Barcode scanners for UDI codes.
A UDI is usually a GS1 DataMatrix, the small square of dots. The laser scanner that reads your pack slips cannot read one. You need a 2D imager, and it needs one setting turned on.
Why your current scanner will not work.
A laser sweeps a line across a barcode and reads the widths of the bars. A DataMatrix is a grid, so there is nothing for the line to read. A 2D imager takes a picture and decodes it instead, and it reads your old 1D barcodes as well.
Zebra DS4608-SR
Corded, and the least expensive of the three. A good default if your codes are printed on ordinary labels.
Zebra DS8108
Corded, and built for dense, awkward codes. Worth it if your labels are small, on foil, or on curved packaging.
Zebra DS8178
The cordless version of the DS8108. Useful if the packer has to walk to the pallet instead of bringing the unit to the packing station.
These are models customers have used with SerialTrack, not recommendations, and other 2D imagers work fine. If you are choosing between corded and cordless, corded is usually cheaper and has no battery to charge.
Turn on the group separator.
A GS1 DataMatrix packs several fields into one string. Some of those fields have no fixed length, so the standard puts an invisible separator character between them to mark where one ends. GS1 calls it the group separator.
Most 2D scanners send that character by default. Some need it switched on with a configuration barcode from the manual. If it is switched off, the scanner still reads the code and still looks like it is working. What it sends is your lot number and your serial number run together into one value, with no way to tell where the join was.
If you have tried capturing UDI data into a spreadsheet and got mangled values, this is almost always why. Check it before you blame the labels.
One thing worth telling your label supplier
The lot number field, AI (10), has no fixed length. Codes work with the most software when it comes last. Most labels are printed (01), then (17), then (10). We handle other orders too, but if your supplier prints the lot in the middle it is worth asking them to move it.
Two more things people ask.
Do I need a scanner that parses UDI?
No. Some scanner makers sell an add-on that splits the UDI into separate fields before sending it. SerialTrack does that on our side, so a plain 2D imager is enough and you can skip the add-on.
What about codes etched into metal?
Codes that are laser-etched or stamped directly into a part need an imager made for direct part marks, with the right lighting. An ordinary imager struggles with a faint mark on a shiny, curved surface.
What we do with the scan → · Scanners for plain serial numbers →
Start recording on the next shipment.
Connect your store, scan one order, and look at the record. About five minutes to set up, and nothing to pay for thirty days.