The Barcode Scanner App from DataSymbol transforms any device with a camera — be it a PC, notebook or any internet-enabled product with an embedded webcam — into an accurate barcode and QR code scanner.
Exciting Features of Barcode Scanner App
• Multiple symbologies supported – 1D (Code 39, Code 128, EAN/UPC) and 2D codes (QR, Data Matrix, PDF417, Aztec, etc.). Text to speech is multi-language.
• Keyboard wedge mode – decoded data sent as if typed from the keyboard to any application.
• Automation possibilities – COM API, events, option to run external application or script after a code has been read.
• Configurable prefixes / suffixes – add an Enter, Tab or custom character after your barcode scans.
• Selectable barcode area – capture only specific region of the video frame, making decoding more accurate.
• Camera control – focus, zoom, exposure and more can be manually or automatically adjusted.
• Support for cross-platform applications including Windows, Linux, Android and UWP.
Thus, the app is a universal scanner that can be used in various workflows and does not require any dedicated scanners.
Why Barcode Scanner App is Better than Traditional Scanners
| Advantage | Details |
| Lower cost of implementation | No need to purchase expensive barcode scanners — you can use existing devices with cameras |
| Flexibility & scalability | Easy to deploy on many computers or mobile devices; updates and settings can be managed centrally |
| Integration & automation | API and event model make it easy to integrate into existing business workflows and trigger external actions |
| Simplified infrastructure | Fewer hardware devices mean fewer failure points and lower maintenance costs |
| Wide symbology support | Software can be updated to support new barcode types, while hardware scanners may be limited by firmware |
| Customizable behavior | Adjustable scan zones, prefixes/suffixes, filtering — often impossible on fixed hardware scanners |
| Mobility | Smartphones/tablets can be used as multipurpose devices (scanning + other business tasks) |
| Easy updates | Bugs can be fixed and new features added via software updates, without replacing hardware |
| Multi-platform compatibility | Works on Windows, Linux, Android, iOS, etc. — useful in mixed environments |
| Lower replacement cost | If a camera breaks, it’s much cheaper to replace than a dedicated hardware scanner |
Things to Keep in Mind
“Software-based barcode scanning is great, but there are situations where hardware scanners offer some advantages, they include:
• Quality of the camera counts – Crappy cameras will provide unreliable scans.
• Speed & performance – Our whole device scanning solutions rest on our hardware scanner designs that are all geared towards super-fast reading of even damaged or low contrast bars, ramping up the speed and performance by orders of magnitude compared with competitions!
• Durable – handheld scanners are rugged enough to stand up to drops, dust, moisture, and more tough environments.
• Battery Life – Smartphones and tablets tend to be quickly drained when they are used to operate a camera all day long.
• Significant challenges – glare, very small codes or moving objects may be handled more easily by a laser/imager scanner.
• Software dependencies: Updates to OS or drivers can adjust the stability of an app.
• Custom interfaces – some POS systems demand USB/RS-232 scanners featuring a trigger button due to workflow necessity.
Barcode Scanner App – Agile, Simple, and Scalable for all your barcode scanning needs! It does away entirely with the need for special scanning hardware, works across a number of different symbologies, and plays nicely with your business apps.
For applications where speed, ruggedness, and reliability in rough environments are mission-critical (like high-throughput warehouses, industrial settings), the proprietary hardware scanners may still remain supreme. But in most business and office environments, there’s no reason to add a hardware-based scanner when software can do the job at a lower cost and with less potential obsolescence.
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