Before purchasing a Toughbook or Toughpad that includes an integrated barcode scanner, it is imperative that the customer first determines the limitations and abilities of that included scanner.  All barcode scanners are definitely not created equal and the Toughbook and Toughpad lines include a wide variety of different scanners which in turn have a wide variation in what they are and are not compatible with.

When investigating whether or not a Toughbook barcode scanner is suitable for the project you have in mind it is best to answer two complicated questions:

First, what kind of barcode am I trying to scan?

Second, will this scanner scan it?

The first question can be answered by determining what symbology (or format) of barcode you are trying to scan.  The second question has to broken down into a few different pieces:

1. What symbologies (or formats) is the scanner capable of reading.

2.  What range is the scanner able to scan at.

3. What is the minimum size of the barcode at that range.

The Rugged Store has started to create a series of videos, that attempt to break down the intricacies of barcode scanning with Toughbooks and Toughpads into manageable sections.  Hopefully this series will help ensure that the customer purchases the right computer and scanner with confidence.  Check out Video 1 here and find the whole series on our YouTube channel: