Category: Technology

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Technology

Wi-Fi 6: More than just really fast

Is it time to switch to Wi-Fi 6 yet? Yes, yes, and yes.

Let’s imagine a world without Wi-Fi. I bet you can’t. While in the past Wi-Fi was mostly used just for smartphones or laptops, these days almost every device we can think of is connected wirelessly. For example speakers, TVs, air conditioners, washing machines, cameras, air cleaners, and even lights can be controlled by Wi-Fi. Now, rather than connecting one single device, each of us has multiple devices that are connected at the same time.

Wi-Fi has been evolving continuously with the development of technology, and with each new generation, the specification has been changed accordingly. Until recently, these naming schemes were hard to understand and confused many users. We have all heard of 802.11a or g or ac, but no one really knew which one was the faster or better generation. In an effort to make it easier for users to understand, the Wi-Fi Alliance® changed the naming scheme to simple numbers. Taking the latest Wi-Fi generation as an example, Wi-Fi 6 was previously known as 802.11ax, Wi-Fi 5 was known as 802.11ac, and so on.

802.11bWi-Fi 1
802.11aWi-Fi 2
802.11gWi-Fi 3
802.11nWi-Fi 4
802.11acWi-Fi 5
802.11axWi-Fi 6
Development of Wi-Fi over time. Clearly the new naming scheme is easier to understand

Is Wi-Fi 6 really faster than Wi-Fi 5?

Wi-Fi 6’s maximum speed is 9.6Gbps, which is is about 2.8 times faster than Wi-Fi 5. Of course, this is a theoretical value, so you’ll rarely ever reach the actual maximum speed in the real world. Same goes for Wi-Fi 5. So while Wi-Fi 6 is a lot faster, a single device only will not be benefiting from the increased bandwidth. It rather means that various devices in a network can be utilize a much higher speed than before, resulting in more stable connection overall.

Wi-Fi 6 can also handle large amounts of network traffic efficiently, thanks to a technology called OFDMA. Usually, when a router sends a Wi-Fi signal to many devices, each device sends and receives signals one after another. However, OFDMA allows routers to communicate with multiple devices simultaneously in just one transmission. Therefore, each device can receive data through Wi-Fi quickly without waiting for its turn.

I also want to mention MU-MIMO here, which, although existed before, can now be utilized better. It stands for Multi-User, Multi-Input, Multi-Output and describes the ability routers to be able to communicate with up to four devices at the same time, while Wi-Fi 6 now allows communication with upt to eight.

Both OFDMA and MU-MIMO are multiuser technologies for bidirectional communication between routers and devices, and both enhance the speed significantly.

Improved security

Additionally, and this is probably the most important point for business users, Wi-Fi 6 brings an improved security level by using new protocol called WPA3 (instead of WPA2, which was the standard for Wi-Fi networks for almost two decades). Pre-shared keys (PSKs), which were a security drawback to WPA2, have been replaced by SAE, Simultaneous Authentication of Equals. It makes decryption more difficult to be hack, and also provides robust data security, especially across public networks.

Target Wake Time can increase battery life

While not so relevant to laptop users, the new technology Target Wake Time can save battery life for smaller devices which only have to communicate with a router every so often. Wi-Fi 6 allows for scheduling exactly when a device will send and receive data from the router, making it interesting for low-power devices, like sensors for example.

How to get started with Wi-Fi 6

Using Wi-Fi 6 is only possible when all involved hardware in a network supports it. If your smartphone speaks Wi-Fi 6 but the AP you’re connecting to doesn’t, there is no benefit. We expect that Wi-Fi 6 will take a bit more time until it is widely available. If you go out to buy a new smartphone today, it will most likely support Wi-Fi 6, but not all routers in cafés, at work, libraries, and so on support it yet.

As for the rugged world however, not many devices seem to use Wi-Fi 6 yet. Point Mobile’s first Wi-Fi 6 ready device will be PM75. And in order to follow industry-agreed standards and compliances, we recently joined the Wi-Fi Alliance as a contributor member, ensuring our devices will be making the most out wireless connections.

Learn more about the Wi-Fi Alliance  ? 

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Technology

The advantages of USB-C

USB C connector of PM67

First released to the public in 2014, the new USB-C standard brought a new connector design, faster data rates, while providing a lot more power for charging. The idea is to only need one type of cable for one type of port, through which all devices can be connected. It took a few years until we saw USB-C in consumer devices, and traditionally, the rugged device industry adapted the connector a bit later. Since 2018, all new Point Mobile devices have USB-C.

USB-C port on a PM67 mobile computer
USB-C allows much faster data rates, a reversible design, and a higher power output

What benefits does USB-C offer?

The tiny connector features a reversible design, which means, you don’t need to flip the connector three times anymore before you finally got the right orientation. The new ports have a more refined structure and are safer to use overall. For manufacturers of portable computers and smartphones, the smaller connector is a big deal, since less required space allows for better product design.

Many USB-C ports offer USB 3.1, which can theoretically transfer data at speeds of up to 10Gbps – twice as fast as USB 3.0 in comparison. When equipped with Intel’s Thunderbolt 3 technology, data speeds are four times faster than USB 3.1. Thanks to Alternate Mode or Alt Mode, the same USB-C port can be used to push video to HDMI, VGA, and other common types of video ports on external devices. As for rugged devices, those data rates are usually not required in daily work life, resulting in device manufacturers mostly using USB 2.0 or 3.0 standard. Those connections are already pretty speedy for handling all kinds of tasks.

There is more: USB PD (Power Delivery) for charging through USB-C. Currently, a USB 2.0 connection is capable of delivering up to 2.5 watts, which lets you charge smaller devices like a phone. The USB PD specification delivers up to 100 watts, so charging a laptop is absolutely no problem. The most notable feature here is that data can be transmitted even while power is being supplied – through the same connection!

And the drawbacks?

We have talked about the benefits of USB-C, but everything has downsides, right? Well, there is only one catch: Although USB-C sounds like it is the main standard for all kinds of devices today, it actually only describes the style of the connector. There are several internal specifications that define the speed of a port, which can be tricky and confusing at first.

USB4 is next

In an effort to reduce end-user confusion about all the standards, USB4 was developed by the USB Promoter Group and first released in August 2019. It is also based on Thunderbolt 3 protocol, and provides a higher bandwidth, but retains backward compatibility with existing USB and Thunderbolt products. One major change is that USB4 requires USB-C connectors, other than older standards, which means only USB-C to USB-C cables work. All USB4 devices must support 20Gbps, or optionally up to 40Gbps when using a shorter cable.

The advantages of USB-C are obvious and it is clear why manufacturers today mostly build rely on it. The idea of implementing a unified standard was long overdue, and the potential this standard brings with it is massive.

Visit the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) ? 

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Industries Software Technology

Three main reasons for Android popularity in the business world

PM30hc used by medical workers to manage patient data
Android is the operating system of choice in many industries thanks to its superior security features and easy management

For all mobile devices including consumer smartphones, Android has become the dominant operating system in the globe. Many attribute its success primarily to its open-source nature and the variety of budget devices, but Android has other definitive advantages over its competitors. The strength of Android is shown exceptionally well in business applications, which resulted in its dominance across many industries where mobile smart devices are deployed.

Bayton already posted an article that extensively explains why Android is a better choice for businesses. However, I’d like to pick the three most important enterprise features of Android in my opinion and give a more simplified explanation in this post.

1. The security

Contrary to the common association with iOS being the most secure mobile operating system, Gartner has ranked Android higher than iOS in terms of kernel security, exploit protection, network security, workspace isolation, and more, since 2016.

Source: Gartner, December 2017 

Businesses also find these two features below especially useful for keeping corporate data safe:

Corporate/personal data separation

Workers can use the corporate devices home privately without harming the work data since Android offers work profiles to be completely separated. Work data is securely isolated and separately encrypted on a disk.

Monthly security patches

Google supports monthly security patches for the device manufacturers and ensures the end-customers receive the benefits by operating the Android Enterprise Recommended program, which requires manufacturers to promptly respond to both regular and urgent security updates made by Google.

Get more information about Android Enterprise Recommended with this post ? 

Medical worker is using PM30hc to check the patient data.
Google supports monthly security patches that ensure data security.

2. The flexibility

However you want to deploy and manage the devices, Android allows you the most versatile management solutions. Any management scenario including BYOD, dedicated, or something in between is well-covered thanks to its unmatched flexibility – this means you can easily allow the employees to use personal devices for work by using a separately encrypted profile or choose to distribute company devices with limited access only.

From: bayton.org

3. Easy provisioning

Businesses purchase and use devices in bulk for all of their employees: sometimes all the devices are located in proximity and a master device can do all the provision with a bump. But sometimes devices are too far away and every time a new update comes out or the settings change, provisioning over the air is required. Android can accommodate these scenarios. Also, device manufacturers and system integrators offer one of the most convenient and easy-to-use solutions for Android provisioning.

These are the methods of provisioning available for Android devices:

  • NFC
  • QR code scan
  • DPC identifier
  • Zero-touch enrollment
  • Knox Mobile Enrollment
  • Other OEM-specific provisioning methods

Enabled by Android’s innate support for convenient device management, Point Mobile provides excellent provisioning and device management solution: Scan2Stage.

Scan2Stage offers convenient control of thousands of devices at once regarding update schedules, configurations, and more.

Scan2Stage is Point Mobile's convenient provisioning solution, free of charge.

Find more about Scan2Stage ? 

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News Technology

Gesture navigation on Android 11

PM75 showing Android 11 gesture navigation

We already looked at some of the enterprise features that Android 11 brings, but there are a lot more tweaks worth seeing. One of them is the new gesture navigation, and we will take a look at it in this article.

Android 11 gesture navigation PM75
Instead of the traditional navigation buttons, Android 11 introduces a new gesture navigation

Deactivate buttons, activate gestures

In the settings menu, go to System and then tap on Gestures. Under System navigation, you can now choose Gesture navigation to activate the new function. It’s possible though that this menu is somewhere else on your phone, so you might have to look around a bit to find it. Once you toggled the switch, the bottom part of the screen where the navigation buttons are normally located will disappear, and a thin line will appear instead. You can always go back to the traditional 3-way button layout, in case you do not like the new feature.

Go back with a swipe

The best feature is that you can now move back by simply swiping from the left or ride side of the screen. When you do so, a little arrow will appear as a visual support, so you know the gesture was registered. Android also gives you a dedicated settings menu to adjust the sensitivity when navigating back. You can do so from either the left or right side of the screen, which in some cases might interfere with another app. To avoid this, you can select the sensitivity each side.

  • Swipe up from the bottom and you’ll see all open apps. Also, you can take a screenshot from here
  • In the gestures menu, you can activate or deactivate traditional navigation
  • Android lets you set the sensitivity for both the left and the right side of the scren

Swipe up to see all open apps

Super intuitive is the gesture for showing all open apps: Swipe up from the bottom of any screen, and your open apps appear. This is especially helpful for quickly switching between apps or closing them. From that menu, you can now also directly take screenshots. For closing the window, simply swipe down again, and the open apps menu is gone.

That about wraps it up for the gesture navigation on Android 11. Have a look at it yourself and let us know what you think in the comments below.

Categories
Technology

Why physical keypads still exist on smart devices

There was a time when a physical keypad on a smartphone was not considered weird or a novelty: It was rather a normal, reasonable, and wanted feature. But as time went by, more and more people started wanting a bigger screen, and also touch panels have evolved enough to completely replace hard buttons with virtual ones. Today, consumer smartphone manufacturers no longer add hard keys along with the touch panel, filling the front of a device only with a display. However, for quite a few smart device markets, a full keypad right under the touch panel is considered desirable and roaming around even in 2021. Why is that?

Rugged Point Mobile devices with physical keypads (PM451, PM200, PM67)

1. Fast and accurate

Speed directly links to efficiency for workers who need to enter a lot of data every day. The physical, almost satisfying feedback that you feel by touching each hard button still has advantages over virtual keypad solutions, as it makes faster data input with fewer typos possible. Your hands just remember the position of each key better when you can feel it rather than only see.

2. Easier to multitask

Each time the virtual keypad pops up, it hides almost half of the information you are seeing, which makes task harder and downright annoying: with physical keypads, you can still enjoy the full capabilities of the entire screen while you are typing.

3. Perfect for outdoor workers

Touchscreens, no matter how great they have become nowadays, still don’t work perfectly well if you are wearing gloves or your hands are wet as they rely on the teeny tiny bit of electricity that comes from the fingers. While the rugged mobile device manufacturers often support wet-touch and glove-touch that come in handy, any obstruction between your hands and touch panel makes it just not 100% reliable. Physical keypad, which relies on pressure, is free from this inconvenience – Workers may go outside in the rain and still make full use of a keypad device, without being forced to take off the gloves or dry their hands.

  • Assigning functions or apps to F-keys is a great advantage
  • PM66 with illuminated keys
    Illuminated keys make data entry at night or in dimly-lit areas no problem
  • One device, two keypad options: Some devices give you the choice

4. Easily customizable with F-keys

Another great benefit of a physical keypad is the integration of function, or F-keys. You all know them from your computer keyboard: Typically next to the ESC-key is where the F-keys start. On mobile computers, those keys are fully programmable. You have to take a lot of pictures? Simply assign F1 to your camera application. There’s an app you use every day? Put it on F2. For recurring tasks, this is a great shortcut and makes life a whole lot easier.

So for the above reasons, the demand for physical keypad on rugged mobile devices remain still very strong and manufacturers are living up to the expectation. Our portfolio consists of a variety of devices with hard keys, such as PM451 or PM550, and we are still designing new products with real keys, such as the upcoming PM67. Depending on the device, keypads are even available in different options, such as full numeric, alpha numeric or function numeric. Those devices are extremely important for industries among warehouse management, logistics, and delivery service industries, and help workers around the world to get their tasks done.

Discover Point Mobile devices with physical keypads

PM451

Three keypad options, three barcode scanner options, optional LTE modem, and detachable gun handle, Android 9 operating system.

Learn more
PM550

Alpha-numeric and numeric keypad option, 6,300mAh battery in gun-handle for outstanding ergonomics, various charging options.

Learn more
PM67

Android 11 operating system, compact form factor, big numeric keys & wide screen. Backwards compatible to predecessor, PM66.

Learn more

Categories
News Software Technology

The best (enterprise) features of Android 11

Android 11 on a PM75

Every new version of Android brings a lot of new features and improved design and security. Although Android 11 looks fairly similar to Android 10, there are a number of improvements worth noting. In this article, we will take a closer look and discover the best new features of Android 11 for enterprise.

Android 11 screen on a Point Mobile PM75 mobile computer

Work profile enhancements

Work profiles for Android devices are not a new feature. In fact, they got introduced all the way back with Android 7. However, Android 11 brings several enhancements for company-owned devices: If a work profile is added from the setup wizard via the provisioning tools, the device will be recognized automatically as company-owned and enables the device policy controller (DPC) to control a wider range of security policies for easier management of both work and personal use. Adding a work profile to a device using any other method will result in Android 11 recognizing it as personally-owned.

Android 11 also adds new features and UX improvements to the work and personal tabs of the default launcher. Device manufacturers can now present work and personal tabs, which lets users select apps from the work menu when tapping Share, or in the Settings app under App info, Location, Storage, and Accounts. Further improvements include gray-scaled work apps when the work profile is paused, making it easier for users to distinguish if the work profile is activated or deactivated. In times where both work and private life are closely related, this feature helps to avoid distraction by company related apps when the work profile is paused. Another convenient change is the omission of entering the passcode when turning on the work profile – as long as it’s the same as the devices passcode.

Privacy protection for business devices

Employers often have specific usage policies for users in place. Android 11 offers better controls over those policies to keep company-owned devices compliant with IT regulations. Admins of fully managed devices and company-owned devices with work profiles can now activate Common Criteria Mode which increases security such as AES-GCM encryption, and Wi-Fi configuration stores.

For better employee privacy and transparency, users are now notified when an admin enables location services on a company-owned device, or when an admin grants an app the permission to use the location of personally-owned device.

Improved data isolation ensures a strict separation of work and private apps and prevents attacks from the outside by other applications (for both profiles).

Favorite apps can be pinned in the share page

When sharing a contact or file, you can now pin your most frequently used or favorite app in the share page. This can be helpful when you are mostly using the same application, and you don’t want to scroll through the entire list every time you want to share something. By tapping and holding the desired app icon, you can now choose to pin the app all the way to the left for easier access. To unpin, simply press and hold the icon again and tap Unpin.

Showing new functions of Android 11: Pin Save to Drive (PM75)
Simply tap and hold to pin an app as your favorite

Notification history

If you ever deleted a notification accidentally, you will like this new feature: In Settings -> Apps & notifications -> Notifications -> Notification history, you will now find a complete list of recently dismissed notifications of the last 24 hours. Of course the function can also be completely deactivated if you don’t need it at all.

Showing new functions of Android 11: Notification history (PM75)
Notification history shows you all dismissed notifications of the last 24 hours

Quick settings pane now with media controls

A slight, but noticeable change was done to the media controls: They have now moved up to the bottom of the quick settings pane. To see a mini version of the player, swipe down from the top of the screen. By swiping again, you’ll see the full player with enhanced options.

Showing new functions of Android 11: Quick settings pane with media controls (PM75)
Media controls are now integrated in the quick settings when swiping down

Android 11 brings a whole lot of interesting features for business users. Are you going to install it once available for your device? Let us know in the comments below.

Categories
Industries News Technology

The rise of micro-fulfillment centers

Online grocery shopping
grocery delivered in a box
Grocery delivery, Ecommerce

Covid-19 has changed consumer behaviors and shaped a new landscape for businesses throughout the last year. One of the most noticeable and talked-about big trends is the exponential growth of e-commerce. While this trend is posing a challenge and threat to conventional retail business models, a rising new opportunity is getting more and more attention: the micro-fulfillment center.

Facilitated by the pandemic itself and lock-down policies, the global e-commerce market expanded to $27 trillion (USD) in 2020, taking a share of almost 20% of all retail sales.1 The leader of this sector, Amazon, has been reported increasing the footprint of its fulfillment centers by 50%.2

Record-number calls for an unconventional system

This rapid expansion of e-commerce and delivery industries has started the super-growth of micro-fulfillment centers as well, although being a relatively new business model. As its name shows, it’s basically a tiny warehouse. Located around urban areas unlike their bigger counterparts near highways far away from city centers, what they do is providing extremely fast (same day) delivery service while cutting the cost. But the most important job of those MFC’s is making fresh online grocery shopping possible– as grocery sales being the main contributor to the MFC market with around 70% ~ 80% share.3

The small size makes it easy to proliferate, as it conveniently utilizes existing property or even the backside of retail stores and the basement of malls. The estimate shows the market size of MFC is expected to be 10 times bigger than now and reach worth about $10 billion by 2026.3

Smaller-scale vitalizes new technologies -or will it challenge existing players?

Meanwhile, the management of these centers requires data-managing technologies due to their time-oriented nature. Same-day delivery makes it necessary to predict what products to store to maximize the limited space, which means A.I. and Big Data technologies will probably be heavily used, even more than in gigantic logistics hubs.

Another noticeable trend is that besides the established global leaders such as Amazon, Walmart, and Alibaba, there are a lot of new players entering the MFC market.3 For the enterprise mobility industry, this can mean either a new future opportunity of a smaller and more segmented market or a challenge to maximizing profit, if the average product quantity per sale goes down.

Sources:
1 https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/05/1091182
2 https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-fulfillment-center-growth-reveals-pandemic-online-ordering-surge-2020-7
3 https://www.globenewswire.com/fr/news-release/2021/01/13/2157646/0/en/Global-Micro-Fulfillment-Market-A-Cumulative-Opportunity-Worth-10B-by-2026.html

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Industries News Technology

Automated storage and retrieval system for small urban warehouses

AutoStore overview
How AutoStore save the valuable space for your warehouse

All around the world, the pandemic has made people more likely to buy things online, and the demand for fast and free shipping is only getting bigger. In the process of providing a consistently fast delivery service to the increasing volume of customers, a major change is happening.

New fulfillment centers are being built closer to the major city centers for easy access to the final destination. Due to the high land price, naturally, they are in a much smaller size than conventional ones, which poses challenges to businesses who need to store thousands of different kinds of products in a limited space. This new type of tiny warehouse in urban areas is called a micro-fulfillment center.

Amazon is planning the construction of around 1,000 new micro-fulfillment centers in cities and suburbs all across America, and Korean e-commerce giant Coupang went public with similar future plans. Also eager to catch up with this trend is SoftBank Group, which invested $2.8 trillion USD in AutoStore taking up 40 percent of its share last April.

AutoStore is a robot manufacturer that also provides a total solution for Automated Storage & Retrieval System (ASRS). Its robots are built to maximize the small space of the micro-fulfillment center.

AutoStore differs itself from other automated warehouse system providers as it designs robots and systems to prevent extra space from being wasted: No room for air, just for products. Thanks to its extremely efficient use of space, small warehouses, once thought is impossible to be fully automated, are now being filled with robots. On average, AutoStore saves 20 to 50 percent of land-use costs by increasing the maximum storage capacity up to 3 to 4 times, resulting in an astronomical cost saving when you combine the real estate market of major cities and the sheer number of micro-fulfillment centers.

¼ footprint for same capacity compared to conventional storage system.

AutoStore also uses an algorithm that optimizes the box placement – the automated system will put products that come and go more often on top, and others below. This “queuing” algorithm aligns products in the most time- and space-efficient order.

Description: Modular design makes it fit into various layouts

The modular design makes it easy to expand in any size. When necessary, the business can easily add new space and integrate it into the existing system, making it possible to increase capacity without re-designing the whole system. Plus, newly added space does not have to follow the cube shape as each module can be ever so small.

Robots designed by AutoStore are now working in around 300 businesses across 35 different countries, including Walmart, Pfizer, Intel, Siemens, IKEA, etc.

E-commerce businesses are going through bloody competition and constantly innovating themselves. Same day and even three-hour delivery which seemed impossible once are now making our life comfortable, and I think it is worth noting the behind-the-scene innovation of the logistics industry.

Sources:
Parcel Industry: The Competitive Advantage of Omnichannel Strategies
Bloomberg – Amazon plans to put 1,000 warehouses-in-neighborhoods
CNBC – SoftBank invests $2.8 billion in Norwegian robotics firm AutoStore
Business Insider – Watch Masayoshi Son get in the groove as Softbank’s ‘golden goose eggs’ followed his famous unicorn slide
AutoStore website – brochure

Categories
Industries Technology

How warehouses use UHF technology to improve work efficiency

Typical UHF reader for the warehouse: Gun handle or pistol grip style (PM85 + RF851)

Work efficiency is getting more important for businesses, as consumers demand faster availability and live and accurate stock information. Warehouses need to adapt to these changes by utilizing technologies that help them to keep track of items. This is where RFID comes in: A lot of companies already use RFID readers as a substitute for or an addition to barcode readers which boosts productivity and accuracy tremendously.

What is RFID?

Available in various shapes and sizes: RFID tags

RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification and is a technology that can read so-called RFID tags through radio waves. Inside of such a tag is a microchip that reacts to a specific wave, or MHz (Megahertz). RFID tags are available in lots of versions: They can be active or passive, they can be really tiny for the anti-theft system of your car, or they can be used as a sticker or integrated into a card, to name just a few examples.

There are various sub-categories of RFID, such as LF (Low Frequency, less than 134.2MHz) or HF (High Frequency, 13.56MHz). You’ve likely came across HF in daily use already, since it is widely used in modern smartphones for payments using the NFC standard (Near Field Communication). NFC enables communication between compatible devices and, as the name suggests, only works for short distances.

As for warehouses and distribution centers however, UHF (Ultra High Frequency) is the most commonly used RFID technology. UHF uses a frequency of 800-900MHz (and even higher) and is able to track and identify goods from a distance of up to 9 meter (30 ft) if the conditions are right.

What’s the difference between UHF and barcode scanner?

Barcode scanner technology has dramatically improved work efficiency, but there’s a problem: Scanners need the line of sight to operate, meaning the scanner needs to literally see the barcode in order to capture it. If the barcode is hidden in a box, unreachable or heavily damaged, there is no way to read it. It is also only possible to read only a single barcode at a time. By using UHF, these problems will be eliminated as data can be captured even when it is hidden. And since UHF is capable of reading multiple data at once, it is the optimal technology for warehouses where lots of boxes are stacked and piled up. Unlike barcode scanners, RFID tags don’t have to be placed in a specific place to obtain information, as long as it inside the box or attached to the product. Imagine you have to regularly perform inventory tracking, and you’ll see immediately why UHF is a much faster and safer way to know exactly what is going on in your floors. Of course, this technology does not only have advantages: Certain materials or liquids can influence the signal, more complicated implementation and lastly, RFID readers are usually more expensive than their barcode pendants.

Capturing data from an RFID tag

In a typical (connected) warehouse, large scale RFID gates are installed where boxes arrive or leave. This way, all incoming and outgoing shipments can be tracked and monitored at all times. This works similar to how shopping malls or stores prevent stealing by installing those RFID readers at the entrance. If a tagged product surpasses the gate, the system detects goods being stolen and an alarm will go off.

Passing this gate with a tagged product will immediately identify you as a thief

Back to the warehouse. The systems for tracking goods are a lot more complex and require the right software solution and the right hardware. The hardware (for example the RFID gate, or a handheld pistol grip style RFID reader such as the RF300 or RF851) ensures that the tag data is captured properly in all conditions, while the software processes the data to the backend and forwards it to the staff to inform them about model, quantity, and supplier details. The data is either being sent by the Wifi installed in the warehouse, or by cellular connection, for example in outdoor areas or areas with low Wifi signal strength. Automating warehouse processes for both incoming and outgoing shipments reduces processing time, and also significantly lowers the error rate.

Point Mobile’s RFID reader are using UHF, which is a form of RFID. UHF has an higher read range compared to other forms (LF,HF), it means it is specialized for warehouse environment. RF300 can read up to 6m, RF851 can read up to 8m.

Will RFID replace barcode scanners?

Improving work efficiency is very important and this technology can certainly help to do so. But as great as it sounds, RFID is not perfect. While it can scan data from multiple items at once, and it is more durable, it’s also much more expensive than barcode technology. As the industry keeps developing and warehouses get more and more automated, we expect a steady trend towards companies adapting UHF technology, but as barcodes may not be as efficient, they are a solid solution and implementation is a lot simpler – especially when you’re on a budget.

The answer is: Both technologies will keep co-existing. Sometimes, the better way is to use barcodes, other times it may be smart to use RFID, and then sometimes, a mix of both worlds is the way to go.

Categories
Software Technology

Installing APK files without using Google Play

Installing APK files on Android device PM30
Installing APKs on an Android device is fairly simple

There could be several reasons why installing apps through Google Play is not an option. Maybe you don’t have an account, or the application you want to install is simply not available on the Play Store in the first place. Luckily, there is another way to install apps on your phone, and it’s fairly easy. However, please always make sure that you only install applications from trusted sources. Installing apps that are not on the Play Store happens at your own risk and may cause damage to your device.

What is an APK file?

Before we start, let’s take a look at what APK files actually are. APK stands for Android Package Kit, which is a package file format, similar to an executable file (EXE) on a PC, or package installer (PKG) on a Mac. The APK file format is the proprietary file format of the Android operating system.

Here’s how to install an APK file directly on your device

As mentioned before, installing an APK file on an Android device (from Android 8) is an easy and straightforward process.

  1. Make sure Unknown source installations are allowed in the settings. Go to Settings -> Apps & notifications -> Special app access -> Install unknown apps. There, tap Chrome and then activate the slider Allow from this source.
  2. Open Chrome and locate the APK file and download it onto your device.
  3. Open your file manager and navigate to the Downloads folder.
  4. Now tap on the app. Android will warn you about the potential risk when installing a third-party app from an unknown source. Tap Continue to proceed.
  5. Choose Install to start the installation.
  6. After the installation is complete you can now open the app, just like you would normally if it was installed from the app store.

Install APK’s from an SD card

There is another way to install an APK file on your device, although it is a little more inconvenient. If your device has no access to the internet, this is the way to go.

  1. After downloading the APK file on your computer, copy it over to an SD card.
  2. Put the SD card in your device. Some devices might require you to turn the device off or remove the battery before inserting the card. However on more recent devices you can insert and remove the SD card while the device is running.
  3. Open your file manager and navigate to the SD card folder.
  4. From there, find your app and tap on it to start the installation process. Android will warn you about the potential risk when installing a third-party app from an unknown source. Tap Continue to proceed.
  5. Choose Install to start the installation.
  6. After the installation is complete you can now open the app, just like you would normally if it was installed from the app store.

The menus look different on your device?

The menus and settings as described above can vary from device to device. This is because every Android version looks different, but also because manufacturers sometimes adjust the layout based on their requirements. However, it should not be too difficult to find the right menu. For example, the Unknown sources toggle can be found under Security on some devices.

Are there any risks when installing APK files directly?

Even though installing APK files on your device is very easy, there are some risks you have to keep in mind. Make sure you only download and install from trusted sources. Some APK files might contain malicious code that can potentially harm your device or leak personal information. Always check your sources upfront to keep your data safe!