LS2208 Zebra USB barcode scanner troubleshooting

[Thegrooveshack]

[The title of this thread has been edited from the original: ls2208 barcode scanner attached with usb error]

i have a zebra ls2208 barcode scanner connect via usb. when i first open pos app it works fine but after a few minutes i get four beeps with red led light and no scan. what is going on?

thanks

[Emscryotreats]

Any idea if it's compatible with android 11? I can't get square to recognize the scanner. 

[aalexb]

o, i doubt as not compatible for Android 10, so dont think it will work with Android 10. do you have any chance to test your scanner+app on Android 9? Good luck!

[vuongle63]

My issue is a little different. Have been using LS2208 connected to an IPad, Square stand and reader. Worked fine for almost 2 year until 2 or 3 months ago. The scanner would stop working (no red light, doesn't scan). I have to restart the Square app for the scanner to work again until it stops AGAIN. No rhyme or reason or any patterns why it stops. I plugged in a new scanner and the same issue still happens!!

Could this be a conflict between IOS and Square? Very frustrating.

Any help is greatly apppreciated.

[Arie]

Hey @vuongle63,

Thanks for reaching back out and sorry to hear about the trouble with your scanner!

Another thought here could be the USB hub the scanner is plugged in to, that connects to the Square Stand. Have you had a chance to try a different USB hub on your Stand? It might also be worth checking that both the version of iOS on your iPad, and Square app are up to date, and reaching out to support for further troubleshooting. 

Please let us know how you go 🙂

[vuongle63]

Ios and Square are both up-to-date.

[VAegirsdottir]

I'm having a similar problem to those with the Samsung Galaxy. I have a Tab A 8 and it will only recognize the scanner when I scan the IBM Hand Held USB barcode in the setup manual. However, while the scanner will beep and the light up green, no input happens on the checkout screen. That said, when I attach the bar code scanner to my Sony phone, the scanner works fine. I've tried using more than one OTG adapter with the tablet and I suspect the tablet is the problem. I've uninstalled the square app and I've updated and restarted my tablet more than once. I think I'm buying a new tablet. FML.

[tstark]

Does the USB Bar Code Scanner

Zebra Symbol LS2208 come with a stand?

[TCSlaguna]

Hey @tstark 

It does not. We have ours sitting on the table. The Zebra Symbol LS2208 is very reliable from our experience, highly recommend it. You can always find affordable stands on Amazon. 

[JordanandAlexis]

Does anyone know if they plan to make Square for Android compatible with this scanner as far as newer OS versions?  It says OS 9 and older

[JJ_]

Hey there @JordanandAlexis 

 A few months back our hardware team found out that LS2208 is not compatible with Android 9+ on Android devices. We however fixed the issue on our own Square Hardware. We are not able to fix this on Android devices as it will require changes to the actual Android Operating System. 

We will provide updates if this ever changes.

[southerndish406]

I am using the USB bar code reader LS2208 on a 1st generation square IPad stand.  It worked for a year, then suddenly stopped.  I've done all the toubleshooting steps.  It'll work for one scan, then stop again.  I've tried everything!  Any suggestions?  I've gotten no where with Square support or Zebra suggestions

[Candlestore]

@southerndish406 ;

 You may want to look at this post also : Symbol-DS6707-suddenly-not-populating-checkout-on-Square-Stand/td-p/663981 

The reason I mention this is I have the DS2208 and have had it since Before it was supported by Square.  I have had no issues with it or my DS6878 until a week ago then neither worked, 1 scan then nothing.... unplug then plug it in and it would work for a scan.   My other Square Stand was working fine with the DS6707, so I switched Scanners to test. The Stand that worked fine worked fine with both scanners.  the stand that would scan 1 time then stop working did that for both scanners.  Now I checked the Square versions.... one was 6.18.1 and the other was 6.17.1.  I forced the update to 6.18.1 on both machines and have not had an issue.  Some are still reporting issues even after this update.  I think you should call in and anyone else that has this problem should call in to square so they are aware of the problem.  I am thinking that Square did some update and messed up the Zebra Scanners and may not know the update is effecting the scanners.  currently I am on 6.18.1 (6181002) for both my stands and mine are working fine.  

[southerndish406]

Thank you!  How did you force the update?

[Candlestore]

I exited Square and then used the Apple App store to search for Square and then clicked on Square for Retail and showed an update... clicked in stall update.... waited till in was in stalled then opened the App and signed in.  Now from the 6707 trouble shooting someone had to Close completely out of Square.  I am not good with Apple Products  so I am not sure how to do that besides just shutting off the Ipad completely.  

But here is what they said:

This morning (6/8/2023) a neighboring store lent me one of their DS6707 scanners (same model as I have) and that also did not work. I looked in my hardware section of the Square menu to see if I could completely remove the scanners from the list. I then realized that even though I had rebooted my iPad several times I did NOT actually log out of the Square app and even when rebooting I wasn't required to log in, which leads me to believe you aren't logged out ever unless you choose to log out on the menu (lower corner of screen under "More" then Sign Out). I tried that without even rebooting my iPad and once I had logged back in my scanner started working. I see that there are no issues on the IS Square page so I honestly don't know if what I did fixed it or if Square fixed an issue. Either way, my scanner is now working fine. I hope others' issues are fixed now.

Hope that helps you solve the problem  🙂

[cardtraders]

We have the LS2208 as well. We can scan SKU's generated from the POS, but the barcodes have not scanned for the last 6 months. They scanned for the first 6. 

We've tried the reset. 

We are using the full retail POS hardware bundle (pedestal, scanner, printer, etc)

[Candlestore]

@cardtraders ;

What version of Square for Retail are you currently using?  Have you updated the Square POS to the latest version?  What Reset have you tried exactly?  Does the LS2208 work with a word processor on a computer?  Even connected this way the Barcode scanner does scan to enter the Barcode as text or numbers just to test the scanner.

[cardtraders]

I'm using 5.41.0088 of the POS Register / Pedestal integrated unit. 

It says it is up to date within the settings as it updates nightly. 

I tried the factory reset on the barcode scanner, unplugging, plugging into different ports. 

It scans custom generated SKU stickers, but will not scan UPC barcodes anymore. 

[Candlestore]

@cardtraders ;

I could be wrong but the 5.41.0088 sounds more like the operating systems Version and not Squares latest version.  My Square for retail version is 6.28.5.  If you select More > Support > About ... This will give you the version of Square you are using.  Even when I looked at my version of 6.28.5 it is showing there is an Update available for Square .  

I see on the Zebra Forum there have been others with there scanners not working for certain Barcodes ie Code 39. 

Link to the information on the LS2208 in the Zebra Forum : https://supportcommunity.zebra.com/s/ls2208?language=en_US 

You have to Enable code 39 for your Scanner.  I am not sure which Barcodes are working for you.  I am not sure which Barcode font is on the UPC barcode that will not scan.  To figure that out download an app called Barcode reader generator and scan the barcode that reads and does not read with the LS2208.   See if there is a different Barcode Font.   They may visually look alike but could be different. 

Resetting your Scanner is not as easy as just Unplugging the USB, sometimes you need to scan a Reset Barcode.

Here is the FULL LS2208 Manual from Zebra. : https://www.zebra.com/content/dam/zebra_new_ia/en-us/manuals/barcode-scanners/ls2208-product-referen... 

1)  Chapter 7 Is for USB interface and Page 45 has the Reset to factory Barcode.

2)   Page 109   USB HID Display Keyboard

3)  page 110 select your language Keyboard.

What I am guessing is Square prints barcodes in Barcode Font 128 for example and the Barcode you are trying to read is Font 93 for example.  You may need to enable this by reading through the Zebra forums on how to enable this.  Or if the Barcode you scan with the Barcode/generator App tells you its a Barcode XYZ you may need to figure out how to get the LS2208 to read that font.  SInce the Scanner is reading SOME barcodes and not others it could be a Barcode font issue.  Basically if someone gave me a book written in Italian to read I would be clueless, but my neighbor can read it fine.  

Hope this helps 🙂

[cardtraders]

I pulled the info on the version straight from the pedestal. We are using the integrated pedestal / POS, not a seperate tablet with register on it. 

What I find incredibly odd is this worked fine for 6 months (scanning all Barcodes, scanning our internal stickers), and then one day just started giving the error message. 

It scans the code --- it sends the number to square, but square responds with the detailed "Code Not Valid" message (and actually shows the numeric sequence it scanned) so we know it can read the code. Something isn't communicating between the register and our database which makes no sense. Our UPCs worked fine from Nov to April of last year, then suddenly stopped. 

[Candlestore]

@cardtraders ;

That is A LOT more helpful since the Scanner is Reading and showing the Barcode in your Register and a Not Valid message.   What happens when you scan something you do not sell, ie something that is not in your Square Catalog?   Same Message?

When I scan something that is not in my Square Catalog and It shows the Barcode value, Square asks me if I want to add it to my Square Catalog as a SKU or GTIN?   Now are you using Square for Retail Plus?  The Barcode is it assigned as a SKU or as a GTIN for that Item?  If the Item you are Scanning is saved as a GTIN and you are using just the Square POS and not the Square for Retail App you would not be able to scan a GTIN, you would need to save the GTIN as a SKU instead of a GTIN.  

And I understand that the Square Register is an All in one unit, but it still does have an operating system on it since you can download different Square apps for it.