A mobile data terminal (also called a handheld computer or mobile computer) captures data where it arises: at the shelf, at the loading dock, at the machine or at the customer's site. Usually this means a handheld device with a scanner that reads barcodes and passes the values on to an inventory or warehouse management system. In many companies the choice is more open today than it used to be: besides the classic handheld with a pistol grip there are ring scanners, vehicle-mount computers for forklifts, rugged smartphones and rugged tablets with a scan module. This article explains what the term means, classifies the form factors, lists the selection criteria and shows for which tasks a rugged tablet is the better choice compared with a classic mobile data terminal.
In German-speaking countries this device class is called “MDE” (mobile Datenerfassung, i.e. mobile data collection). According to Wikipedia, mobile data collection means that process-relevant data is captured independently of location and made available. A mobile data terminal is the tool for it. As device types the source lists PDAs, forklift terminals, tablet PCs, mobile terminals and smartphones, sometimes with a scan attachment. The term is therefore not a single device type but describes a task: recording data directly where things happen instead of entering it later at a desk. Typical cases are goods receipt, put-away, picking, stocktaking, shipping checks or the confirmation of maintenance work.
The term often appears together with shop-floor data collection (German: “BDE”, Betriebsdatenerfassung). According to Wikipedia, this is a collective term for the capture of actual data on states and processes in companies. It includes order data, personnel data such as attendance and working hours, machine data and process data. As a rule of thumb: shop-floor data collection names what is captured, namely operating data such as run times, piece counts or order progress. Mobile data collection names with what and where it is captured, namely on the move and at the place of the operation. The two overlap, for example when an employee reports order progress at the machine with a handheld device. The terms are not opposites; the rule of thumb is a classification for orientation, not a definition.
The form factor determines how a device is held, operated and carried. In practice it often decides suitability earlier than the individual data sheet does. Technical articles on choosing a scanner also name the form factor as a possible deciding factor, from stationary units through handheld devices to wrist and ring models.
The classic mobile data terminal, often simply called a handheld terminal, sits in one hand, has a scan trigger on the grip and a small display. It is designed for many scans per hour. This form factor also exists among compact rugged devices: on the Fieldbook F57G2 a pistol grip is listed as optional accessory, and the scanner sits in the edge of the device.
Ring scanners are worn on the finger or the back of the hand and connected via Bluetooth to a device that runs the application. Both hands stay free, which helps with grasping and packing. As a market example, Zebra names the RS5100, which is worn as a ring on one finger, on a back-of-hand mount or on a lanyard. Such scanners deliver only the scan; display, forms and evaluation stay on a second device worn on the body or mounted on the cart. That can be a rugged tablet. We do not carry this brand and do not evaluate the product here; it serves only as an example of the form factor.
Wikipedia lists the forklift terminal as a separate device type of mobile data collection. It is intended for use on the vehicle and stays there. With this form factor the decisive question is less the weight than how the device is mounted on the vehicle, powered and operated.
Here a tablet with a larger display carries the application, and a built-in or attached scan module reads the codes. Some RobustBook models offer an integrated reader module as an option; which ones is described in the section further below. This form factor offers room for input screens, photos and signatures, but it is heavier than a handheld and does not rest as steadily in one hand.
Wikipedia notes that off-the-shelf smartphones are often unsuitable for continuous operation. Rugged smartphones close this gap with a sealed housing and a built-in or plug-on scanner. They sit between handheld and tablet: the display is small, but the software is that of an ordinary smartphone.
The scanner is the heart of every mobile data terminal. Technically, laser scanners and imagers are distinguished. According to a technical article in the magazine Material Handling & Logistics, only 2D imagers can read matrix codes such as QR or Data Matrix codes, while laser scanners can have an advantage at longer reading distances. Those who work with printed linear barcodes get by with a 1D reader. As soon as delivery notes, labels or customer devices carry 2D codes, a 2D imager makes sense. For several of our models the product data explicitly list a 1D/2D reader, for others it says only “barcode scanner”; you should ask about the exact version before ordering. How barcode and RFID differ and when which method fits is covered in the article Barcode and RFID capture.
Regardless of the form factor, these points help with the decision:
A classic handheld is the better choice when the scan is the actual work step: many codes per hour, one hand on the device, the other on the object, short dialogs with few fields. Here weight, grip and trigger count, and a small display is enough. This also applies to ring scanners combined with a second device.
A rugged tablet plays to its strengths when further work on the device comes on top of the scan:
The price for this is weight and size: the 8-inch Getac ZX80 weighs 590 grams according to the data sheet, the 5.7-inch Fieldbook F57G2 only 265 grams. For a job where scanning goes on for eight hours, this difference is noticeable. In logistics, a mixed deployment is therefore often a good fit: handheld devices or ring scanners for throughput at the shelf, a tablet for goods receipt, documentation and special cases. The industry page Logistics describes what is on the requirements profile there.
The following overview is based exclusively on the information in the product pages and data sheets. What is not stated there is not documented and therefore not named.
The Fieldbook F57G2 is a 5.7-inch device with Android, IP67 and 265 grams. It has a 1D/2D barcode scanner integrated into the edge, two programmable buttons (including one for scanning), NFC and a tool-free replaceable battery. A pistol grip and a UHF RFID reader are listed as optional accessories. The Archos X67 5G is a rugged smartphone with NFC; a barcode scanner is not specified there.
A scan module is not documented for the Getac ZX10 G2; the page names none. On the Getac F110 G7 an RFID reader is listed only as a security feature for protecting sensitive data, not for goods capture. The technical key data of all tablets can be checked side by side in the tablet comparison table.
A mobile data terminal is a device for capturing process-relevant data directly at the place of the operation, usually a handheld that scans barcodes. It can be a handheld, a terminal on the forklift, a smartphone or a tablet.
Shop-floor data collection describes which operating data is captured, such as order, personnel, machine and process data. Mobile data collection describes that the capture takes place on the move, at the place of the operation. The two terms overlap.
Yes, if the tablet has an integrated scan module and the task goes beyond pure scanning. With very high scan volumes handled with one hand, a handheld or a ring scanner remains ergonomically ahead, because a tablet is larger and heavier.
Only 2D imagers read matrix codes such as QR or Data Matrix codes. If your labels and delivery notes carry only linear barcodes, a 1D reader is enough; as soon as 2D codes are involved, a 2D imager is necessary.
A mobile data terminal is not a fixed device type but the answer to a task: capturing data on the move and directly where things happen. Anyone who mainly scans is well served by a handheld or a ring scanner. Anyone who also fills in forms, takes photos, collects signatures or works with Office and desktop software will find the broader solution in a rugged tablet with a scan module. In the end, what matters are the scan engine, a battery for the shift, operation with gloves, the suitable operating system as well as drop height and ingress protection. Which model fits your workflow, we are happy to work out together.