Barcoding News
Data tracking news, product updates, tips, and more
Zebra’s WiNG Smart RF Wireless Networking
WiNG (Wireless Infrastructure Next Generation) is at the heart of every Zebra wireless LAN and distributes intelligence to every access point and controller– so every Access Point (AP) can act as the virtual controller if necessary. SMART RF (Self Monitoring At Run Time) is built into the WiNG architecture found in all of Zebra’s access points and controllers making it easy to find the right hardware to meet your needs.
By automating many routine network tasks, it saves businesses time and resources – there’s no need for dedicated IT staff to manage the network. It’s like having an in-built RF engineer – the network tests and calibrates itself, reports problems and fixes faults before anyone is aware of them.
Organizations both large and small are increasingly dependent on mobile workers. In turn, those mobile workers rely on wireless networks. Problem is, planning and deploying wireless networks is difficult and time-consuming. And as new users and applications are added, managing and operating a wireless network becomes increasingly difficult.
Honeywell Announces the Captuvo SL42 for Apple iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 Plus
According to a report recently published by Good Technology, iOS activations accounted for 73% of global device activations in Q4 2014. The introduction of the Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have been pivotal in driving the market share upswing for iOS, as enterprises take advantage of leveraging the hallmark user interface and broad availability of enterprise-class apps to deliver engaging and unique customer experiences.
For enterprises looking to extend the capabilities of Apple’s latest consumer-preferred devices, Honeywell is pleased to announce availability of the Captuvo SL42 for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Designed to transform the popular smartphone into an enterprise-ready solution, the Captuvo SL42 for Apple iPhone 6 and Apple iPhone 6 Plus targets mobile frontline workers who require real-time connectivity to business-critical applications and superior barcode scanning performance to improve productivity and better serve customers whether in the office, on the road, or in the field.
Empowering Your WLAN to Deliver a Better Guest Experience
The Challenge: Supporting a Major Increase of in-Store Wireless Applications — and a New Generation of WI-FI
Today’s wireless LAN (WLAN) is more than a network. It has become a critical business tool that helps retailers of all sizes improve the customer experience and associate efficiency. But wireless technologies and wireless initiatives have continued to evolve, pressuring the WLAN you have today and presenting numerous challenges:
Shoppers’ expect high-performance in-store Wi-Fi access
When today’s shoppers step into your store, they expect you to provide complimentary access to the store’s Wi-Fi network. They are looking to help control their cellular data fees and eliminate the connection issues that can occur inside a retail store. But providing guest access creates several issues:
- Ease of access –Â You need to be able to allow shoppers to easily sign in to access your WLAN
- Security -Â You need to be able to keep your network secure, despite the fact that you are offering open public access to your WLAN
- Next generation 802.11ac Wi-Fi support - The fifth generation of Wi-Fi is here. Analysts are predicting critical mass in just a few short years — in 2015 — and your customers are already buying 802.11ac-enabled mobile devices. You need to make sure that shoppers who have upgraded to these next-generation Wi-Fi devices can still access your WLAN
- Performance expectations - You need to provide your shoppers with dependable high-performance Wi-Fi connections — despite major and unpredictable fluctuations in the number of users and traffic on the WLAN
RFID for your Cat
When you think about RFID one of your first thoughts probably isn’t how it can benefit your pet cat. Many pets today have an RFID chip in them for identification purposes but beyond that, the technology doesn’t really come into play in their day to day lives.
Ben Milliam realized that he could enhance his cat’s general curiosity and ‘mobile’ hunting drive with the aid of some RFID tagged wiffle balls and a modified electronic feeder he embedded an RFID reader in. Now his cat, Monkey, gets a taste of being an outdoor ‘hunting’ cat in the comforts of home.
You can find a detailed breakdown of Ben’s process and how be built everything on his site.
Sato’s CL6e Series Printer End-of-Life
Sato has announced the discontinuation of the CL608e and CL612e industrial thermal printer and all related accessories. This retirement notice includes the discontinuation of the CL6e series printers and accessories. For a suitable replacement, the new CL6NX series is the perfect choice for even better performance while still using the same media the older printers used.
Reason for Retirement: The CL6NX series was released in April 2015 which has a superior feature set and is a compatible replacement for the CL6e.
Service and Warranty: Sat0 will honor all warranties in place and maintain our service obligation by supporting and servicing discontinued printers through Sato as long as parts are available.
For more information or assistance finding the right replacement industrial printer for your needs, contact us at Barcodes, Inc.
Datalogic’s Magellan 9800i Redefines Retail Checkout Scanning
Leading the way in retail checkout scanning, the Datalogic Magellan 9800i is the world’s first in-counter barcode scanner driven completely by high performance digital imaging, resulting in the ability to increase checkout performance in the world’s busiest checkout environments. Compared to traditional laser based in-counter scanner/scales, the 9800i greatly improves checkout speeds but also opens new interactions with a customer facing imager to easily scan digital coupons from smartphone screens and traditional paper/card based coupons.
Key Features
- Advanced digital imaging in all reading planes
- Seamless reading of 1D and 2D codes in all planes with good-read audio and visual confirmation for fast, uninterrupted scanning
- Optional Top Down Reader (TDR) adds large topside field-of-view as well as a customer-facing mobile device reader
- The largest ever All-Weighs scale platter enables effortless, accurate weighing of long or bulky items
- ScaleSentry Shrink Monitoring/Prevention System reduces losses from oversized items outside the weighing surface
- Low bonnet height allows for accessibility and flexibility in checkstand layout
- Top side accessible service port allows for the product to stay in the counter for most service calls (including software upgrades)
- Illumix Intelligent Illumination Technology designed for digital imaging in retail
Star’s New Mobile SM-L200 Printer
‘Always Leading-Always Innovating’ in cutting-edge technology, Star is proud to announce its SM-L200 two-inch Bluetooth low energy portable printer for the mobile point of sale industry. The SM-L200 supports BLE technology for all iOS mobile devices such as the Apple iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Its compact and lightweight design make this two-inch portable printer perfect for a wide range of applications from queue busting in retail and hospitality to home delivery 58mm wide invoicing.
The SM-L200 is the first portable printer currently on the market which offers the ability to connect any Apple, iOS BLE compatible device without having to pair to it. With no limitation on the number of devices connected, BLE is the perfect solution for BYOD (bring your own device) environments that does not require any certification or prior authorization from your iOS operating system. In addition to the BLE feature for iOS, the SM-L200 is Bluetooth (3.0/ 4.0) compatible with all operating systems (Windows, Android, and iOS).
Zebra’s Healthcare Solutions
Hospitals have a myriad of very important moving pieces to keep track of on a daily basis. Keeping an accurate count of medicine, patients, files, lab equipment and specimens, to name a few, can be a daunting task for any medical facility. The good news is, Zebra provides many healthcare solutions to help simplify the tracking of critical hospital inventories. Below you will find solutions to the most common issues healthcare institutions face:
Admission: Hospital admissions staff welcome patients and gather important patient medical information. Recent advances in wristband printing allows for a patient to wear a wristband with a barcode. Simply scan the wristband with a healthcare scanner or mobile computer to obtain a patients records, in real time.
Patient Care: Real time updates of a patient’s medical records can dramatically increase services and care provided by a healthcare facility. Using healthcare scanning and mobile computing devices can help significantly cut down on errors. Scheduling appointments, sending prescriptions and reviewing patient history, are only a few of the solutions available when using Zebra healthcare products.
Honeywell’s New Granit 1980i Industrial Full 2D Imager
The Granit 1980i industrial-grade scanner features full-range area-imaging technology capable of reading both 1D and 2D barcodes across a wide range of distances. From poor quality 2 mil codes scanned at close range, to 100 mil codes hanging from warehouse rafters scanned at ranges of 52 feet, the 1980i is built to perform. With an unmatched range that provides incredible versatility, Granit enables maximum operator productivity in the harshest environments.
The 1980i is packed with technologies that make it simple to use. An integrated laser pointer aiming system with auto-illumination, omni-directional reading capability, and support for centering take the guesswork out of scanning at extended ranges. Operators of fork trucks equipped with vehicle-mounted mobile computers, such as the Honeywell Thor series, will appreciate how the full-range scanning capability of 1980i allows them to remain seated—and hence more productive—while scanning pallets at extended ranges.
Adoption of Android in Enterprise Mobile Computing
Should your business commit to using or migrating to the Android operating system? Before we answer that we should caveat by stating that no two IT departments are exactly the same. While Android currently holds a small market share of the rugged platform, its flexibility and customizability make it a leading candidate to take over for Microsoft, which has historically dominated the enterprise space. Microsoft’s software constrainment after each release has pushed the large device manufacturers like Zebra (formerly Motorola) and Honeywell to start investing heavily into the Android operating system for their mobile computers. The rest of the manufacturers have started to follow suit. Furthermore, despite the large market share of iOS in consumer devices, Apple is currently the least suited for the enterprise mobility space due to its lack of customization and restricted API access. See below for a chart that depicts the biggest benefits of Android in enterprise mobility:
