Zebra LI4278 Cordless Bluetooth 1D Linear Imager Scanner Only No Cradle LI4278-SR20007WR

Key Features

• In the box: Scanner only. No cradle, no cable, no power supply.
• Reads 1D linear codes at 547 scans per second, fast enough that the operator never waits on the beam.
• Tolerates 25 inches per second of motion, so codes can be read on the move rather than held still.
• Reads a 20 mil code from 1 inch out to 42 inches, and a 100% UPC from 1 inch to 31 inches.
• Reads down to 3 mil, which covers the small dense codes on electronics and pharmacy packaging.
• Handles UPC, EAN, Code 128, GS1-128, ISBT 128, Code 39, Trioptic and the rest of the retail and healthcare 1D set.
• Survives over 100 drops at 5 ft and 6 ft drops to concrete.
• Cordless Bluetooth v2.1 Class 2 scanner, so the operator can walk the code to the scanner or the scanner to the code.
• Up to 57,000 scans and 72 hours of operation on a full charge, with a user-replaceable battery.
• Batch mode holds scans taken out of radio range and uploads them when the scanner comes back.
• IP53 sealed with a gasketed housing that can be sprayed clean, and 65 degrees of pitch and skew tolerance.
• Carries a 36-month Zebra warranty.

Key Specifications

• In the box: Scanner only. No cradle, no cable, no power supply.
• Scanner type: 1D linear imager, standard range
• Scan rate: 547 scans per second
• Motion tolerance: 25 in (63.5 cm) per second
• Decode range: 4 mil: 4 to 10 in; 13 mil UPC: 1 to 31 in; 20 mil: 1 to 42 in; 26 mil: 3 to 55 in
• Minimum resolution: 3 mil
• Operating temperature: 32 to 122 F (0 to 50 C)
• Radio and battery: Bluetooth v2.1 Class 2; rechargeable replaceable battery, up to 57,000 scans and 72 hours per charge
• Angle tolerance: Pitch and skew plus or minus 65 degrees, roll plus or minus 45 degrees
• Host interfaces: Delivered by the cradle: RS-232, IBM RS-485, USB, keyboard wedge
• Dimensions and weight: 3.84 x 2.75 x 7.34 in, 7.9 oz (224 g). IP53, gasket sealed and washable
• Warranty: 36 months from date of shipment

Kit contents

This part number is the handheld on its own, and on a cordless scanner that matters more than it does on a corded one. There is no cradle, no cable and no power supply in the carton. The LI4278 talks to a host through its cradle, and the cradle is what carries the USB, RS-232, keyboard wedge or IBM RS-485 connection, so a bare scanner has no wired path to a till or a PC at all until a cradle is added. The cradle the factory kit uses is the CR0078-SC10007WR, and we stock it: Zebra CR0078 standard base charging cradle. Order the bare scanner to add a handset to an existing cradle, or as a replacement. Do not order it as a first scanner.

Imaging engine

The imaging engine in this scanner reads 1D linear codes and only 1D linear codes. That is a deliberate specification rather than a shortfall: a linear imager built for the job is faster and cheaper than a 2D unit doing the same work, and in grocery, retail, warehousing and library circulation the codes are all linear anyway. It runs at 547 scans per second and tolerates 25 inches per second of motion, which together mean the operator sweeps the item past the beam rather than presenting and pausing. If any part of the workflow needs QR, DataMatrix or PDF417 — a driving licence, a mobile coupon, a 2D shipping label — this is the wrong scanner and a 2D imager is the right one.

Working range

Working range on the LI series is unusually wide for a linear imager and is the reason it turns up in warehouses as often as at tills. A 20 mil code reads from 1 inch out to 42 inches, and a 26 mil code at 200% magnification reaches 55 inches, which covers a rack label read from the aisle without a ladder. A 100% UPC reads from 1 to 31 inches, so the same scanner works at arm's length on a counter. Minimum resolution is 3 mil, and a 4 mil code wants to be held between 4 and 10 inches. Symbology coverage spans UPC, EAN, Code 128, GS1-128, ISBT 128 for blood banking, Code 39 and Trioptic Code 39.

Cordless operation

The LI4278 runs a Bluetooth v2.1 Class 2 radio and a replaceable rechargeable battery, and Zebra rates it at up to 57,000 scans or 72 hours of operation per full charge. A full charge from empty takes about three hours. Batch mode is the feature worth understanding: it lets the operator keep scanning after walking out of radio range, storing reads in the handset and uploading them when the scanner comes back within range or is seated. That turns a cordless scanner into a workable tool for a yard or a back aisle where coverage is patchy, rather than one that simply stops.

Radio range

Zebra's headline radio range for the LI4278 is 330 ft or 100 m line of sight, and that figure carries Zebra's own asterisk: it is measured using a presentation cradle configuration. The standard base cradle is not a presentation cradle, so a deployment planned around the headline number is planning around a figure measured on different hardware. Treat 330 ft as the ceiling under ideal conditions rather than a working distance, and survey the site if the operator will be more than a room away from the base. Line of sight is also doing real work in that sentence: racking, steel and stock all cost range.

Build and sealing

Zebra rates the LI4278 for over 100 drops at 5 ft and says it survives 6 ft drops to concrete. Sealing is IP53 with a gasketed housing that Zebra describes as sprayable clean, which is a step above the corded LI2208's IP42 and is the specification that makes this scanner workable in food handling, clinical settings and anywhere it will be wiped down between shifts. Angle tolerance is plus or minus 65 degrees on pitch and skew, wider than the corded unit's 45. Zebra publishes no tumble specification for the LI4278 at all, which is a genuine absence in Zebra's own documents rather than an omission here, so the tumble figure from the LI2208 must not be carried across to it.

Barcode Printer Shop supplies Zebra scanners to US businesses with the kit contents stated plainly on the page, so what arrives is what was ordered. Contact us to learn more or secure this solution for your business today.