Barcode scanners for inventory: handheld, wireless or your phone

Phone camera or handheld barcode scanner

A phone can scan barcodes for inventory today, for free. Most inventory apps with a barcode scanner use the phone camera, and a browser scanner like NeoReader's reads barcodes and QR codes without installing anything. For a few dozen items a week, that is enough.

A dedicated handheld scanner wins once you scan hundreds of items. It reads in a fraction of a second, works on shiny, curved or crumpled labels, has a trigger instead of a touch screen, and frees your phone. It also types straight into a spreadsheet, which a phone camera cannot do on a desktop computer.

• Phone: free, always with you, fine for small counts and checking single items.
• Handheld USB: cheapest dedicated option, plugs in and works, tied to one computer by the cable.
• Wireless (2.4 GHz dongle): walks around a room or small warehouse, pairs to its own USB receiver.
• Bluetooth: pairs with a laptop, iPad, iPhone or Android tablet with no receiver needed.

How a USB or Bluetooth scanner types into your software

Almost every USB barcode reader and Bluetooth barcode scanner works as a keyboard wedge by default. The computer sees it as a keyboard: scan a code and the digits are typed wherever the cursor is, usually followed by Enter. That is why the same scanner works in Excel, Google Sheets, a web form or a point-of-sale app without drivers.

The Enter at the end is called a suffix, and it is what makes the cursor jump to the next row. Honeywell, Zebra and most budget brands let you switch auto enter on or off, add a Tab instead, or add a prefix, by scanning programming barcodes printed in the scanner's manual or configuration guide.

1. Plug in the USB scanner, or pair it: put it in Bluetooth HID (keyboard) mode, then pair it from the Bluetooth settings on your computer, iPad or phone. Many cordless models, such as the Zebra DS3678, pair by scanning a pairing barcode on the cradle or in the guide.
2. Open a blank spreadsheet or text document and click where the codes should go.
3. Scan a label. The number should appear and the cursor should move down a row.
4. If nothing moves, scan the manual's barcode for an Enter (CR) suffix. If characters come out wrong, check the keyboard language setting, which the scanner must match.
5. On an iPad or iPhone, a Bluetooth scanner in keyboard mode may hide the on-screen keyboard while connected. That is normal behaviour for any hardware keyboard.

1D or 2D: which barcode scanner to buy

A 1D (laser or linear) scanner reads ordinary line barcodes such as EAN, UPC, Code 128 and Code 39. It cannot read QR codes or Data Matrix. A 2D imager reads both, from any angle, and can read codes on phone screens. The price gap has shrunk, so a wireless 2D barcode scanner is the sensible default unless you are sure you will only ever see line barcodes.

Zebra and Honeywell make the scanners you see in warehouses and hospitals: rugged, drop-tested, with long warranties and enterprise management tools. Budget brands such as Tera, Netum, Inateck and NADAMOO sell cheaper wireless and Bluetooth models that suit small shops and home stockrooms. Check the current specs of any model: read range, whether it has 2D, battery life, whether it can store scans offline, and whether it supports USB-C charging.

Spreadsheet or inventory app

A spreadsheet is a fine start. Put SKU, name, location and quantity in columns, scan into the SKU column, and use COUNTIF or a pivot table to total the counts. Our guide to QR codes and barcodes in Excel and Google Sheets covers barcode fonts, bulk codes and scanning into a sheet.

Move to an inventory app when several people count at once, when you need stock to update from sales, or when you want purchase orders and low-stock alerts. Most inventory apps can print barcode labels and accept scans from both phones and keyboard-wedge scanners, so a scanner you buy now will still work later.

Create barcodes for inventory labels

Products you buy in already have EAN or UPC barcodes, so scan those. For your own items, shelves, bins and assets, make internal labels. Code 128 is the usual choice: it is compact, holds letters and digits, and every scanner reads it. Do not invent EAN or UPC numbers for internal use, as they can clash with real products.

QR codes suit labels that should hold more than an ID, such as a link to a record, a manual or a reorder form. A QR code inventory management setup can be free: make one code per bin with the bulk QR code generator, print them, and scan with any phone.

• Use NeoReader's Code 128 barcode generator or barcode label generator for SKU and bin labels, downloaded as SVG or PNG for Avery sheets or a label printer.
• Use the bulk QR code generator to turn a CSV of IDs into a ZIP of named QR code images.
• Keep IDs short and avoid characters that look alike, such as O and 0.
• Print a test label and scan it with your actual scanner before printing hundreds.
• Use matt labels where you can. Gloss and shrink-wrap reflect light and slow scanners down.

A simple scanning routine for stock counts

1. Label every location first: shelf, bin or room, each with its own Code 128 or QR label.
2. Scan the location label, then every item in it, so each scan is tied to a place.
3. Count identical items by scanning once and typing the quantity, rather than scanning each one.
4. Upload or paste the scans into your sheet or app and compare against expected stock.
5. Recount only the locations with differences.