Introduction: Scan Perfectly in Low/Zero Light

As mobile device cameras get better and better, scanning in daylight gets faster and faster just using the Passage Manager App and your device camera. But you still might find them slow in low or zero light conditions. If that's you, we have the perfect solution: utilize our integration with Socket Mobile 2D red-light barcode scanners!

If you're running the Passage Manager App on an iOS device (Android support coming soon!), you can now use any of the following Socket Mobile 2D scanner models (click for more info and pricing):

Setup

Part 1: Activation, and Initial Connection.

These instructions are also included in your Socket Mobile user guide. You only do this once, then the device will auto-connect in the future.

Power on your Socket Mobile scanner.
Enable the device for "iOS Application Mode".
-- With bluetooth DISCONNECTED (disconnect if you've already connected with a device), and find the "iOS Application Mode" or "MFI-SPP" instructions/barcode in the user guide included with your device. This is on page 16 for the CHS 7Qi, page 17 for the Durascan D750, and page 10 for the S850. Once you scan that barcode, you should hear a series of 3 beeps, which means your device is activated for connection to your iOS device and usage with the Passage Manager App!
Connect via bluetooth to your iOS device. Open your iOS settings, go to bluetooth, and your should see a "Socket" device ready to connect. Tap that to connect via bluetooth!

Part 2: Enabling and Using with the Passage Manager App.

(Check this setting before you start scanning for your event.)

Enable "Hardware Scanner" in your Passage Manager App settings. To do this, just open the Passage Manager App, login (if not already logged in) hit the "Settings" tab on the bottom, then "Scan Settings", and then enable (toggle to the right) "Hardware Scanner".
Optional (but recommended): Also enable "Quick Scan" mode in the same settings menu. This will now give you a GREEN CHECK MARK (meaning "YES, they have at least one ticket available, we've marked one ticket redeemed, so let one person in) or a RED X (meaning, they don't have at least one ticket available and not yet redeemed) for your selected Event / Ticket Type / and Timeslot settings. More on quick scan vs normal scan here.
Optional: Also enable "Offline Mode" in the same menu. This will pre-download your list of tickets, and scan against a local copy, updating that to the live servers in the cloud whenever a connection is available (but it will continue to allow you to scan even when not enabled). I recommend it. After enabling, you MUST go back to the scan/check-in tab, tap the event name at the top, and re-select your event in order to initialize offline mode. More info on Offline Mode here.

Part 3: Scanning.

Now, with your scanner on and connected to your iOS device, as long as "Hardware Scanner" is enabled as described above, you'll be able to use the bluetooth redlight scanner to scan tickets! Just point the scanner at the ticket barcode, hold the scan button (red light will come out), and you'll hear a beep.

If you're in Quick Scan mode, you'll see a GREEN CHECK or a RED X on your mobile device screen. If your device has LEDs on it (CHS 7Qi and D750), you'll also see a GREEN LIGHT or RED LIGHT on your scanning device, so you don't have to look at your mobile device screen. As always, a GREEN CHECK/LIGHT means "One ticket is valid, as has been marked as redeemed. Let ONE person in." You'll want to scan once for every person entering. If you scan a pass and no more tickets are valid for your current event/ticket/timeslot settings on that pass, then you'll get a RED X/LIGHT.

If you're in standard scanning mode, you'll see a list of the passes available on that ticket, and you can tap the screen to toggle them redeemed (to the right) as needed.

Click here for more info on how ticket scanning works in general, and the difference between Quick Scan and Standard Scan modes.

Tips.

You'll find scanning goes faster if you're usually reading barcodes from about the same distance. That keeps focusing to a minimum. Recommended distance is 8 to 16 inches from the device.
You may find it beneficial to start scanning close to the ticket and move the ticket farther away while scanning if it's REALLY dark and a particularly hard barcode to read. This is rare.
I'd recommend setting up only one scanner per iOS device, just so they continue to auto-connect to the right one (and don't accidentally connect to a different one). It can get confusing if two people are scanning, but accidentally connected to the scanner attached to the other person's device!