Symbol LS2208 Review - Barcode Scanners

The effective scan range of the LS2208 is from contact to about 17” back, confirming Symbol’s advertised range. This falls
in line with standard use in retail environments as well as within the class. Accurately scanning while in contact with a
barcode provides the LS2208 a slight edge, as the flex-neck stand may put the scanner much closer to a barcode. When
testing the durability, the LS2208 passed our 3’ and 6’ drop tests, but received damage to the auto-sense mechanism on
the second 13’ drop. After the second drop, the top of the head unit popped loose and the scanner stayed in auto-sense
mode. It was at this point we determined the damage to be sufficient enough to “fail,” as the usability of the scanner was
significantly altered. Symbol’s drop specification lists the LS2208 as surviving multiple 5.5’ drops to concrete, and our
scanner far exceeded those specifications.
The greatest strength of the LS2208 lies in the scan engine designed by Symbol. In testing wide barcodes, we were able
to get it to read barcodes 7” wide, with about 50 characters encoded. For
density, our LS2208 was capable of reading barcodes as small as 4.9 mil,
excellent for retail use. This scanning robustness means the LS2208 will
easily scan any barcode you will encounter in general use, and has the
capability of scanning more complicated linear barcodes as needed.
Light resistance is the bane of a barcode scanner’s existence, and the
LS2208 is no exception. When scanning from a standard range of 4
inches, the scanner could not easily read barcodes in direct sunlight or
with our 250w spotlight within 12”. The LS2208 does act as a contact
scanner, which can eliminate the problem, but only for barcodes about
1.5” wide.
A breakdown of the Symbol LS2208’s capabilities is listed in table and graph form below.
Scanner Performance Testing
Scan Range (Depth of Field)
1" 5" 10" 15" 19"
Excellent Scan Range
for retail environments
Durability (Multiple Drop Tests to Concrete
Above average durability when
---- 3' Drops----------- ---------------------- 6' drops ---------------------------- 13' Drops----------- compared to class
Wide Barcodes (In Inches)
1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4.25 4.75 5.25 5.8 6.4 6.8 7.4 8 8.5 9.25 9.75 10.2
High Density Barcodes (In Mil)
Scans well above standard
retail/light industrial sizes
Good range for retail
2.1 3.8 5.8 7.1 8.8 11 12 14 16 17 22 27 32 37 42 48 53 58 68 84 and industrial barcode density
.9 1 1.1 1.8 2.752.9 5 5.1 7 7.1 8 8.2
Resistance to Light
Complete Darkness Retail Lighting Cloudy Direct Sunlight
Indoor Outdoor
Average light resistance