Barcode scanners can be extremely simple devices made up of a light source, a photo diode and a simple decoder or complex CCD or camera based scanners. Learn how barcode scanners work and how to scan barcodes into a computer.
There are currently four different types of barcode scanners available. Each uses a slightly different technology for reading and decoding a barcode. There are pen type readers (i.e. barcode wands), laser scanners, CCD readers and camera based readers.