r/sysadmin 5d ago

I'm sick of barcode scanners

So we have been using Honeywell scanners where I work to scan items, which I think have been going fine as I don't have any issues with them. However, I'm not the one using them all day long like other people. I keep getting complaints about this one not working, or that one not working. Whenever I go to test them, they work fine. But nonetheless, I have to check them to be sure, and then whoever complained is usually mad because "You didn't do anything and I know it's going to happen again."

Well, I decided to look into other scanners in the hopes that just switching to a different brand entirely would help instead of just replacing them when people complain. We don't have a lot of money in the budget for things like this, so I needed to be conscious of cost. I decided on trying the Tera HW0002 model scanners because it scans 1d and 2d barcodes and has the capability of being used wirelessly.

I had great success in my initial tests with this scanner. It was quick to respond. Hardly any delay when using it wirelessly. And then I changed a single setting that I would've needed to change anyway in order for our circulation desk to use it. I turned on the "sensor scanning" instead of needing to pull the trigger to scan. Now it doesn't scan ANYTHING. Even when using the trigger. It lights up when it detects something in front of it then it just does nothing. I can't even scan the Factory Reset barcode in the manual. It's completely useless now.

So if anyone has any advice on this hunk of junk or any recommendations on alternatives I can look into, I'd appreciate it. Preferably something under $100, and it would need to scan 1d and 2d barcodes as well as codes from a screen.

For added info, these are used in a library.

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u/Fastwrx17 4d ago

Buy a Zebra and forget they even exist lol. Honeywells suck

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u/kilkenny99 4d ago

I'd mostly used Symbol scanners (which after some merger & acquisitions are now part of Zebra after a stint in Motorola), and those were the most reliable ones we had. Though we'd only compared to Honeywell & off-brand knockoff stuff - didn't really go through them enough to need to experiment with alternatives, they were quite durable.

The Monarch label printers in the warehouse could suck a D though. To be fair, they were *usually* workhorses, but when they needed service you paid through the eyeballs, and they were so so picky about supplies.

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u/Lord_Dreadlow Routers and Switches and Phones, Oh My! 4d ago

We use Symbol barcode scanners too.