Improve Your Business Logistics by Using a Bluetooth Scanner

Besides proper planning and setting goals, training of staff, the use of data and predictive analytics and good and efficient customer relationship, adoption of innovative technology and proper warehouse and inventory management are crucial for managing a business. Clearly, that pallet racking system is a great idea but it still doesn’t give you the full insight into the products which you need.

How Does Bluetooth Scanning Work?

One of the latest pieces of technology that you can use to improve logistics and are immensely beneficial for many businesses is the Bluetooth barcode scanner. By scanning a barcode on a product package and transmitting data back to a host computer, Bluetooth barcode scanners can be used to store the scanned information. This is a much better solution compared to manually keeping track of that same data as it would be incomparably more time-consuming.

Computers don’t read bar codes, they read the data that’s been captured and converted to its mother tongue. The device that reads or captures the bar code information and sends it to the decoder is known as the bar code reader or scanner. These scanners are photo sensors that read the barcodes and eventually convert them into readable text that is then displayed and kept on a computer or laptop.

It might sound like a very long process but it actually takes just a few milliseconds. In fact, the barcode reader has 3 key components, the scanner, the decoder and lastly the cable. Even so, wireless options exist today. The decoder here will convert the electrical energy into data of numbers and letters then all the data will be forwarded to a PC to be analyzed by software

What is a Bluetooth Scanner Used For?

Bluetooth scanners are one of the most widely used devices or tools today as they’re used in many different industries like manufacturing, custom product packaging, warehousing, education, healthcare and in the field service. Due to their utility and popularity, Bluetooth scanners have resulted in the introduction of many varieties.

What Are the Types of Bluetooth Scanners?

Fixed Scanners or USB Barcode scanners offer more flexibility than any Bluetooth barcode scanners you can dream of as it enables reaching certain locations that are not that easy to reach. The name says it all and there’s no reason to carry around a connecting device for “information feeding” as it has all the built-in technology it needs.

Hands-Free or Fixed Mount Barcode Scanners allow for hands-free or high-speed automated barcode scanning. Thus, they have many applications like sorting systems, point-of-sale, work-in-process and healthcare. These Bluetooth barcode scanners are versatile, durable, and extremely reliable, high-throughput scanners.

All features can help you boost employee productivity to greater levels with minimal effort. These Bluetooth scanners are perfect for high volume and high traffic businesses like general retail, liquor stores, and convenience stores.

Following, portable scanners are handheld battery-operated bar code readers that can store the data in memory for later uploading. In addition to a bar code scanner, a portable bar code reader has an LCD display and a keyboard. The user can walk around, scanning and keying in data and getting a response from the computer with each entry.

The wireless scanner is for factory or warehouse applications where the cable/cord restricts movement. In a harsh environment where the cable can get damaged and make your scanner system inoperable, a cordless scanner is the best solution. In shipping and receiving applications where the cable denies access, a cordless scanner is the answer.

In retail applications where a cabled scanner limits access beyond the counter area, a cordless scanner can be the solution to your problems.

A cordless Bluetooth scanner is ideal for scanning heavy, oversized or bulk items that are difficult to place on the counter at checkout. With the wireless barcode scanner, it gives the operator the entire freedom to roam around a certain location they are in while still staying connected to your network via the new Bluetooth barcode scanner or technology.

Bluetooth Barcode scanners look and function the same as normal cordless scanners do, however, they differ in the way the information is transmitted. Also, there’s a difference in scanning technology.

Barcoding is a mature technology contrary to RFID, around for many years while the latter is still in its infancy. Additionally, prices for the components used to read and write barcodes have dropped due to this maturity and sales volume.

RFID stands for “radio-frequency identification” or technology that captures digital data encoded in RFID tags or smart labels via radio waves. RFID is similar to barcoding in that data from a tag or label are captured by a device that stores the data in a database. Although it may have some issues, RFID is still superior. In some cases, these advantages outweigh the disadvantages and high cost of the components.

Laser barcode scanners work the same way as pen type barcode readers. Nonetheless, laser barcode scanners use a laser beam as their light source to scan the laser beam back and forth across the bar code and typically by the use of a rotating prism or a reciprocating mirror. A photodiode is used to measure the intensity of the light reflected from the bar code in both pen type and laser barcode readers.