Choosing the proper device for your application often determines the success of your data collection project. When interfaced through the keyboard port, most wedges are transparent to the device to which it is attached. An RS 232 wedge on a PC installs with one of your Com Ports. An RS232 port on a dumb terminal functions differently, we may send data directly to a host computer which is then echoed back to the terminal. Or we may connect the wedge to an auxiliary port on the terminal .
Wedges allow different degrees of programmability.
A simple wedge generally allows for a postamble, such as a carriage return to be added to a barcode. Most will autodiscriminate, that is , they will read all or most of the major symbologies without having to be programmed. More sophisticated wedges offer advanced features not found in simple wedges. More advanced wedges support input from multiple devices such as scales, magnetic card readers, handheld data collectors and barcode readers. Wedges come in all different flavors.