Barcode scanners have been used for many years now for many different purposes.  We see them being used every day in the grocery store; in fact, as consumers, we can use them ourselves if we opt to go through the self-checkout many grocery stores employ today.

As convenient as barcode scanners are, they are also used to safeguard the public at massive events like the Olympics.  As a matter of fact, barcode scanners were a major part of the security precautions at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.  More than 11,000 athletes and trainers benefited from the technology and security of barcode scanners when they had to have their badges scanned in order to go through doors meant only for them.

Barcode scanners have been used for decades in some form or fashion, however, with today’s technology, much more information can be encoded on the bar codes so that we can know who did what, when, and where.  Further, some barcode scanners can read both barcodes and magnetic strips like the ones on the back of our driver’s license or the ones on our hotel key card.  This type of barcode scanner has revolutionalized the hotel industry and provided more security than a typical key could.

Barcode scanners are often at the exit doors of department stores and other retail establishments to prevent thieves from walking out the door with merchandise.  If you are walking out the door with a product that possesses a barcode, this technology will sound an alarm and often, security will ask you to step back into the store so they can ascertain why the alarm sounded.

Barcode scanners, while not the latest technology have proven to be a reliable source of security whether it’s stock or human lives that need protecting.