Choosing Right RF Device during SAP Implementation.

Many people Looking to implement WM with RF functionality... will have a question in mind which device is good and suitable to implement ?

Also they will look for recommendations the good RF hardware devices that speaks with SAP LE-MOB ?

Motorola acquired Symbol technologies which has in turn been acquired by Zebra. LXE, Intermec and Dolphin have been acquired by Honeywell.

Most of these devices can be used interchangeably and I have even used mixed devices in the same landscape. Quality-wise, I think they are all just about the same. If you are purchasing through a distributor with a support contract, the most important factor the distributor's reputation.

Things to consider when making a decision, other than cost -

?Scanner type - I have seen many people look at everything else and forget this one. Make sure the scanner works in your environment. Here are some thoughts?Laser - works better in doors than in high illumination outdoors. Most (not all) lasers are limited to linear (1D) barcodes.

?Imager - They work well indoors, but better than laser outdoors. There is an aiming laser which can be inconsistent and frustrate users (this has not been that big an issue in the last couple of years for me). They can also deal with 2D (datamatrix, QR, PDF417) barcodes.

?Range - Most scanners have a range they work in. Some work only up to 2 feet - approx 60 cm, the mid-range work up to several feet (usually about 5-10) and the long range can easily scan appropriately sized barcodes at 35 feet or over. The Intermec CK71 devices use imagers that can scan from 1-35 feet, this is my personal favorite because I can use the same device at my desk while testing and then walk into a warehouse and scan a high-rack label.

?Usage ?How much scanning - most of these devices are pretty slow compared to a modern phone or computer. If there is going to be rapid scanning, set up a test system and insist on testing rapid scanning with the exact part number (not model) you are going to purchase. Within the same model number, there could be variations in processor speed, memory, etc which make 2 identical looking devices perform completely different.

?Battery life - the Zebra (now, previously symbol 9090 and then Motorola MC9090) MC9090 and the Honeywell (Intermec) CK71 are the most commonly used, and their batteries typically last about one 8 hour shift. If you are deploying several units on a multi-shift company, make sure there are docking / charging stations that can charge more than one battery at a time... and of course make sure the battery is easily changeable.

?Handheld vs Truck Mount?With handhelds, you can get a standard handheld computer that you would hold sort of like a big Blackberry device or a pistol grip. Some devices can be configured with the pistol grip optionally.

?With Truck Mount, I have worked with a couple of customers who used relatively inexpensive Windows tablets in a hard case mounted with a Ram mount instead of dedicated industrial devices. These would work with Bluetooth handheld scanners.

?Hazardous environments usually need specially certified units which are more expensive

Most of these device work well with both SAPConsole and ITS Mobile. I would highly recommend using a third party industrial browser like Wavelink or Naurtech. It makes several things much easier, such as, working with multiple systems (DEV, QA, PROD), Beeping and halting the scanner on errors, security, etc. I have also found them more stable than the hardware manufacturer provided browsers. Here, I did make this assumption that you are not planning to build a full interface on the device yourself or use a third party solution.

 I heard from Warehouse users that in Distribution Center we′can use Synactive Guixt in Symbol MC3090 mobile device. Is very good solution.

We can also see Teklogix, Telxon, Symbol and LXE devices online. We can also refer to successful barcode printer vendors for Zebra

 These have almost been a monopoly in successful SAP implementations

 There are known problems with other barcode scanners integrated to SAP Web console.

Effort needed depends on how much customization you are looking for. Its better to use standard SAP transactions rather than going for any custom transactions. Most well know problems in Web console are in the area of mapping function key between RF guns and SAP.

Configuration steps involved in implementing SAP Web Console

 Functional: SPRO->LE/Mobil Data Entry

- Maintain Verification profiles for goods movements for which data to be scanned through RF transactions

- Maintain Barcode Specification and assign barcode types to warehouse

- Define Menus and Screens

- RF queue management for different tasks in warehouse and assign users to queues.

Technical: Installation of SAP Web Console Servers and mapping them to devices and SAP. Your BASIS team is responsible for this. They will get the installation/user/RF Mobile Enabling guides with the software.

Finally it all depend on the requirement and budget. Few of the company are motorolla(Symbol), Intermac, LXE which device you can have a look (Motorolla MC9090 are most widely used wherever I worked but again you can have a look on detail with your user requirement before final decision). I hope this article will be useful. Thanking you.