HARDWARE
Scanners, printers, devices and offline.
Updated
SmartFACT runs in a web browser. The hardware it needs is the hardware most factories already have.
Scanners and stations
A station is a computer, tablet or phone with a browser. Scanning uses a barcode scanner that types into the browser like a keyboard, over USB, wireless or Bluetooth, or the camera button on the scan field of a phone or tablet. Handheld scanner computers such as a Zebra MC9400, which run a browser, work as mobile stations with their scanner in keystroke mode.
Test any scanner with ScannerBench first, free, to see exactly what it sends. It is a test, not a requirement: no paid product depends on it.
Printers
Labels and documents are PDFs, printed through SmartFACT PrintStation, a connector app for Windows or macOS on the workstation connected to the printer. Any printer that workstation can print to can be used; SmartFACT sends no ZPL or printer-specific code. A phone or handheld sends its labels to an unattended PrintStation workstation, a computer connected to the printer that stays switched on and signed in.
Before a station goes live, the printer, driver, stock and label format are checked with real labels and recorded as a qualified profile. Printer hardware and set-up are yours.
Apps and offline
There is no native mobile app and nothing to install on a station beyond a browser. Every product works online: recording work needs a connection. The one exception is LabelRules Pro, which can run production on your own infrastructure and keeps printing during an internet outage. No product uses RFID, scales or machine control.
Free tools
The seventeen free tools, from ScannerBench to CountBench, are standalone browser tools. They need no account and no AI connection, keep their data on your device, and are not a station, a hardware layer or a requirement for any paid product. StoresFlow can import a CountBench results file; that is the only exchange.
Common questions
Which scanner should we buy?
Any barcode scanner that types like a keyboard. Test it on ScannerBench, then at the station it will be used at.
Does it work on a Zebra handheld?
Yes, in the handheld's browser, with its scanner set to keystroke output. Labels go to an unattended PrintStation workstation at the bench.
What if the internet goes down?
Work pauses until it is back. Nothing already recorded is lost, and a dropped connection never creates a second request, booking or print. Only LabelRules Pro's on-premises production keeps going.
Something here does not match what you have read elsewhere? Write to [email protected] and we will put it right.
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