management – as specialists in fueling and fuel management, on-site fueling companies can leverage purchasing, pricing and hedging across multiple customers to provide savings and price predictability.
  • Tax savings – for equipment or vehicles that stay in your yard, you can eliminate road taxes by getting detailed fueling reports on a per asset basis.  This is especially helpful in areas like refineries or food distribution (refrigerated trailers) where there may be a large number of vehicles or trailers that never go on the road.

If you have a vehicle fleet that returns to the yard on a daily basis, you’re a good candidate for on-site fueling. Examples include:

  • Food service distribution
  • Armored car service
  • Beverage distribution
  • School buses
  • Furniture delivery
  • Lumber delivery
  • Special needs and senior transport service
  • Local delivery companies

If you’re interested in on-site fueling, you should look for companies that automate the process with wireless handhelds so they can read meters electronically. This eliminates hand written errors, calculation errors and provides you with the confidence to know your fueling records are accurate for proof of delivery.

The best run on-site fueling companies use BizSpeed’s goRoam.BulkDelivery handheld system. Contact us to find an on-site fueling provider near you.

Filed Under: Barcode scanners, News, Proof of Delivery Tagged With: bulk delivery, handheld data collection, LCR-II meters, Proof of Delivery, wireless tank monitoring

Updates to Bulk and Metered Delivery Software

May 13, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

fleet fueling metered delivery handheldWe have started beta testing the update to our goRoam.BulkDelivery software for bulk, packaged and metered delivery. This is a significant upgrade as we have integrated into our current goRoam mobile application framework. It streamlines operations for delivery drivers and provides workflow specific to the type of product delivered.  We’ve tested extensively in-house and are in the process testing on-site with existing customers.  Key features of the update include:

  • Integration into the goRoam mobile app based on Microsoft’s SmartClient framework. This provides strong inter-module integration, so bulk deliveries are integrated with inspections (additional module).
  • Upgrades to the current version of SQL Server CE on the mobile device for faster data access, such as looking up customer assets.
  • Significantly enhanced inventory management on bulk trucks.  We support tracking retained products and pump-offs so you can better understand and match inventory versus strictly delivered product.
  • More metrics – we now track how long each asset takes to fuel so you can get better driver metrics at a detail versus aggregate (avg time per asset to fuel).
  • Improved workflow and user interface, including use of finger friendly controls. We have eliminated the need to do horizontal scrolling, so a driver can see everything on one page or can scroll with fingers or the keypad keys.
  • Faster meter integration with LCR-II registers and better visual indicators on meter status.
  • Streamlined workflow so drivers see forms based on the line item they are delivering. For packaged delivery, they see packaged specific data. For bulk products, we differentiate between metered and non-metered as well as the type of asset being filled.  For example, on tanks we show tank readings and can force the readings. On vehicles/engines we support odometer or hour readings.
  • Simultaneous dual meter pumping – drivers can pump from two LCR-II or other meters at the same time.
  • Better background synchronization – we use a full queuing system that detects network connectivity and syncs automatically when a device is connected via cellular, wifi or cradle.

The updated module will be available by the end of June 2011.

 

main menu fleet fueling handheld Route list with easy to view summary of each stop - handheld Post-trip tracking of retained product and pump-off handheld
Main menu Route list with easy to view summary of each stop Post-trip tracking of retained product and pump-off

Filed Under: Barcode scanners, Distribution software, Inspections, News, Proof of Delivery Tagged With: asset tracking, bulk delivery, delivery software, handheld data collection, LCR-II meters, Proof of Delivery, wireless tank monitoring

Barcode Scanners – How to Choose

February 4, 2010 by admin 1 Comment

Choosing a barcode scanner can be a challenging task if you don’t have a lot of experience.  This is a quick overview of what you should know when selecting barcode scanners.

1D or 2D?

The first question you need to ask is what type of barcode you will be scanning:  1D or 2D.  This is important because a 1D scanner cannot scan 2D barcodes, although 2D scanners can scan 1D barcodes.  A 1D barcode has black vertical lines and looks like:

code 3 of 9 barcode

1D barcodes have a range of symbologies:  code39, code128 and UPC are typical.  UPC (Universal Product Codes) barcodes are what is found on merchandise and store products, whereas the other symbologies are typically used for internal tracking such as manufacturer serial numbers, inventory locations, etc.  Most scanners are configurable to filter out and read only the symbologies you specify.  If you don’t know the symbology you are using, you should check to confirm that the scanner can read it if you elect to use a 1D scanner.

2D barcodes store more information than 1D, but they require a 2D reader.  Common examples of 2D include drivers license, FedEx and UPS package tracking.  Benefits of 2D include being able to read the barcode even if a portion of the label is damaged or obscured.

2D barcode image sample

Most people need 1D barcode scanners.

Imager or Laser Barcode Scanner?

Laser barcode scanners read 1D barcodes. Most new handheld, PDA or mobile scanners have converted and use an imager. An imager allows you to read 1D or 2D, although when you purchase the scanner you should be careful to specify that you need to read 2D barcodes even if it says in includes an imager.

Laser scanners emit a thin red line of light (the laser) which reads the barcode. Many imagers also emit a red line of light to help the user target what they are scanning.  Imagers tend to read broken or dirty barcodes better than laser scanners.

Mobile, Handheld or Fixed?

The form factor for scanners varies by the type of application. Most of our customers use handheld scanners built into rugged mobile devices like Intermec CN3, CN50 or Motorola MC55 or MC75 devices.  These scanners are built into mobile computers and mobile software application talks directly to the scanner using the scanner API.  Examples of mobile computer scanner applications include:

  • Inventory counts
  • Proof of Delivery
  • Asset tracking and audits
  • Inspections
  • Operator rounds
motorola MC55 intermec CN3
Motorola MC55 Intermec CN3

Mobile computer scanners range in price from $1250 to $3000+.

Handheld barcode scanners are dedicated devices that usually are connected to a PC or terminal.  With handheld scanners, it is up to the PC to handle the application and processing of the barcode. These are usually seen in retail environments at the Point of Sale (POS) or mounted on forklifts where an operator has a terminal on the forklift and uses the scanner to confirm what they load.

Handheld scanners usually connect via the serial port and can work wirelessly (e.g. Bluetooth or proprietary) or tethered.  If wireless, they can scan anywhere from 2 – 30 feet away from the host computer.

Most handheld scanners have an option to take whatever is scanned and put it in the keyboard buffer, which makes it appear that someone typed the barcode value. When operating in this mode, it is simple to use with existing applications. You should check with each type of scanner to ensure it supports this, otherwise you will need to ensure it has drivers to support your operating system. Most support Window; however, that does not mean they support Windows CE which is usually the OS on forklift terminals.

If you elect to use a BlueTooth scanner, you need to ensure it supports your device. For instance, if you want to scan to a phone or PDA, you need to ensure the scanner has drivers. Just because you have a Blackberry device with Bluetooth, do not assume at Bluetooth scanner will work.

Handheld scanners like the Motorola LS 2208 are around $200. Tethered scanners can be less than $100.  Bluetooth scanners like the Baracoda or Socket scanner are $400-$600.

 

A third option is a fixed mount scanners. These scanners are usually installed on conveyor belts.  Self-serve grocery checkout stands and store price lookups also have fixed mount scanners. With fixed mount scanners, you have to ensure the barcode will pass within a readable distance and at a suitable angle. Grocery store checkout stands have multiple scanners to address this. In applications like conveyor belts, fixed mount scanners can be tied to light-activated sensors so the scanner is activated when the light beam is broken. This enables you to 1) know when you should expect to read a barcode 2) control the time to read a barcode.

Fixed mount scanners for industrial type use can range in price from $500 – $1500.

 

 

If you have questions on scanners, please enter a comment or submit a question.  We work with a number of companies and can assist in scanner selection as well as barcode label generation.

Filed Under: Barcode scanners, How-To Tagged With: Barcode scanners, handheld data collection, Intermec CN3, Motorola MC55, Motorola MC75

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