There are three basic types of Barcode data collection systems. They are wireless, batch, and hybrid.
Wireless systems
A wireless system will have one or more portables linked in real time to a computer. In these systems, the central computer operates data collection and verification as the user records data. Wireless systems have many benefits over batch systems, like:
- Immediate data verification
- Advanced data verification
- User interaction
- Error reduction
- Easy setup
Batch System
A batch system utilizes one or more portables to collect the data which is stored for subsequent input to a computer. This is the very common and very economical portable system but can do only restricted validity checking. Batch systems are used with portable readers or can be used in some fixed-mount systems where the reader can collect data even if the computer system shuts down. Advantages of batch systems are:
- Reasonable for standard portables
- Reliable
Hybrid Systems
Hybrid systems is a combination of features of both wireless and batch processing. They are:
- Radio Frequency Systems
- Batch/Wireless hybrids
- Multiple interactive systems