Difference Between Hand-Held And Fixed Barcode Scanners

by Mog Lix Shop Online for Industrial Tools, Safety Equipment

Barcodes and barcode scanners are omnipresent. From the clothes we wear to the books we read, to grocery we survive on to the household stuff of utility; barcodes have been able to manifest themselves in all the forms. Barcodes cannot function without an operating system, and thus barcode scanners do the job. Barcode scanners have revolutionized the way supermarkets function because of the amazing speed with which they perform their task with hardly any scope of inaccuracy. More than that, it allows for faster transactions and tracking of items. Buying a barcode scanner is a necessity in today’s time. They are the hardware that translates these barcodes into a more understandable format for the computer system to generate and process relevant information.

Primarily, there are two types of scanners that are available in the market:

Fixed barcode scanners;
Handheld barcode scanners.

Fixed Barcode Scanners are the scanners that one would usually see in big retail stores or supermarkets that operate on a wide range of products and merchandise, different varieties, and range of goods. You can buy fixed barcode scanners online. Once this barcode scanner is installed over the counter, it stays fixed at one place and provides stable access. You need to bring the barcode towards the scanner to proceed with the transaction. This barcode scanner is it's built for huge amounts of transactions that need speed and accuracy. The major advantage it offers is that it can read barcodes that are not in the best of their condition or are soiled or damp. On the other hand, the main disadvantage is that scanning heavy or huge items is a nightmare as it involves a lot of effort to bring the item’s barcode next to the scanner, keeping its weight or size in mind.

Hand Held Barcode Scanners are small scanners generally seen in small to medium retail stores or at clothing and apparel stores. The major advantage of a hand-held barcode scanner is its flexibility, mobility, and transferability. Such barcode scanners online come with a stand which is installed over the counter. Once fixed on the stand, it functions like a fixed barcode scanner. When removed from the stand, it offers freedom to carry it or move it towards the products to ease the process of billing or inventory management. Thus, by buying barcode scanner which is hand-held you shoot two apples with one arrow. However, unlike the fixed barcode scanner, it cannot scan soiled barcodes. Handheld barcode scanners have two effective uses when it comes to reading barcodes. One would be when performing sales transactions and the second is updating the inventory.

To conclude, it is always better to choose hand-held barcode scanners for small to medium scale businesses for the ease of movement they offer. However, fixed barcode scanners work best for large scale industries.

The primary task of a barcode scanner is to automatically read the barcode that is placed in front of it and translate this through the software as a text file. With the advent of technology, you can now buy barcode scanners online with a few clicks on our website Moglix. We assure you a quality assured experience for all our products.