Symbol DS6707 Review Review

Product:	DS6707
Manufacturer:	Symbol
Type:	2D Imager
Support:	Symbol offers 5 year, manufacturer warranty. POSGuys.com provides lifetime support.

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The lightweight Symbol DS6707 barcode scanner combines the power to read 1D, 2D, PDF and postal symbologies with 1.3 mega pixel image and document capture in a single device. Advanced data capture and text enhancement technology ensures readability of very small print in scanned document images.

Typical uses and environments:
The Symbol DS6707 would fit well into any medium to high volume retail environment. It has a good scan engine to handle damaged barcodes and bright lighting. An IP43 seal allows it to be protected from light dust and water, but caution should be taken with the front of the scanner and underneath the handle. With the seal and the durability to withstand 6 foot drops to concrete, the DS6707 would also be suitable in shipping or light warehouse use. The seal would be useful to have when shipping in light rain. 2D Imagers can be very helpful in health care where detailed information may be embedded into 2D barcodes, thus the DS6707 will work well for that environment as well.

Unique Features & Advantages:
An IP43 seal surrounds the entire scanner to protect it from small amounts of water and dust. As mentioned, the scanner probably could be used in the rain, but dunking the DS6707 in water could leave you with not much more than a brand new hammer. The DS6707 includes a reticle feature, which provides a great deal of help with aiming. Red marks surround the barcode and a red plus sign creates a bull’s eye effect in the middle to ensure you can shoot down any barcode within range of your gun. I mean scanner. Featuring text enhancement technology, the DS6707 improves the legibility of text in scanned documents. This technology provides clear images without the need to squint at the page forever just to read the text.

Standard Features:
Along with the scanner, the interface cable and configuration guide are shipped in the box. The scanner works right out of the box with no configuration required. Additionally, all symbol configuration guides work with any symbol scanner, eliminating frantic searching for the exact guide. The DS6707 hardware is designed to communicate through virtually any interface, ensuring the unit to perform admirably regardless of system changes in the life of your store. To exchange the cable to a different interface or to simply remove the cable, take a small object to push down the clasp while pulling out the cable at the same time.
While the DS6707 was designed with ergonomics in mind and fits well in most hands, there is an optional hands-free intellistand. The stand provides an automatic exchange between hands free and hand held mode. Basically, because of the design, you probably won’t need to use the stand very often, but if you need both hands, the stand can be like a tag team partner, ready to jump in when your hands are full.

Drawbacks:
One of the few drawbacks of the DS6707 includes a pattern of flashing red lights as you attempt to scan a barcode. You’ll want to be careful not to try to scan the barcode for too long as the lights are disorienting. As long as the DS6707 is being used with standard barcodes in the recommended conditions, it will scan the barcode faster than you can say “blinding red lights”, so there is no need to worry. Occasionally, we ran into some issues with the reticle when scanning the ridiculously low density barcodes that would almost never be used in real situations. We had to raise the aiming beam above the barcode we wanted for it to scan in order for it to be successful. Along with the rest of the Symbol scan team, the DS6707 doesn’t come equipped with automatic carriage returns. It can, however be fixed by scanning a barcode in the included configuration guide.

Performance Testing:
In testing the Symbol DS6707’s capabilities, we ran it through a set of tests involving optimal scan range, ability to scan wide barcodes, dense barcodes, damaged barcodes, and light resistance. Our testing determined the scanner to perform average for its class. When testing scan range, we used a UPC barcode and determined the DS6707 to have an optimal range from .25 inches to 7” out before scanning became unsuccessful. This range falls into the slightly below average for scanners in its class. Wide barcodes were read up to 5.25 inches or 133.35mm. In most retail environments, barcodes will not exceed beyond a couple inches. It could read down to 4.9 mils, which is great for its class. The DS6707 read a standard UPC barcode through 10 layers of plastic and all of the damaged barcodes! While we did not test the scanner for durability, Symbol states that it can withstand multiple drops to concrete from 6 feet, which is good for its class. Little concern for orientation of the barcode was necessary with the DS6707 because of its omnidirectional scanning. It performed very well with sideways, diagonal, and upside down barcodes.
During testing, we discovered that the resistance to light and damaged barcode testing really stood out. For both categories, the DS6707 got full marks. It read all of our damaged barcodes and was fully immune to light. On the other hand, we noticed that the optimal range was slightly below average. The lose range distance of .25 inches surpasses other scanners, but the long range distance fell short. The DS6707 may have a sub-average scan range for its class, but it will read all standard barcodes and would not have problems reading retail or health care barcode sizes.

A breakdown of the Symbol DS6707 capabilities is listed in table and graph form below.

1D Results

Highest Density Barcode Scanned	4.9mil	Great
Widest Barcode Scanned	133.35mm	Good
Shortest Barcode Scanned	38 mm	Good
Range Ideal Conditions (Standard 100% UPC-A)	.25 inches – 7 inches	Average
Scratched Barcode	3 of 3	Good
Worn Barcode	3 of 3	Good
Warped Barcode	2 of 2	Good
Curved Barcode	2 of 2	Good
Multiple Barcodes in close proximity	Relatively accurate, but dependent on distribution of barcodes relative to thickness of beam	Average
Scan through plastic layers	10 Layers	Great
Multicolored Barcodes Successfully Scanned	Blue, Orange, Red, Green, Black on Brown	Great
Multicolored Barcodes Not Scanned	Yellow, Grey	Good
Simulated Sunlight Test	Correct scans until spotlight was at 0”	Excellent

Conclusion:
The Symbol DS6707 has everything you need for a satisfying scanner. It proves to be great if you are looking for an omnidirectional scanner with more durability. As one of the top scanners for being an omnidirectional, 2D, handheld, it would be ideal in medium to high volume retail, health care, or light industrial environments.

To Purchase this product, go to the Symbol DS6707 page.

To see our complete line of barcode scanners, visit our Barcode Scanners section.

For Additional Reviews, visit our Product Reviews page.

Symbol Scanners	Ideal Setting	Description
DS6707	Medium to High Volume Retail to Light Industrial and Health Care	Reads 1D, 2D, PDF and postal symbologies, with an ergonomic design. Omnidirectional scanning with laser technology. IP43 seal against water and dust.
DS3400	Medium to Heavy Industrial	Rugged 1D and 2D Imager suited for industrial settings. Higher price range than the DS6707 with higher durability.
LS3008	Light to Medium Industrial, Rough Retail, High Volume Scanning	Aggressive scan engine, able to enter raster mode to scan damaged barcodes. IP54 seal protects it from dust & water. Slightly less expensive than the DS6707.

Testing and evaluation results for the Symbol DS6707 Review

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