The use of camera-based scanners for hand-held scanners is making substantial changes possible in the way we 
store and process goods. Let’s look at the way things may soon be changing all across the industry as a result of this technology becoming more dominant.
So how can these scanners help in the warehousing world?
Camera scanners were once much slower than laser or IR-based 1-D scanners, which limited their usefulness in an industry where even half-seconds count. They were also only effective at a range of a few centimetres. But we all know how fast computer processing power advances. The current generation of scan engines, the computer that interprets and digitises the results, are just as fast as traditional laser scanners. Better still, they can operate at much longer ranges than their laser-based counterparts now.
What are the benefits of these scanners in the logistics industry?
A handheld scanner can accurately read a barcode from as much as 30 feet, and at almost any angle, thus allowing a worker in the warehouse or distribution centre to scan a label.
Today’s camera-based scan engines for handhelds, says Maris, are not only fast, but some have features that allow a scanner to read a bar code from a few feet away or 30 feet away. This is a plus in a distribution centre setting where a worker may need to scan a label up high on a rack.
Of course, some laser based units work at long range, but almost all require that the scanner be aligned to the direction of the 1-D code to work. The omni-directional nature of camera-based scanning eliminates a lot of the repetitive motion and convoluted scanning angles your employees have to cope with, which is a huge boon for health and safety.
Moreover, as these camera scanners become more common in the industry, the infrastructure for 2-D label scanning will already be present, and will be a substantial driver for adoption of these codes and the higher density of information that they carry.
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