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iPad 2 and barcode scanner in Citrix

M

micjan

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 23, 2002
11
0
Belgium
Hi, I'm confronted with following problem: we are about to start a stock management system and would like to use a tablet-bluetouth barcode scanner configuration to use in our storage rooms and cold chambers. Due to the rather modest price tab of an iPad and his display qualitiy and his touch accuracy, I would prefer that tablet for the job. As there is a Citrix client available in the App Store, this would let us the possibility to connect to our Windows applications.
I know there are industrial tablets on the market but these are from another price category (x3 - x4).
Is there anyone who has some experience in these matters? Who knows the pitfalls i.e.?

Many thanks on beforehand for a reply

Jan
 
iPad 2 has a very low res camera and lacks autofocus which means you wont be able to do barcode scanning/document scanning with it and developers wont be making apps for this purpose.

People out here dismiss the lack of autofocus as a non-issue because they think cameras are ONLY for taking photos of people. But there are many practical and incredible business opportunities missed due to this shortcoming. I guess we need to just wait for next gen...again.
 
he wasn't talking about using the camera as the reader. He's talking about using a bluetooth barcode reader...which may work as Citrix does support the bluetooth keyboard...
 
Yes, Urkel, it would make sense to use the iPads camera if I didn't need a 2D-scanner. Are you sure there is no autofocus?
And BPD, that's exactly what I am looking for. I contacted a company that sells barcode scanners and they made an application letting bluetooth scanners interact with an iPad (a model from Motorola). They encountered a frequently reported problem: once the bluetooth scanner is active, the keyboard won't pop up on the display of the iPad until one toggles off the scanner. They just found a solution for this: on the back of the iPad they put a label with a barcode for toggling on and another for toggling off the scanner. So while working with the tablet, they just have to scan the toggle off barcode to let the keyboard appear.
Thanks for your replies,

Jan
 
micjan said:
Yes, Urkel, it would make sense to use the iPads camera if I didn't need a 2D-scanner. Are you sure there is no autofocus?
And BPD, that's exactly what I am looking for. I contacted a company that sells barcode scanners and they made an application letting bluetooth scanners interact with an iPad (a model from Motorola). They encountered a frequently reported problem: once the bluetooth scanner is active, the keyboard won't pop up on the display of the iPad until one toggles off the scanner. They just found a solution for this: on the back of the iPad they put a label with a barcode for toggling on and another for toggling off the scanner. So while working with the tablet, they just have to scan the toggle off barcode to let the keyboard appear.
Thanks for your replies,

Jan
Click to expand...

It sounds like this Bluetooth scanner is actually sending the barcode to the iPad as key presses. If that is the case then there is a decent chance it would work with Citrix. Does the Bluetooth scanner also work in the same way with a Windows PC?

I'd also suggest looking at whether there are native iPad Apps available that do what you want. Trying to use a Windows app through Citrix would let you get started quickly but I think that a native solution would be much less clumsy in the long run.
 
I bet you could do this with the XOOM/android. Better camera and bar code sdks means you could do this with the camera and no Bluetooth scanner.

Don't know anything about citrix and android.
 
Scott6666 said:
I bet you could do this with the XOOM/android. Better camera and bar code sdks means you could do this with the camera and no Bluetooth scanner.

Don't know anything about citrix and android.
Click to expand...

On the scale that the OP appears to be talking about I doubt a camera would be useful anyway. A dedicated barcode scanner would be far faster and pay for its self very quickly. Think about how quickly a supermarket checkout scanner works.
 
Scott6666 said:
I bet you could do this with the XOOM/android. Better camera and bar code sdks means you could do this with the camera and no Bluetooth scanner.

Don't know anything about citrix and android.
Click to expand...

I use iPod Touch 4 which supposed to have the same camera as iPad 2 and I never have problem scanning bar codes. Not only it never failed me, it's also very fast scanning. Seems like there's some people talking without ever using it i.e. just look at the spec and gibberish away.
 
Last edited:
blackNBUK said:
It sounds like this Bluetooth scanner is actually sending the barcode to the iPad as key presses. If that is the case then there is a decent chance it would work with Citrix. Does the Bluetooth scanner also work in the same way with a Windows PC?

I'd also suggest looking at whether there are native iPad Apps available that do what you want. Trying to use a Windows app through Citrix would let you get started quickly but I think that a native solution would be much less clumsy in the long run.
Click to expand...
The native solution I need, would be a Firefox browser on iPad because the webapplication I have to use, only supports IE and Firefox. From a MBP I can run the application in Firefox without any problem as a sole Mac user in a Windows only network ;-). If I could persuade the developper to support Safari, well that would be the max.
 
micjan said:
The native solution I need, would be a Firefox browser on iPad because the webapplication I have to use, only supports IE and Firefox. From a MBP I can run the application in Firefox without any problem as a sole Mac user in a Windows only network ;-). If I could persuade the developper to support Safari, well that would be the max.
Click to expand...

atomic browser lets you impersonate safari browser. sometimes it is a little wonky but it may be a possible solution.
 
micjan said:
Jan, Do you know what model scanner the motorola was? I work in Health Care IT and we are looking to do this for Bed Side Medication Verification. I need to order a scanner to test with but want to make sure I get the correct one. Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
It's about the Motorola Models LS4278 (1D) and DS6878 (1D/2D).
A test was made wtih the LS4278 without any issues:
- let the scanner connect to the iPad to be identified as a bluetooth device in his list
- the keyboard must be qwerty. However you can switch easely to azerty (our type of keyboard) by clicking the globe key
- lecture of the 'keyboard off' barcode
- first lecture of a barcode: the system propose you 3 choices: continuous bluetooth connection , interrupted or recognized during the lecture of the first barcode (this takes 5'' and afterwards you can continue to scan others)
- We didn't had any problem reading barcodes in the Citrix environment, quite straightforwards ...
- lecture of the 'keyboard on' barcode if you wish to use the keyboard


Jan
 
urkel said:
iPad 2 has a very low res camera and lacks autofocus which means you wont be able to do barcode scanning/document scanning with it and developers wont be making apps for this purpose.
Click to expand...

Stop spreading this FUD. We even have the thread specifically discuss this issue yet people still are ignorant. I have iPT4 which has the more or less the same camera as iPad 2 and I can scan barcode all day. It's fast and reliable providing the app you're using didn't block it from scanning because it doesn't have auto-focus ability. In other words, the camera does a fine job scanning barcode. It's the app that will or will not let them do.
 
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