Reader Comparison Guides and Selection Tools

With the number of data capture options available, finding the solution most suitable for your business can be a complicated and sometimes confusing process. The guides and tools provided below will help educate you on the variety of scanning technologies to choose from, giving you a clearer understanding of the various aspects of reading barcode or NFC data.

We'll guide you through the various barcode technologies, to the types of scanners and readers, all the way down to specific Socket Mobile products you can compare. We hope these guides provide the tools and knowledge you need to make the right decisions for your data capture needs.

Technology Guides

These simple guides provide an easy comparison view of the types of readers and the technologies used in data capture. We break down the pros and cons of each and allow you to compare those against each technology choice.

Camera vs. Scanner

USB vs. Bluetooth

NFC Reading / Writing

NFC Reading vs. Barcode Scanning

HID Mode vs. App Mode

Data Guides

Socket Mobile scanners and readers capture data from many barcode types, as well as contactless readers and writers that offer multiple forms of data capture and read various RFID and NFC tag formats. Learn more about each data type to help guide you in finding the Socket Mobile product that's right for you.

1D Barcodes

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1D Imager scans 1 dimensional, linear barcodes, on paper and screen.

Laser
1D Laser Scanner

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1D Laser scans 1D barcodes, great for fast scanning with angles or distance, through plastic or glass, most any lighting.

2D/1D Barcodes

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2D Imager scans 2 dimensional and 1 dimensional barcodes, scans both stacked and linear barcodes, scans on paper and screen.

OCR
2D/1D Barcode,
MRZ/OCR

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Contactless Reader/Writer reads 2D/1D barcodes, passports (MRZ) and OCR-A / OCR-B / MICR E13B codes.

Contactless Reader-Writer
Contactless
Reader/Writer

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NFC and RFID Reader reads RFID tags, HF tags, labels, smart devices and writes/encodes, locks, unlocks tags and communicates peer-to-peer with smart devices.

Data Reader Comparison Guides

Socket Mobile data readers fall into four distinct families (SocketCam, SocketScan, DuraScan, DuraSled), each of which contain multiple series (600, 700, 800, etc.) giving you a variety of readers to choose from depending on your unique needs. Understanding these differences will help you determine which product family you need, and then guide you to a specific product within that family to best suit your company’s needs.