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Barcode Scanner Types

Barcoding Guide
Barcodes

Barcode Scanner Types

xAssets supports three categories of barcode scanner: Keywedge, Camera, and Intelligent. The right choice depends on your workflow, the devices your users carry, and whether you need offline or remote scanning.

Keywedge Scanners

A Keywedge scanner connects to a computer or mobile device via USB or wireless and behaves like a keyboard. When a barcode is scanned, the scanner types the barcode value into whichever field has focus, followed by a carriage return (Enter).

Requirement: The scanner must be configured to append a carriage return after each scan. Most Keywedge scanners support this out of the box.

Keywedge scanners can be used in xAssets for:

Benefits:

  • Low cost
  • Minimal configuration -- no setup required in xAssets
  • Real-time data entry -- no import/export step needed
  • Versatile -- usable across multiple xAssets functions

Limitation: The xAssets browser window and the barcode input field must have focus when the barcode is scanned.

Camera Scanners

The Camera Scanner uses the camera built into the user's phone, tablet, or laptop. xAssets opens a full-screen camera viewfinder when the user taps the barcode icon next to the search box, decodes the barcode in the browser, then populates the search field and runs the search. No external hardware is required.

Camera scanning is the recommended scanner for technicians working from a phone in the field. xAssets is delivered as a Progressive Web App, so users can install it onto the home screen of their device and launch it like any native app -- the camera permission is granted once during install, then the scanner is one tap away.

Camera scanning supports the same barcode formats as Keywedge scanners (CODE128, CODE39, EAN, UPC, ITF, Codabar) plus 2D codes (QR, Data Matrix, PDF417). On Android devices the browser's native Barcode Detection API is used; on iPhone, iPad, macOS and Firefox, an in-browser decoder is loaded on demand.

Benefits:

  • No additional hardware -- uses the camera the user already has
  • Works on phones, tablets, and laptops with a webcam
  • Same software path used in the field as in the office, so technicians do not switch tools
  • Supports 2D barcodes (QR, Data Matrix, PDF417) in addition to traditional 1D barcodes

Requirements:

  • xAssets must be served over HTTPS (browsers block camera access on plain HTTP, even on intranet)
  • A modern browser -- Chrome, Edge, Safari, or Firefox on a recent device
  • The BarcodeInputMode option must be set to auto or camera. By default it is set to dialog so existing keywedge workflows are not changed during an upgrade. See Configuring Barcode Scanners for setup details.

Intelligent Scanners

Intelligent scanners are dedicated scanning devices or mobile devices (tablets, phones) running third-party software to collect barcodes and additional data. xAssets recommends TracerPlus and includes built-in import/export support for TracerPlus scanners. See TracerPlus Configuration for setup details.

Intelligent scanners are used primarily for asset auditing.

Benefits:

  • Can collect additional data beyond barcodes -- for example, quantities, condition notes, photographs, or signatures
  • Built-in screen with lookup database provides feedback without a live connection to xAssets
  • Work independently of the browser -- no need to maintain field focus during scanning