We support any Zebra Android barcode scanner, as long as the scanner supports the DataWedge app. Before installing the software on the scanner a few settings need to be changed:

First, tap the settings icon.  If it’s not visible on the home screen swipe up to see the list of all installed apps.

Once on the settings screen, scroll down until you see System

Tap this, then tap Date & Time

Tap Date & Time to edit the settings:

• Tick automatic date and time
• Untick Automatic time zone.
• Tap Select time zone and choose the correct time zone.

Next, go back to the main settings menu, scroll up to Display and tap it.  Change the sleep time so that you don’t have to keep unlocking the screen when scanning.  5 minutes is a good compromise between battery life and convenience.

Now go back to the setting menu and scroll up to Wi-Fi.  Tap on Wi-Fi.   Enable Wi-Fi and connect to your Wi-Fi network.  

Installing the app

To install the Alpha Scanning app, first make sure that the scanning laptop is connected to the same network as the scanner and that the scanning app is running on the laptop.   On the scanner, tap the browser app.

Enter the following address:   http://[laptop_ip_address]:8088 (replace laptop_ip_address with the IP address of your laptop).  This will show the following screen:

Tap Downloads.  You will then see the following screen:

Tap Android App.  You will then see the downloads screen:

Once the download has finished, tap the open link. When you see the screen below, click INSTALL.

You may get a warning as you are installing an app from outside the app store.  If you see the following screen, click more details, then install anyway.

Once the installation has finished, tap Done or Open.

Finally, add the app to the home screen, by tapping the menu button, holding your finger on the Alpha app and dragging it onto the home screen.

Configuring DataWedge

Zebra scanners come with an app called DataWedge which is used to configure how the scanner will integrate with our app. From the home screen, swipe up to see the list of installed apps.

When the app launches, tap the three vertical dots in the top right corner of the screen, then select New profile:

When asked, name the profile Alpha, then click OK

Open the Alpha profile. Ensure the profile is enabled (1), and barcode input is enabled (3).

Tap on Associated apps (2).

Tap the three vertical dots in the top right corner and select New app/activity

Select Alpha.Scanning.App

Then tap on the *

The screen should now look like this:

Go back to the main configuration screen, then scroll down to the Intent Output section. 

Make sure Intent output is enabled (1)

Tap on the Intent action (2) and enter com.scanner.broadcast

Tap Intent delivery (3), and set it to Broadcast Intent

Now launch the Alpha scanning app.  Once it has started, tap on Verification, and try to scan a barcode.  If everything is configured correctly, you should see the unknown barcode screen:  This means that the barcode was correctly read, but it has not been registered.