Your assessment of your security goals and your environment, including your asset inventory, will help you plan how and where to deploy Scan EnginesScan Engines. Keep in mind that if your asset inventory is subject to change on continual basis, you may need to modify your initial Scan Engine deployment over time.
Any deployment includes a Security Console and one or more Scan Engines to detect assets on your network, collect information about them, and test these assets for vulnerabilities. Scan Engines test vulnerabilities in several ways. One method is to check software version numbers, flagging out-of-date versions. Another method is a “safe exploit” by which target systems are probed for conditions that render them vulnerable to attack. The logic built into vulnerability tests mirrors the steps that sophisticated attackers would take in attempting to penetrate your network.
The application is designed to exploit vulnerabilities without causing service disruptions. It does not actually attack target systems.
One way to think of Scan Engines is that they provide strategic views of your network from an attacker’s perspective. In deciding how and where to deploy Scan Engines, consider how you would like to “see” your network.
Two types of Scan Engine options are available—hosted and distributed. You can choose to use only one option, or you can use both in a complementary way. It is important to understand how the options differ in order to deploy Scan Engines efficiently. Note that the hosted and distributed Scan Engines are not built differently. They merely have different locations relative to your network. They provide different views of your network.
Hosted Scan Engines allow you to see your network as an external attacker with no access permissions would see it. They scan everything on the periphery of your network, outside the firewall. These are assets that, by necessity, provide unconditional public access, such as Web sites and e-mail servers.
If your organization uses outbound port filtering, you would need to modify your firewall rules to allow hosted Scan Engines to connect to your network assets.
Rapid7 hosts and maintains these Scan Engines, which entails several benefits. You don’t have to have to install or manage them. The Scan Engines reside in continuously monitored data centers, ensuring high standards for availability and security.
With these advantages, it might be tempting to deploy hosted Scan Engines exclusively. However, hosted Scan Engines have limitations in certain use cases that warrant deploying distributed Scan Engines.
Distributed Scan Engines allow you to inspect your network from the inside. They are ideal for core servers and workstations. You can deploy distributed Scan Engines anywhere on your network to obtain multiple views. This flexibility is especially valuable when it comes to scanning a network with multiple subnetworks, firewalls, and other forms of segmentation.
Scan Engines do not store scan data. Instead, they immediately send the data to the Security Console.
But, how many Scan Engines do you need? The question to ask first is, where should you put them?
In determining where to put Scan Engines, it’s helpful to look at your network topology. What are the areas of separation? And where are the connecting points? If you can answer these questions, you have a pretty good idea of where to put Scan Engines.
It is possible to operate a Scan Engine on the same host computer as the Security Console. While this configuration may be convenient for product evaluation or small-scale production scenarios, it is not appropriate for larger production environments, especially if the Scan Engine is scanning many assets. Scanning is a RAM-intensive process, which can drain resources away from the Security Console.
Following are examples of situations that could call for the placement of a Scan Engine.
You may have a firewall separating two subnetworks. If you have a Scan Engine deployed on one side of this firewall, you will not be able to scan the other subnetwork without opening the firewall. Doing so may violate corporate security policies.
An application-layer firewall may have to inspect every packet before consenting to route it. The firewall has to track state entry for every connection. A typical scan can generate thousands of connection attempts in a short period, which can overload the firewalls state table or state tracking mechanism.
Scanning through an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) or Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) can overload the device or generate an excessive number of alerts. Making an IDS or IPS aware that Nexpose is running a vulnerability scan defeats the purpose of the scan because it looks like an attack. Also, an IPS can compromise scan data quality by dropping packets, blocking ports by making them “appear” open, and performing other actions to protect assets. It may be desirable to disable an IDS or IPS for network traffic generated by Scan Engines.
Having a Scan Engine send packets through a network address transition (NAT) device may cause the scan to slow down, since the device may only be able to handle a limited number of packets per second.
In each of these cases, a viable solution would be to place a Scan Engine on either side of the intervening device to maximize bandwidth and minimize latency.
Scanning across virtual private networks (VPNs) can also slow things down, regardless of bandwidth. The problem is the workload associated with connection attempts, which turns VPNs into bottlenecks. As a Scan Engine transmits packets within a local VPN endpoint, this VPN has to intercept and decrypt each packet. Then, the remote VPN endpoint has to decrypt each packet. Placing a Scan Engine on either one side of the VPN tunnel or the other eliminates these types of bottlenecks, especially for VPNs with many assets.
The division of a network into subnetworks is often a matter of security. Communication between subnetworks may be severely restricted, resulting in slower scans. Scanning across subnetworks can be frustrating because they are often separated by firewalls or have access control lists (ACLs) that limit which entities can contact internal assets. For both security and performance reasons, assigning a Scan Engine to each subnetwork is a best practice.
Perimeter networks, which typically include Web servers, e-mail servers, and proxy servers, are “out in the open,” which makes them especially attractive to hackers. Because there are so many possible points of attack, it is a good idea to dedicate as many as three Scan Engines to a perimeter network. A hosted Scan Engine can provide a view from the outside looking in. A local Scan Engine can scan vulnerabilities related to outbound data traffic, since hacked DMZ assets could transmit viruses across the Internet. Another local Scan Engine can provide an interior view of the DMZ.
Access Control Lists (ACLs) can create divisions within a network by restricting the availability of certain network assets. Within a certain address space, such as 192.168.1.1/254, Nexpose may only be able to communicate with 10 assets because the other assets are restricted by an ACL. If modifying the ACL is not an option, it may be a good idea to assign a Scan Engine to ACL-protected assets.
Sometimes an asset inventory is distributed over a few hundred or thousand miles. Attempting to scan geographically distant assets across a Wide Area Network (WAN) can tax limited bandwidth. A Scan Engine deployed near remote assets can more easily collect scan data and transfer that data to more centrally located database. It is less taxing on network resources to perform scans locally. Physical location can be a good principle for creating a site. See Configuring scan credentials. This is relevant because each site is assigned to one Scan Engine.
Other factors that might warrant Scan Engine placement include routers, portals, third-party-hosted assets, outsourced e-mail, and virtual local-area networks.
If your license enables Scan Engine pooling, you can use pools to enhance the consistency and speed of your scan coverage. A pool is a group of Scan Engines over which a scan job is distributed. Pools are assigned to sites in the same way that individual Scan Engines are.
Pre-authorized AWS scan engine Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) cannot be added to Scan Engine pools.
Pooling provides two main benefits:
The algorithm for how much memory a job takes is based on the configuration options specified in the scan template.
You can configure and manage pools using the Web interface. See the Scan Engine Pools page for instructions. You also can use the extended API v1.2. See the API Guide.
For optimal performance, make sure that pooled Scan Engines are located within the same network or geographic location. Geographically dispersed pools can slow down scans. For example, if a pool consists of one engine in Toronto and one in Los Angeles, and this pool is used to scan a site of assets located in Los Angeles, part of that load will be distributed to the Toronto engine, which will take longer to scan the assets because of the geographical distance.
To improve the performance of pools, you can add Scan Engines or increase the amount of RAM allocated to each pooled engine. By increasing RAM, you can increase the number of simultaneous sites that can be scanned and increase the number of assets that each engine scans simultaneously, which, in turn, expands the scanning capacity of the pool. See Working with scan templates and tuning scan performance.
When it comes to scanning a barcode you have a variety of options in terms of which technology to use. Back in the 80’s and 90’s a wand was common place. Then the CCD (Charge Coupled Device) became popular. CCD’s are still around today and have greatly improved but the main technology we employ now is laser based scanning. We break down scanning into ‘barcode scanners‘ which are corded, cordless or fixed mount and ‘mobile computers’ which are hand held portable devices.
Barcode scanners can have following scan engines:
Mobile computers have three options:
So how do you select which one is best for you?
Is your application on a mobile computer? If so, then click here to read about the scanning options for mobile computers.
The goal when selecting a barcode scanner is to find something that reads your barcodes quickly and easily. It should fit within your environment and be ergonomic for your staff to use. Some questions to ask:
While we have common solutions for certain situations we find it best for customers to trial several options in real life to work out what is the most efficient way to read a barcode
Single Line Laser
The most common and popular laser is the single line laser beam. Really it is just a spot of laser light made to move left and right so fast by a mirror that it appears to the human eye as a beam. Any scanner with this beam can only read 1D (one dimensional) barcodes. To read a barcode the laser beam must cut across it from left to right, so the user must line up the barcode to get a successful read.
Motorola barcode scanners that offer single line laser scanning are:
Raster Laser
The raster laser beam is just like a single line laser only that now it also oscillates up and down as well. This makes the raster even more aggressive when reading 1D barcodes and now gives it the ability to read some 2D barcodes such as PDF-417, microPDF and some RSS (Reduced Space Symbologies) barcodes.
Motorola barcode scanners that offer raster scanning are:
Omni-directional Laser
An omni-directional scanner produces a pattern of laser lines and are designed to read EAN and UPC barcodes that are presented from any direction. They work well on these symbols since the barcode is ‘over-square’ which mean that if you divide the barcode in half, it is taller than it is wide.
An omni-directional scanner allows two or more beams to scan the barcode to get a good read since you no longer have to rely on just one beam to cross the entire barcode.
Motorola barcode scanners that offer omni-directional scanning are:
If you are trying to read long and skinny barcodes such as this:
…we do not recommend an omni-directional barcode scanner. While it may scan, you will be forced to try and line the barcode up against the longest single laser beam available. The best scanner for these type of barcodes are the single or raster lasers, or an imager scanner can give you the freedom to present the barcode in any orientation.
Imager
The imager digital scanner is an even more aggressive barcode scanner since it covers the entire barcode in light thus making it less concerned about specs and voids or slight damage to the barcode. An imager can read a 1D barcode from any orientation as well as 2D barcodes. Some scanners offer you the ability to capture documents or signatures as images and save them to your computer.
The aiming pattern is unique also with two options depending on the type of scanner:
Motorola digital imager scanners:
If you are trying to read poorly printed, faded or slightly damaged labels such as these, the imager is the best scanner for the job.
Only one word of caution: if you have a label such as this, it can be difficult to get the barcode you want unless you cover up some of the barcodes with your hand. These labels can also be difficult to read with long range scanners.
Long Range Laser
A long range laser scanner allows you to read large barcode labels from up to 15 metres away. On standard barcode labels it increases the reading distance to nearly double of what a standard single line laser scanner can do. The most common place that long range hand held scanners are deployed is in the warehouse on forklift mount applications.
The idea is to avoid making the operator have to get out of the forklift to scan the barcode since this takes time and is not efficient. The barcode has to be an appropriate size to be able to scan it from that distance. Also, the label sample above is not a good design for long range scanning since there are too many barcodes too close together. A better design is to have only one or two barcodes on the label and to spread them out as far as possible to avoid reading the wrong one.
A long range scanner on ordinary barcodes at close rang can be hard to read since if you come to close you can’t get a good read and you have to increase the distance between the symbol and the scan exit window.
Motorola long range hand held scanners include:
When selecting the type of barcode scanner for your mobile work force you need to consider the types of barcodes that they are going to be scanning and the work functions that they are doing. In some warehouse environments there is a mix of scanners. Pickers will use the standard single line laser scanner and forklift operators may use a long range scanner. It is all about reading the barcode as quickly as possible.
Single Line Laser
The most common laser used in most mobile applications is the single line laser beam. It reads most 1D barcodes from a few centimetres up to one metre, again, depending on the size of the barcode. For most close range scanning applications, such as receiving, picking and stocktaking where the operator handles the product and needs to scan a barcode this scan engine is easy to use and very efficient.
Long Range Laser
A long range scanner in a mobile computer is ideal when you need to scan barcodes from large distances but you have to have large barcodes to scan. One example is bin location labels. Printed on reflective label stock a 30 centimetre wide barcode can be scanned from a few metres away up to 15 metres.
However, in reality this isn’t always practical. Imagine you are trying to scan a bin location label up on the fifth tier. The narrow isle makes the angle very acute and if there is any pallet over hang or loose shrink wrap it can be hard to get a clear shot at the barcode. In the majority of cases we simply print a set of bin location barcodes at shoulder height and attach them to the vertical beam.
In general, a long range scanner will increase the reading distance of a standard barcode. Where as you might be able to get from 5 cms up to 60 cms with a standard laser scanner on an EAN-13 barcode, a long range scanner can read it from 15 cms up to 1.2 metres.
Please note long range scanners can only read 1D barcode symbologies.
Imager Scanner
An imager scanner means the operator does not have to line up the barcode. As long as the laser light covers the image it should get decoded quickly.
The only issue with an imager or long range scanner is when you have a label like this:
..it can be difficult to scan the barcode you want. Typically you have to try and cover the ones you dont want so you can read the one you are after.
Motorola Mobile Computers and the scan engines they come with
Motorola Image Single line laser Long Range laser Imager MC50 Yes No Yes MC55 Yes No Yes MC70 Yes No Yes MC75 Yes No Yes MC3000 brick Yes No Yes MC3000 gun Yes No Yes MC3100 brick Yes No Yes MC3100 gun Yes No Yes MC9000 brick Yes No Yes MC9000 gun Yes Yes Yes MC9500 Yes No Yes FR68/6000 Yes/Yes No/No No/No
Related Information
Mobile Computers for Men – to see what mobile computers men prefer to use in the warehouse
Mobile Computers for Women – to see what women prefer
Selection Guide – to selecting the right mobile device for your staff & business
Keyboard Maps – to see the various keyboard options for each Motorola mobile computer
Weight Comparisons – of all the Motorola mobile computers
Pocket Controller pro – How to take control of your Motorola mobile computer remotely
DataWedge – Add barcode, RFID & RS-232 capabilities to your Motorola mobile
App Center – How to lock down a Motorola mobile computer
Your assessment of your security goals and your environment, including your asset inventory, will help you plan how and where to deploy Scan Engines. Keep in mind that if your asset inventory is subject to change on continual basis, you may need to modify your initial Scan Engine deployment over time.
Any deployment includes a Security Console and one or more Scan Engines to detect assets on your network, collect information about them, and test these assets for vulnerabilities. Scan Engines test vulnerabilities in several ways. One method is to check software version numbers, flagging out-of-date versions. Another method is a “safe exploit” by which target systems are probed for conditions that render them vulnerable to attack. The logic built into vulnerability tests mirrors the steps that sophisticated attackers would take in attempting to penetrate your network.
The application is designed to exploit vulnerabilities without causing service disruptions. It does not actually attack target systems.
One way to think of Scan Engines is that they provide strategic views of your network from an attacker’s perspective. In deciding how and where to deploy Scan Engines, consider how you would like to “see” your network.
Two types of Scan Engine options are available—hosted and distributed. You can choose to use only one option, or you can use both in a complementary way. It is important to understand how the options differ in order to deploy Scan Engines efficiently. Note that the hosted and distributed Scan Engines are not built differently. They merely have different locations relative to your network. They provide different views of your network.
Hosted Scan Engines allow you to see your network as an external attacker with no access permissions would see it. They scan everything on the periphery of your network, outside the firewall. These are assets that, by necessity, provide unconditional public access, such as Web sites and e-mail servers.
If your organization uses outbound port filtering, you would need to modify your firewall rules to allow hosted Scan Engines to connect to your network assets.
Rapid7 hosts and maintains these Scan Engines, which entails several benefits. You don’t have to have to install or manage them. The Scan Engines reside in continuously monitored data centers, ensuring high standards for availability and security.
With these advantages, it might be tempting to deploy hosted Scan Engines exclusively. However, hosted Scan Engines have limitations in certain use cases that warrant deploying distributed Scan Engines.
Distributed Scan Engines allow you to inspect your network from the inside. They are ideal for core servers and workstations. You can deploy distributed Scan Engines anywhere on your network to obtain multiple views. This flexibility is especially valuable when it comes to scanning a network with multiple subnetworks, firewalls, and other forms of segmentation.
Scan Engines do not store scan data. Instead, they immediately send the data to the Security Console.
But, how many Scan Engines do you need? The question to ask first is, where should you put them?
In determining where to put Scan Engines, it’s helpful to look at your network topology. What are the areas of separation? And where are the connecting points? If you can answer these questions, you have a pretty good idea of where to put Scan Engines.
It is possible to operate a Scan Engine on the same host computer as the Security Console. While this configuration may be convenient for product evaluation or small-scale production scenarios, it is not appropriate for larger production environments, especially if the Scan Engine is scanning many assets. Scanning is a RAM-intensive process, which can drain resources away from the Security Console.
Following are examples of situations that could call for the placement of a Scan Engine.
You may have a firewall separating two subnetworks. If you have a Scan Engine deployed on one side of this firewall, you will not be able to scan the other subnetwork without opening the firewall. Doing so may violate corporate security policies.
An application-layer firewall may have to inspect every packet before consenting to route it. The firewall has to track state entry for every connection. A typical scan can generate thousands of connection attempts in a short period, which can overload the firewalls state table or state tracking mechanism.
Scanning through an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) or Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) can overload the device or generate an excessive number of alerts. Making an IDS or IPS aware that Nexpose is running a vulnerability scan defeats the purpose of the scan because it looks like an attack. Also, an IPS can compromise scan data quality by dropping packets, blocking ports by making them “appear” open, and performing other actions to protect assets. It may be desirable to disable an IDS or IPS for network traffic generated by Scan Engines.
Having a Scan Engine send packets through a network address transition (NAT) device may cause the scan to slow down, since the device may only be able to handle a limited number of packets per second.
In each of these cases, a viable solution would be to place a Scan Engine on either side of the intervening device to maximize bandwidth and minimize latency.
Scanning across virtual private networks (VPNs) can also slow things down, regardless of bandwidth. The problem is the workload associated with connection attempts, which turns VPNs into bottlenecks. As a Scan Engine transmits packets within a local VPN endpoint, this VPN has to intercept and decrypt each packet. Then, the remote VPN endpoint has to decrypt each packet. Placing a Scan Engine on either one side of the VPN tunnel or the other eliminates these types of bottlenecks, especially for VPNs with many assets.
The division of a network into subnetworks is often a matter of security. Communication between subnetworks may be severely restricted, resulting in slower scans. Scanning across subnetworks can be frustrating because they are often separated by firewalls or have access control lists (ACLs) that limit which entities can contact internal assets. For both security and performance reasons, assigning a Scan Engine to each subnetwork is a best practice.
Perimeter networks, which typically include Web servers, e-mail servers, and proxy servers, are “out in the open,” which makes them especially attractive to hackers. Because there are so many possible points of attack, it is a good idea to dedicate as many as three Scan Engines to a perimeter network. A hosted Scan Engine can provide a view from the outside looking in. A local Scan Engine can scan vulnerabilities related to outbound data traffic, since hacked DMZ assets could transmit viruses across the Internet. Another local Scan Engine can provide an interior view of the DMZ.
Access Control Lists (ACLs) can create divisions within a network by restricting the availability of certain network assets. Within a certain address space, such as 192.168.1.1/254, Nexpose may only be able to communicate with 10 assets because the other assets are restricted by an ACL. If modifying the ACL is not an option, it may be a good idea to assign a Scan Engine to ACL-protected assets.
Sometimes an asset inventory is distributed over a few hundred or thousand miles. Attempting to scan geographically distant assets across a Wide Area Network (WAN) can tax limited bandwidth. A Scan Engine deployed near remote assets can more easily collect scan data and transfer that data to more centrally located database. It is less taxing on network resources to perform scans locally. Physical location can be a good principle for creating a site. See Configuring scan credentials. This is relevant because each site is assigned to one Scan Engine.
Other factors that might warrant Scan Engine placement include routers, portals, third-party-hosted assets, outsourced e-mail, and virtual local-area networks.
If your license enables Scan Engine pooling, you can use pools to enhance the consistency and speed of your scan coverage. A pool is a group of Scan Engines over which a scan job is distributed. Pools are assigned to sites in the same way that individual Scan Engines are.
Pre-authorized AWS scan engine Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) cannot be added to Scan Engine pools.
Pooling provides two main benefits:
The algorithm for how much memory a job takes is based on the configuration options specified in the scan template.
You can configure and manage pools using the Web interface. See the Scan Engine Pools page for instructions. You also can use the extended API v1.2. See the API Guide.
For optimal performance, make sure that pooled Scan Engines are located within the same network or geographic location. Geographically dispersed pools can slow down scans. For example, if a pool consists of one engine in Toronto and one in Los Angeles, and this pool is used to scan a site of assets located in Los Angeles, part of that load will be distributed to the Toronto engine, which will take longer to scan the assets because of the geographical distance.
To improve the performance of pools, you can add Scan Engines or increase the amount of RAM allocated to each pooled engine. By increasing RAM, you can increase the number of simultaneous sites that can be scanned and increase the number of assets that each engine scans simultaneously, which, in turn, expands the scanning capacity of the pool. See Working with scan templates and tuning scan performance.
When it comes to scanning a barcode you have a variety of options in terms of which technology to use. Back in the 80’s and 90’s a wand was common place. Then the CCD (Charge Coupled Device) became popular. CCD’s are still around today and have greatly improved but the main technology we employ now is laser based scanning. We break down scanning into ‘barcode scanners‘ which are corded, cordless or fixed mount and ‘mobile computers’ which are hand held portable devices.
Barcode scanners can have following scan engines:
Mobile computers have three options:
So how do you select which one is best for you?
Is your application on a mobile computer? If so, then click here to read about the scanning options for mobile computers.
The goal when selecting a barcode scanner is to find something that reads your barcodes quickly and easily. It should fit within your environment and be ergonomic for your staff to use. Some questions to ask:
While we have common solutions for certain situations we find it best for customers to trial several options in real life to work out what is the most efficient way to read a barcode
Single Line Laser
The most common and popular laser is the single line laser beam. Really it is just a spot of laser light made to move left and right so fast by a mirror that it appears to the human eye as a beam. Any scanner with this beam can only read 1D (one dimensional) barcodes. To read a barcode the laser beam must cut across it from left to right, so the user must line up the barcode to get a successful read.
Motorola barcode scanners that offer single line laser scanning are:
Raster Laser
The raster laser beam is just like a single line laser only that now it also oscillates up and down as well. This makes the raster even more aggressive when reading 1D barcodes and now gives it the ability to read some 2D barcodes such as PDF-417, microPDF and some RSS (Reduced Space Symbologies) barcodes.
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Embedded Barcode Software.
Motorola barcode scanners that offer raster scanning are:
Omni-directional Laser
An omni-directional scanner produces a pattern of laser lines and are designed to read EAN and UPC barcodes that are presented from any direction. They work well on these symbols since the barcode is ‘over-square’ which mean that if you divide the barcode in half, it is taller than it is wide.
An omni-directional scanner allows two or more beams to scan the barcode to get a good read since you no longer have to rely on just one beam to cross the entire barcode.
Motorola barcode scanners that offer omni-directional scanning are:
If you are trying to read long and skinny barcodes such as this:
…we do not recommend an omni-directional barcode scanner. While it may scan, you will be forced to try and line the barcode up against the longest single laser beam available. The best scanner for these type of barcodes are the single or raster lasers, or an imager scanner can give you the freedom to present the barcode in any orientation.
Imager
The imager digital scanner is an even more aggressive barcode scanner since it covers the entire barcode in light thus making it less concerned about specs and voids or slight damage to the barcode. An imager can read a 1D barcode from any orientation as well as 2D barcodes. Some scanners offer you the ability to capture documents or signatures as images and save them to your computer.
The aiming pattern is unique also with two options depending on the type of scanner:
Motorola digital imager scanners:
If you are trying to read poorly printed, faded or slightly damaged labels such as these, the imager is the best scanner for the job.
Only one word of caution: if you have a label such as this, it can be difficult to get the barcode you want unless you cover up some of the barcodes with your hand. These labels can also be difficult to read with long range scanners.
Long Range Laser
A long range laser scanner allows you to read large barcode labels from up to 15 metres away. On standard barcode labels it increases the reading distance to nearly double of what a standard single line laser scanner can do. The most common place that long range hand held scanners are deployed is in the warehouse on forklift mount applications.
The idea is to avoid making the operator have to get out of the forklift to scan the barcode since this takes time and is not efficient. The barcode has to be an appropriate size to be able to scan it from that distance. Also, the label sample above is not a good design for long range scanning since there are too many barcodes too close together. A better design is to have only one or two barcodes on the label and to spread them out as far as possible to avoid reading the wrong one.
A long range scanner on ordinary barcodes at close rang can be hard to read since if you come to close you can’t get a good read and you have to increase the distance between the symbol and the scan exit window.
Motorola long range hand held scanners include:
When selecting the type of barcode scanner for your mobile work force you need to consider the types of barcodes that they are going to be scanning and the work functions that they are doing. In some warehouse environments there is a mix of scanners. Pickers will use the standard single line laser scanner and forklift operators may use a long range scanner. It is all about reading the barcode as quickly as possible.
Single Line Laser
The most common laser used in most mobile applications is the single line laser beam. It reads most 1D barcodes from a few centimetres up to one metre, again, depending on the size of the barcode. For most close range scanning applications, such as receiving, picking and stocktaking where the operator handles the product and needs to scan a barcode this scan engine is easy to use and very efficient.
Long Range Laser
A long range scanner in a mobile computer is ideal when you need to scan barcodes from large distances but you have to have large barcodes to scan. One example is bin location labels. Printed on reflective label stock a 30 centimetre wide barcode can be scanned from a few metres away up to 15 metres.
However, in reality this isn’t always practical. Imagine you are trying to scan a bin location label up on the fifth tier. The narrow isle makes the angle very acute and if there is any pallet over hang or loose shrink wrap it can be hard to get a clear shot at the barcode. In the majority of cases we simply print a set of bin location barcodes at shoulder height and attach them to the vertical beam.
In general, a long range scanner will increase the reading distance of a standard barcode. Where as you might be able to get from 5 cms up to 60 cms with a standard laser scanner on an EAN-13 barcode, a long range scanner can read it from 15 cms up to 1.2 metres.
Please note long range scanners can only read 1D barcode symbologies.
Imager Scanner
An imager scanner means the operator does not have to line up the barcode. As long as the laser light covers the image it should get decoded quickly.
The only issue with an imager or long range scanner is when you have a label like this:
..it can be difficult to scan the barcode you want. Typically you have to try and cover the ones you dont want so you can read the one you are after.
Motorola Mobile Computers and the scan engines they come with
Motorola Image Single line laser Long Range laser Imager MC50 Yes No Yes MC55 Yes No Yes MC70 Yes No Yes MC75 Yes No Yes MC3000 brick Yes No Yes MC3000 gun Yes No Yes MC3100 brick Yes No Yes MC3100 gun Yes No Yes MC9000 brick Yes No Yes MC9000 gun Yes Yes Yes MC9500 Yes No Yes FR68/6000 Yes/Yes No/No No/No
Related Information
Mobile Computers for Men – to see what mobile computers men prefer to use in the warehouse
Mobile Computers for Women – to see what women prefer
Selection Guide – to selecting the right mobile device for your staff & business
Keyboard Maps – to see the various keyboard options for each Motorola mobile computer
Weight Comparisons – of all the Motorola mobile computers
Pocket Controller pro – How to take control of your Motorola mobile computer remotely
DataWedge – Add barcode, RFID & RS-232 capabilities to your Motorola mobile
App Center – How to lock down a Motorola mobile computer
The company is the world’s best Omni Scanning supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.