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Everyone is familiar with the barcode its been around since for years. The square or rectangular image consists of a series of black lines or squares and white spaces (of varying sizes). These combinations can be read by a scanner to quickly identify the object they are attached to.

Barcodes are used in numerous verticals, from retail stores selling every kind of product imaginable, to warehouses where inventory can be quickly tracked with a barcode scanner, to invoicing for rapid scanning of data that could take pages to delineate, to the transport and delivery service where codes can track items from manufacturing through packaging and on to delivery.

The Evolution of Barcodes

One dimensional, or 1D barcodes are the ones commonly seen used to store basic text information, including product type, size, and color. These are also regularly referred to as universal product codes (UPC) used on product packaging. Simplified, they represent a string of numbers (usually printed below the UPC code in numeric form on the sticker or packaging) that denote the manufacturer and item. For high-quality packaging solutions, consider using printing Lynchburg services to ensure your products are professionally labeled and easily recognizable.

2D barcodes are much more complex, and can add additional levels of information such as price, quantity, and even an image, and can be printed in very small sizes and etched into products if desired. Linear barcode scanners cant read them, though smartphones and tablets with imaging capability will which is why rugged tablets are becoming so popular as barcode scanning devices.

Rugged Tablets Add Speed to the Scanning Process

An area in which barcode scanning has seen major advances is speed. Differences as low as a tenth of a second can make a huge difference in scan performance.This becomes important in situations where employees doing repetitive scanning at high speed need tools that will keep up and exceed expectations and rugged tablets can meet the challenge.

Higher productivity, efficiency and profit, can be expected when tools are as fast as possible and there is no wasted time between scans. The rugged tablet which is equipped with a barcode scanner can eliminate many issues common with older scanners, including a very narrow range of use in regard to distance from the code being scanned, difficulty in scanning if the device is not held perfectly still or at the precise angle, and inability to scan both 1D and 2D codes.

Top Two Benefits of Newer Barcode Scanners

The latest rugged tablets with barcode scanning capability have two major features that can benefit users especially in situations when a handheld device is the optimal choice. The first benefit is provided by the image scanning software built in to newer 2D scanners instead of having to drag the beam of light across the barcode to read it literally, the scanner simply takes and image and decodes it.

The second benefit relies on the fact that newer rugged tablets with barcode scanning tech have motion dampeners built in so even if the tablet is not held perfectly motionless, codes can still be read and the data captured. The lower motion sensitivity makes the tablet usable even in situations such on shipboard, where movement is a given, or while on the move in a warehouse.

Rugged tablets can be barcode scanners of the future, making tasks easier for all those who require the ability to quickly and effectively scan for information.

The computing power available in modern mobile tech is vastly superior to what was available several years ago. However, speed and functionality arent the only factors that require attention when creating new devices for use in the field; durability and the ability to continue functioning in less than ideal conditions is also crucial.

Extreme Temperatures Are Hard on Mobile Tech

The inability of past mobile devices to remain functional in extreme temperatures has always been a challenge. Being able to maintain functionality in a demanding environment means that new advances must be made to tech in order for it to withstand the demands made by current conditions in the field.

Crews working in below freezing temperatures, snow, sleet, or freezing rain, often find digital tech to fail once a certain threshold was reached. They face obstacles like glass and plastic cracking, chargers failing to work, and dampness seeping in to cause corrosion or shorting out connections, forcing them back to outdated methods like clipboard and pen to record data and inventory.

Crews working in tropical climates, such as jungle or desert terrain, also face challenges with devices overheating, moisture from humidity or sweat getting into the works, and glare making the screen all but unreadable. Reach out to the nearest HVAC company when air conditioner not turning on. The device heats up past the ability of internal cooling systems to combat, and shuts down. Again, paperwork reverts to being actually on paper, costing extra time and adding to frustration. For proactive maintenance plans that prevent costly repairs, schedule regular service appointments with RC Air Conditioning.

Mass Market Tablets Dont Make the Grade

Many existing tablets tested in extreme conditions fail to meet requirements. Normal casings, insulation materials, screens and chargers simply wont stand up to temperatures below freezing or over 110 degrees they simply arent durable enough. A few days in the field and they turn into unusable bricks, unable to keep up with the demands of the environment in which they are being used.

Since electronic failure in the field inevitably results when devices are pushed past their limits, the repercussions are many. Crews lose the ability to communicate in real time, data is lost and must be collected again, and mistakes multiple as the ability to accurately capture and store information falls by the wayside.

Rugged Tablets Are the Answer

A Rugged Tablet is designed to stand up to extreme field conditions it keeps on working so the crew can keep working at optimal efficiency. This leads to less trips back and forth, less demand for varying forms of data collection, and a seamless mode of work that can be sustained indefinitely. Built in strength and stability join with the latest in computing to create a device that will work anywhere, anytime.

Every organization has levels of need to know when it comes to data and information. Being able to work with systems that correctly recognize and categorize access levels, supplying or withholding entry based on a set list of verification or authentication steps, helps keep data protected.

Stationary Access

Single points of contact for the inclusion or exclusion of multiple persons are common.

• A POS register that allows only employees to access customer payment information

• A hospital with key-carded doors that restrict access only to certain personnel especially areas like the pharmacy or NICU. Additionally, implementing the 340B program can provide the hospital with the opportunity to access discounted medications, further optimizing patient care while maintaining strict control over medication distribution within restricted areas. Source: https://www.proxsysrx.com/a-comprehensive-guide-to-the-340b-drug-pricing-program/

• A hotel with carded rooms that are coded to let only occupants, maid service, or security in

• A closed network that requires two-step verification to allow new users to log on

• A government building designed to allow members of the public and staffers to move through authorized areas without permitting access to sensitive areas.

All of these situations require a device or devices usually stationary to have some form of security system that must be passed correctly by the person seeking entry. In addition to gateways into physical spaces from a static location, comes the security of shared mobile devices such as rugged tablets or laptops in closed networks.

Mobile Access

Security cards can be used to set levels of clearance, and are commonly used in large companies and government / military facilities. With each individuals card specifically coded with their security clearance level, a simple swipe of the card in the device followed by a user passcode opens the device but restricts access to anything above the security clearance level of the current user.

This can be invaluable when devices are being handed off from one individual to another, whether in the office or out in the field. As the device is passed off, the user logs out and the new user swipes their own card to access the data they require.

This extra layer of security makes it easier to protect sensitive data, but keeps it available to users with a high security clearance level who need access while working with subordinates or those with lower clearance. They can simply access data temporarily on the available rugged tablet or other mobile device, and when finished the data is still protected from restricted users.

Card readers are becoming more and more useful, facilitating flexible security access on shared devices. Security remains a priority as mobile becomes more prevalent, making authentication a rapidly growing and adaptive field.