INTRODUCTION

The WP856 is a Grandstream device designed for mobile computing purposes. Among its many functions is helping mobile users scan one-dimensional and two-dimensional barcodes to display information about the scanned products or verify their integrity. The WP856 device can play an important role in any organization’s infrastructure that relies on verifying the source and commercial validity of products.

In many scenarios, the WP856 device can be deployed as a standalone tool for both SIP communication—allowing integration into the organization’s VoIP system—and for security and commercial purposes, by helping the relevant personnel validate 1D and 2D product barcodes.

Some scenarios where the WP856 can be deployed are :

• Retail Stores: Employees can scan product barcodes to check prices, verify stock, and ensure authenticity of products.
• Warehouses: Workers use it to scan incoming and outgoing goods, tracking inventory levels and shipment accuracy.
• Healthcare: Medical staff can scan medication barcodes to ensure patients receive the correct doses or to track supplies.
• Logistics: Drivers and delivery personnel scan barcodes on packages to confirm deliveries and update tracking systems.
• Manufacturing: Scanning barcodes on parts or products to monitor production stages or verify quality control.

In this guide we will go through the different methods that the WP856 device can be used to help its users scan barcodes.

Code Reading Instructions

When scanning barcodes, the WP856 offers its users to choose from different methods and time intervals for scanning:

• Single Scanning: works by holding the scan key. The device will scan the barcode and automatically stop once the code is successfully read or when the scan key is released.
• Timeout Scanning: initiates a timed scan. The device will attempt to read a barcode during a 3-second countdown. If successful, the scan stops immediately; otherwise, it will stop when the countdown expires.
• Continuous Scanning: allows for uninterrupted scanning. Once activated, the scanner continuously reads barcodes until the scan key is pressed again to stop the process.
• Delayed Scanning: occurs when the scan key is held without immediately reading a barcode. The device waits until the key is released to process and read the code.

By default, the scanning method defined on both the right and left bar scanning buttons, is the timeout scanning.

When needing to use a different scanning method, Please open the scan demo application, and select the desired scanning method to use, make sure to stay on the app while using the desired scanning method

Defining a Scan Profile

A scanning profile is how the WP856 device will interact with the scanned barcodes, users have the possibility to configure up to 10 Scan profiles, each profile can have its own settings to customize the data processing settings , such as the output mode, the encoding format, the prefix and suffix , the broadcast output configuration…

To define a scan profile, Please follow the below steps:

1. Open the scan demo app, by clicking the icon

   

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2. Tap the settings icon

   

   to access the scan settings
3. The default profile is the one enabled and used by default, you can create another scanning profile by clicking on the “Add profile”

Below is a table explaining what each data processing setting is responsible for :

Scan Profiles Parameters

Once the scanning profile is defined , then depending on the type of barcode scanned we can define the 1D or 2D barcode settings.

1D Barcode Scanning

When the 1D Bar code scanning is enabled for a scanning profile, the user can define the types of 1D barcodes that will be supported for that specific profile, the list of 1D bar codes supported by the WP856 is displayed at the 1D Barcodes scanning glossary

Users can define the Security level for each 1D barcode selection : the supported values are : 1 , being the least secure, 2 , and 3.

Each barcode, when selected will have its own set of settings related to the type of barcode , taking for example a very commonly used 1D barcode, that is found in commercial devices, the Code 39 barcode,

When the user selects this code to be scanned, some additional adjustments can be added, depending on the manufacturer’s policy, some of these are:

• Minimum Length: Barcodes shorter than the minimum length won’t be scanned. Code 39 can encode variable lengths, so this is useful for filtering shorter, invalid codes.
• Maximum Length: Barcodes longer than this length won’t be accepted. This is used to ensure you’re only scanning expected data sizes.
• Enable check digit verification: The check digit is an additional character in the barcode used to validate the rest of the data. When enabled, the scanner will check whether the check digit is correct, helping to prevent incorrect scans.
• Transmit check digit: If enabled, the check digit is transmitted along with the barcode data; if disabled, only the main barcode data is sent, without the check digit.
• Transmit start/stop character: The start () and stop () characters indicate the beginning and end of a Code 39 barcode. By default, they aren’t transmitted because they don’t carry data, but enabling this option can be useful in some specific use cases.
• Full ASCII: Standard Code 39 only supports uppercase letters, digits, and a few symbols. Full ASCII mode expands this by using pairs of Code 39 characters to represent the full range of ASCII symbols (including lowercase letters and control characters). This can be helpful when you need to scan a wider range of characters.
• Enable Code32 prefix: This is used in pharmaceutical applications, mainly in Italy. It adds the character “A” to the beginning of the code to identify it as a Code 32 barcode.
• Convert Code39 to Code32: This option automatically changes Code 39 barcodes into Code 32 barcodes for applications where Code 32 is required. It’s mainly used in industries like healthcare where Code 32 is standard.
• Code32 transmit check digit: Code 32 includes a check digit for verification, and this option controls whether that digit is sent with the rest of the data.
• Code32 transmit start/stop character: Like in Code 39, this option allows the start/stop characters of Code 32 to be transmitted as part of the scanned data.

Please note that all Code 39 barcodes will be scanned without needing to configure any of the above mentioned options, these options are used to fine tune the scanning feature to match specific organization’s regulations.

2D Barcode scanning

The 2D Barcodes work in a similar manner as the 1D barcodes, they can be scanned using the physical buttons found on the WP856 device, and can be enabled to be used under a specific scanning profile,

Please refer to the 2D Barcodes scanning glossary for more information on each 2D barcode type,

we will take a very common 2D Barcode as an example, which is the QR code, the settings that can be defined for the 2D QR code are:

• Minimum length: This sets a lower limit for the length of the decoded data. If the data in the QR code is shorter than this, the scanner will reject it. It’s useful for filtering out incomplete or invalid scans.
• Maximum length: This restricts the upper limit of characters in a scanned QR code. Barcodes longer than this won’t be accepted, which helps avoid scanning overly long or incorrect data.
• the count of barcodes when multiple barcode on an image: In some cases, there may be more than one barcode (1D or 2D) in the same image or frame. This option lets you specify how many barcodes should be scanned at once. It’s useful in scenarios where multiple QR codes appear close to each other on the same label or document.
• Video forward/reverse: This option allows the scanner to either process the video feed in a forward or reverse direction, which can optimize the scanning process for dynamic environments (like scanning from a video stream or moving objects). It’s typically used in devices capable of video-based scanning, where they continuously capture frames and scan for barcodes.
• Close ECI: ECI allows a QR code to specify an alternative character encoding to handle special characters or languages. Disabling it means the scanner will only interpret the default encoding (like UTF-8). This is useful if you want to avoid potential issues with international characters or special symbols.
• Output website: This option will trigger the device to launch a browser and navigate to the website encoded in the QR code after scanning. It’s especially helpful for QR codes that are designed to direct users to online resources, promotions, or applications.

Advanced Scanning Settings

The advanced scanning settings defines some major scanning configurations that are applied for both the 1D and 2D Barcode scanning.

These options can be configured as follows:

• Accurate scanning: Enabling this option ensures that the scanner takes additional steps to verify the correctness of the scan. This is useful in environments where accuracy is critical, such as reading small, damaged, or closely packed barcodes.
• Increase Decoding Accuracy along horizontal axis: This setting improves the scanner’s performance in reading barcodes that are oriented horizontally, such as those printed across a surface or displayed on a wide screen. It can help in situations where barcodes might be slightly distorted along the horizontal axis.
• Output AI characters of GS1 barcode in brackets: GS1 barcodes (used in retail, logistics, and healthcare) contain AIs that identify the type of data encoded (e.g., product number, expiration date). Enabling this option outputs the AI characters in brackets, making it easier to separate and recognize them in the data stream.
• Multi-code decoding: If several barcodes are present within the same scanning field (such as on a single product label), the scanner will attempt to read and decode all of them simultaneously. This option is useful in logistics or inventory scenarios where multiple barcodes are placed close together.
• Maximum number of barcodes: You can control how many barcodes the scanner should look for in an image. This is especially important when using multi-code decoding so that it doesn’t try to process too many barcodes, which could slow down performance.
• Output barcodes with the same content and different types: If enabled, the scanner will output all scanned barcodes, even if they contain the same data, but are encoded using different barcode types. This is useful for environments where the same data might be presented in multiple formats.
• Noise reduction processing: This feature helps the scanner process barcodes in environments with low image quality or noisy backgrounds. It’s useful for reading barcodes from surfaces that have texture, glare, or are printed with low contrast.
• Exposure brightness level: Increasing or decreasing exposure brightness can help the scanner capture clearer images of barcodes, especially in challenging lighting conditions (e.g., too dark or too bright). This setting fine-tunes the light sensitivity for better scanning performance.
• Mode of fill light: You can choose whether the fill light is always on, off, or automatic. This can be helpful in low-light environments to enhance the contrast of the barcode, making it easier to scan.
• Exposure policy: This option lets you decide whether to prioritize brightness, contrast, or a balance between the two when the scanner captures an image. Different exposure policies can improve performance depending on lighting conditions and barcode quality.
• The power plan: You can set the scanner to operate in low power (to conserve battery), balanced, or high-performance modes. Higher performance uses more power but improves scanning speed and accuracy, while lower power saves energy but may reduce responsiveness.
• OCR certificate recognition: OCR allows the scanner to read and interpret printed text in addition to barcodes. Enabling certificate recognition is particularly useful for scanning and verifying official documents (e.g., certificates, IDs) that contain specific text information.

1D Barcodes scanning glossary

1D Barcodes scanning glossary

2D Barcodes scanning glossary

2D Barcodes scanning glossary

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