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Does a scanning device exist which allows easy communication with the .NET framework?

The scanning device needs to be:

  1. Portable (so it should be able to store data within itself until connected to a pc)
  2. Should be able to scan QR Codes, and display appropriate options on the built in screen of the device
  3. Should have a programmable display which gives the user custom options after scanning in a QR code
  4. Once connected to a computer, it should automatically make any changes to a networked database, based on the temporary data saved on the device which will depend on which qr codes have been scanned and which options the user selected after scanning a qr code.

I have used a .NET tag, because it is the language used by the environment I will be working in.

oshirowanen
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  • Do you want something connected to a computer? One would think most anything USB-based with a sensible SDK or driver documentation could be used (it may be, that as with linear barcodes, the minimal solution is to function as a keyboard). Or do you want something self-contained which can run .NET code or talk to a server which does? If the latter, something running windows phone (or perhaps Android with mono?) might be a starting point. – Chris Stratton May 17 '13 at 18:42
  • Not sure. what ever it is, it must operate without a physically connecting it to a computer because it needs to be portable, ideally making updates to the database in real-ish-time. Worst case scenario would be to update the database as soon as a physical connection is established with a computer. – oshirowanen May 17 '13 at 18:53
  • That's not very specific. But it seems like your first question is if you want to use a "phone" (wifi/mobile network, camera-based scaning) or if you want to use something actually sold as a "scanner" (perhaps faster, more locked down, maybe harder to develop for). Right now the question is a bit open ended to answer - you may do better web search shopping for possibilities and then evaluating their viability against your limitations. Where does the .NET requirement come from? Server compatibility? Developer comfort? Management familiarity? – Chris Stratton May 17 '13 at 18:56
  • After having a think about it, I've updated the question to be more specific – oshirowanen May 24 '13 at 08:38
  • This question does not really seem to be appropriate for Stackoverflow, as this is not a programming related question. With that said, the Motorola MC9190 with the 2D scanner would meet all the listed requirements. – dmarietta May 29 '13 at 21:56

2 Answers2

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Expensive, but the Cognex 9500 should do everything you want:

http://www.cognex.com/DPM-mobile-computer.aspx

It's basically a Windows PDA lashed to a barcode reader. You can write your own apps in .NET Compact Framework to run on the PDA, and there's a C# API if you want to use the scanner from a PC.

TarkaDaal
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  1. Get an iPod touch. Even the smallest iPod touch can store more than enough data from scanning QR codes.

  2. Write a small app using the zBar SDK (free; LGPL) http://zbar.sourceforge.net/

  3. Wifi your data from the iPod to the PC - for example using http

I have created a prototype scanning QR codes, storing them locally and then pushing the data via WIFI into an Access database within a day. My app also pulls configuration data from the Access database controlling certain choices in the UI.

You are a couple $ 100 (for the iPod) and a day of work away from a prototype.

Markus Schumann
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  • +1 You could obviously also use an Android or Windows Phone device for this. – TarkaDaal May 30 '13 at 09:36
  • Yes - you could use Android or Windows. But if you don't need the phone part an iPod touch will do it. Using a wide spread Apple product you'll get a homogeneous supply chain with long term support. What Windows or Android phone would you select that more or less guarantees you timely OS updates after 3+ years. – Markus Schumann May 30 '13 at 14:32
  • Yes, but remember you've got to buy a Mac as your development environment, and more than likely use Objective C as your language. Nothing wrong with that, but that's something to bear in mind if that's not your skillset. – TarkaDaal May 31 '13 at 14:57
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    True - but the dev hardware expense for a Mac is one time. Shipping special hardware (like Cognex 9500) adds to the per unit price. – Markus Schumann May 31 '13 at 16:29
  • +1 Good point. Which approach is best all depends on the environment, client, and application, I guess. – TarkaDaal Jun 02 '13 at 15:45