A handheld that reads a large rack label from across an aisle has not yet proved that it can read the small item label next to the operator. The reverse is also true. Before choosing a scan configuration, define both ends of the job: the smallest close symbol and the most distant label that must be read from an allowed working position.
Treat an advertised maximum distance as an invitation to inspect its conditions, not as a working range for every barcode. Ask which symbol, element size, print quality, orientation and scanner configuration produced that distance. Then evaluate the actual handheld with your labels and application.
Define two tasks, not one distance requirement
Consider a warehouse operator who confirms a small item label at a pick face, then reads a larger location label higher on the rack. This is an editorial example, not an AIDC GO customer case or a completed test.
For the close task, the operator may have limited room to move the device away from the item. For the distant task, the operator may need to remain inside a marked aisle position. These constraints matter more than a general request for a “long-range scanner.” Record the permitted positions without asking anyone to lean, climb or scan while operating a moving vehicle.
Measure from the scanner window to the label surface and keep that convention in the brief. A rack's height is not the same as the slant distance from a handheld to its label. Record the label's position and angle as well as the distance. If the permitted working position changes, the evaluation conditions change too.
Use the existing barcode label and scanner selection guide for the wider sample-quality questions. Here, the procurement decision is narrower: can one proposed configuration cover both required tasks without an unacceptable change in working position?
Read the range table by symbol and size
The outside dimensions of a label are not enough to identify its scanning requirement. Record the symbology and the size of its bars or modules, together with the complete symbol dimensions. Two labels that occupy similar space can contain differently sized elements and different amounts of encoded data.
Zebra's SE55 specification lists separate typical near and far distances for different symbol types and sizes, with qualifications for printing, contrast and ambient light. Some near limits are constrained by field of view. This supports reading the relevant row and its footnotes; it does not establish a distance for an AIDC GO handheld. Source: Zebra SE55 specification
Keep the original report or table attached to its exact engine and document version. Do not take the near distance from one row and the far distance from another to create a claimed range for your own symbol. Nor should a blank or dash in a supplier's table be filled in as zero or assumed support.
If the label's element size is unknown, request the label artwork or specification from its owner. A photograph can show placement and damage, but it should not silently replace a measured sample. Send physical labels when practical, including the packaging on which they will be presented.
Check the close end before accepting the distant end
“Extended range” does not mean that every configuration is equally convenient close up. Ask the supplier for the near limit on the smallest required symbol and for any field-of-view restriction on a wider symbol. Then try the actual item at the normal hand position, with adjacent labels still present.
Honeywell's N6803 series datasheet separates MR, FR and LR variants and provides symbol-specific near and far entries. Its minimum-resolution and range entries are not identical across variants, and it qualifies performance by barcode quality and environment. These are Honeywell-specific examples of why the exact option matters, not evidence that AIDC GO supplies those engines. Source: N6803 datasheet, Rev C, March 2025, Tables 3 and 5
At the far end, check whether the operator can select the intended label rather than a neighbouring one. Record the returned identifier, not only the beep. At the close end, record any need to pull the scanner back, rotate the package or reposition the item. A technically possible decode may still be an awkward fit for repeated work.
Compare configurations with the same task sheet
Keep labels and positions fixed while comparing candidates. If a supplier needs a larger label, different material or different position to meet the distant task, record that as a proposed workflow change requiring the relevant owner's approval.
| Required condition | Evidence to collect | Procurement question |
|---|---|---|
| Small close item code | Exact sample, element size, available space and returned identifier | Can this configuration work from the normal hand position? |
| Distant rack or location code | Actual label size, surface, angle and window-to-label distance | Is the stated range applicable to this symbol and allowed position? |
| Neighbouring labels | Intended target and every identifier returned during the observation | Can the operator reliably select the intended label in this arrangement? |
| Alternating close and far tasks | The same handheld and settings used through the full sequence | Does switching tasks require an unacceptable movement or setting change? |
| Changed lighting or label condition | The identified condition and a separate observation record | Which conditions need another sample or configuration review? |
This is a proposed observation sheet, not a test result or universal acceptance standard. The buyer and application owner should define acceptable task time, retries, targeting and exception handling before evaluation. Do not invent a success-rate threshold after seeing the demonstration.
The manufacturer's test setup also matters. Zebra's TC22/TC27 SE55 reference describes a photographic-quality barcode, a specified tilt and illumination, and measurement from the scan-window face. A warehouse trial is not equivalent merely because its distance matches a table entry. Source: TC22/TC27 SE55 decode distances and test note
Separate label evidence from scanner evidence
A failed read does not by itself identify whether the label, presentation or configuration is unsuitable. Retain the exact failed sample and the settings used. Likewise, a successful scan is not a barcode quality grade. Use barcode scanning versus verification to decide what a quality report can establish and what still needs an operational trial.
Once the correct symbol is decoded, field parsing and business acceptance remain separate. Do not use a correctly updated WMS record to hide targeting problems, or treat a beep as proof that the correct record was accepted. When the issue is decoded values rather than physical reading, use the GS1 parsing guide instead of changing the scan configuration without evidence.
Ask for a configuration-specific response
Start with the listed handheld terminal configurations, then send the candidate model, scan-option identity, label samples, both working distances, deployment country and application context to Integration & Support. Request the relevant datasheet or range table, its revision and the settings needed to reproduce the supplier's proposed evaluation.
If the engine or option is not yet identified, keep the shortlist conditional. Do not assign a third-party engine's distances, autofocus behaviour or symbology support to the handheld. The useful next step is a documented configuration and a sample plan that tests both ends of your work.
Discuss the near and far scanning tasks with AIDC GO, including where the operator can safely stand and what cannot change in the label or workflow. That information makes the configuration question more useful than asking for the longest advertised range.