Active device definition

A yearly active device is a device that used the Scandit Barcode Scanner SDK for the Web at least once during the yearly billing period.

Important Notes:

• This definition does not take into account the number of scans or times the scanner was used. Whether the scanner was activated once in a billing period or 300 times, both count as a single active device.
• The library can be loaded on a device without the device counting as an active device. The activation occurs once the scanner is set up and the data capture context is initialized. At that point we check if the browser already has a unique device identifier stored. If the device ID is not found, a new one is generated by the SDK, and this process is counted as a new activation.

How it works

Key components

1. The end-user’s device
2. The browser used
3. LocalStorage: a storing space inside the browser and specific to a website
4. The website/webapp on which our Web SDK is integrated
5. Scandit’s Licensing Servers
6. Scandit’s Device ID: A Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) that is randomly generated by the Scandit SDK and does not contain any device-specific information, meaning it cannot be used to identify your device.

Process

A device goes on a website using our Web SDK and loads it.

When the device starts using the scanner, it checks the localStorage for any previously-stored Scandit Device ID. One of two things can happen:

1. There is no previously stored ID. The Web SDK generates a new UUID and communicates it to the Scandit Licensing Servers.
   1. As the servers do not know this UUID, they register it as a new device.
2. There is a previously stored UUID. The Web SDK pings our servers with this UUID.
   1. As the servers already know this UUID, it does not count as a new device.

Please note that if the UUID in the localStorage is lost (see the section below), then the device will be counted as a new device.

Specificity of localStorage

As with any storing space in browsers, localStorage is fairly protected to ensure privacy. In particular:

• It is not shared between browsers
• It does not persist between sessions if the incognito mode is used
• It is not shared between different origins/websites

To ensure proper counting of devices, you should make sure to use a single browser in your processes (this effectively happens in the vast majority of use cases) and use the normal navigation mode.