Cordless or wireless barcode readers use short range radio - the same idea as your cordless phone or your cordless mouse.

Reader which are not cordless, usually have a 2m cable which obviously restricts your movement.

Cordless readers have no physical restriction - you can wonder up to 30m or 50m away from the PC and when your read the barcode is is entered directly in to your system.

See the specifications for the particular model for the actual distance covered.

There are many times when a cordless reader is invaluable. Imagine you need to read barcodes on a pile of items, or items on a pallet, or just one heavy or bulky item sat on the floor, or on the other side of your counter. Although it is right next to your PC - even with a reader that has a 2m cable, the cable may be just out of reach, and it keeps getting in the way (a nightmare for staff who want to get things done quickly).

The ability to walk around the pallet, or the pile of items, or just to the other side of the counter, is worth the extra for the cordless barcode reader; the extra you pay you get back in productivity.

A cordless reader is a must when you want to check items on the shelves of a storeroom, or in laboratories; where samples are at different stations in the room - or in any application where you want the flexibilty of not having to move or drag everything to a PC just to read the barcode.