TESCO Metering: camera scanning on par with a high-end barcode reader
Key Results
- Scan performance equivalent to a high-end dedicated barcode reader
- Reads meter barcodes through glass and polycarbonate covers, dirt and scuffs
- Chosen after an evaluation of ten scanning libraries on real meters
- Native .NET MAUI support for TESCO's iOS and Android apps
- Extended from electric meters to weathered outdoor gas meters
- Rollout continuing across all TESCO mobile apps
Integrations
Barcode Scanner SDK for .NET MAUI
Location
Bristol, Pennsylvania, USA
Industry
Utilities
Use Case
Electric and gas meter scanning
Connect
Challenge
TESCO Metering's field applications need to capture meter barcodes quickly and accurately with the built-in camera of standard phones and tablets. Dedicated hardware scanners add cost, another device to carry and charge, and another point of failure in the field, so camera-based scanning was the clear goal.
Electric meters make this harder than typical retail or warehouse scanning:
- The barcode sits behind a glass or polycarbonate cover, which adds glare, reflections and distortion.
- Meter covers often carry a layer of dirt or film.
- TESCO's first implementation used a widely adopted open-source library. Under these conditions its read rates were so poor that the feature was effectively unusable.
Solution
TESCO ran a structured evaluation of ten barcode scanning libraries against real meters. Two finalists remained: a long-established library with an excellent industry reputation, and barKoder. Both performed well, and the decision came down to three factors:
- Scan performance. barKoder held a slight edge in read reliability on difficult targets.
- Platform fit. barKoder supports .NET MAUI, the framework TESCO uses for its native iOS and Android apps. The other finalist did not, which would have meant additional integration work and ongoing maintenance risk.
- Product momentum. barKoder ships updates on a regular cadence, a strong signal of an actively developed product.
Result
TESCO began with a limited trial deployment. Field users reported fast barcode acquisition, high reliability and a scanning workflow that simply worked. barKoder consistently read barcodes under conditions that defeat ordinary camera scanning:
- Dirty or scuffed meter covers on electric meters
- Damaged or partially obscured barcodes
When questions came up during integration and deployment, the barKoder team responded quickly and resolved each issue. It also added a new feature at TESCO's request.
After the success on electric meters, TESCO extended barKoder to gas meter workflows. Gas meter barcodes are not under glass, but they are installed outdoors and degrade over years of sun, moisture and handling. barKoder has delivered excellent read performance on used meters with weathered barcodes.
TESCO is continuing to deploy barKoder across all of its mobile applications. In 2027 it will significantly expand the number of field users running TESCO applications with barKoder embedded, and barKoder is its standard for all future applications that need camera-based barcode scanning.