Minimum system requirements

Support on Android and Apple versions

Regarding version policy and 'end of life' versions, we follow Google and Apple. As the mobile industry is constantly evolving, these two parties rapidly update their software. The downside of this, is that old versions are phased out very quickly. As a producer of RetailVista Mobile, we do our best to continue supporting older versions of Android and iOS, but this is based on a 'best effort' basis. In other words, we do our best, but we cannot guarantee that certain older versions of Android or iOS will not cause RetailVista Mobile to either not function or only partially function.

A website we recommend for more information on current versions is https://endoflife.date. More information about Android can be found via the link Android OS | endoflife.date, and information about Apple iOS can be found via Apple iOS | endoflife.date. These are not the manufacturers' websites themselves, but the website provides a readable and simple overview of versions. The web pages on the manufacturers' sites change regularly and are not always understandable and easy to read. No rights can be derived from this information from NedFox.

Regarding Android versions on scanners, it is common practice for hardware suppliers to always lag behind with the installed version of Android that comes with scanners. The pace at which Google (and Apple) updates iOS is too fast for hardware manufacturers in the scanner niche market to keep up with, compared to phone suppliers serving a mainstream market. Because these hardware suppliers always lag behind, an Android version will relatively quickly fall out of Google's support life cycle. Additionally, it applies that scanners purchased from NedFox always have our guaranteed full support for 1 year. So in the unlikely event a manufacturer withdraws the delivered Android version within a year and this causes problems in the use of RetailVista Mobile that we cannot solve, we will take back that scanner and deliver a newer model.

Minimum version of Android or IOS

In one of the upcoming updates of RetailVista Mobile, a check will be performed on the Android (Google) and/or IOS version (Apple). If that version is at risk of becoming too old, a warning will be given that this version will no longer be supported in the next major update (a version difference, for example, from 2024 to 2025). This way, users will know when a scanner is really becoming too old. If the version is no longer supported (resulting in RetailVista Mobile no longer being usable), a notification will also appear. Currently, RetailVista Mobile requires a minimum version of 8 for Android and version 13.0 for IOS.

Types of scanners

There are many types of Android hardware scanners available for purchase. Currently, NedFox supports the Newland MT90 Orca scanners and the Zebra TC52, taking into account the Android version life cycle policy. The Newland MT90 is considered to be of medium quality in our opinion, while the Zebra TC21 is definitely more expensive but is a trouble-free scanner that falls into the high-end segment of scanners. Especially in warehouse situations and during inventories when a completely trouble-free scanner is needed, we will always recommend the Zebra TC52. This does not make the MT90 a bad scanner, but it should be evaluated in terms of price and performance. Other brands or types are not covered by our SLA, and unfortunately, we are obliged to charge for our hours when it comes to questions about these scanners.

Of course, we will discuss this in advance if a support ticket arises regarding these scanners.

Wifi

In practice, we also receive many questions about Wifi connectivity. This mainly concerns older scanners (predecessor of the MT90 Orca) and is often related to incompatibility between the scanner and the Wifi access point. It also often happens that Wifi networks are installed with access points that cannot or incorrectly handle 'roaming'. Roaming is the data communication that takes place between access points, in which they discuss which access point will serve a scanner. It can happen that a scanner is within the range of multiple access points, but only one access point should exchange data. The roaming protocol makes those decisions. Scanners that do not or do not properly support roaming often lead to vague connection problems in practice. Unfortunately, we also have to charge for the hours spent on support for Wifi connectivity. Our advice is not to choose the cheapest access points when purchasing a Wifi network. And we are happy to share our knowledge about devices that are currently functioning well. So please feel free to contact us!