How to Configure Honeywell Barcode Scanners with EZConfig

If you manage a warehouse or distribution center, you’ve probably spent more time than you’d like messing with barcode scanner settings. Honeywell’s EZConfig for Mobility is the right tool for the job — it gives you full control over interface mode, suffix characters, symbology settings, and a lot more. This guide walks through the whole process from install to a saved configuration file you can deploy across your fleet.

Getting EZConfig for Mobility

Honeywell doesn’t always make it obvious where to download EZConfig. The software is available through Honeywell’s product support portal (sps.honeywell.com) under the scanner’s product page. Look for the “Software” tab, then filter for “EZConfig.” Download the Windows installer — there’s no Mac version.

Install it on a dedicated PC if possible. I keep a small utility laptop at the bench specifically for scanner programming. It saves a lot of headaches when you’re in the middle of troubleshooting and don’t want to install anything on a production machine.

EZConfig for Mobility supports most current Honeywell handheld scanners, including the Xenon 1900/1950 series, the Granit family, and the Voyager series. If you’re working with a legacy scanner like an older Metrologic unit, check which version of EZConfig it requires — sometimes you need an older build.

Connecting the Scanner via USB

This part trips people up. The scanner defaults to USB-HID mode from the factory, which means it shows up to Windows as a keyboard. That’s fine for end-use, but EZConfig needs to talk to the scanner directly, and the easiest way to do that is over USB in serial (USB-COM) mode.

Here’s the thing: you often have to be able to communicate with the scanner first to change the mode. The good news is that EZConfig can auto-detect scanners in HID mode with some models. But if it can’t, you’ll need to scan a programming barcode.

To connect:

1. Plug the scanner into your PC with a USB cable.
2. Open EZConfig and go to Device > Connect.
3. If EZConfig detects the scanner, you’re good. If not, look in the scanner’s user guide for the “USB CDC Serial Emulation” programming barcode and scan it. Windows will install the driver and the scanner will appear as a COM port.
4. Once connected, you’ll see the scanner model and firmware version in the top bar.

Some Honeywell scanners have a physical trigger that needs to be pulled before they respond to USB communication. Others wake up automatically. If your scanner screen is blank or it’s beeping oddly, check that the battery is charged (for cordless models) or that you’re using a data cable, not a charge-only cable.

Common Configuration Tasks

Setting the Interface Mode: USB-HID vs USB-COM

This is one of the most frequent questions I see from technicians deploying scanners into warehouse management systems.

USB-HID makes the scanner act like a keyboard. Scans get “typed” into whatever application has focus. Simple, zero-driver-install, works in any text field. It’s the right choice for most standalone workstation setups.

USB-COM (CDC Serial) sends data as serial characters over a virtual COM port. It’s what you need when your WMS or custom application reads from a COM port, or when you need tighter control over timing and data format. Some older WMS implementations specifically require COM input.

In EZConfig, go to Interface and select your desired protocol from the dropdown. Apply the change and the scanner will reset. If you switch to USB-COM, Windows will install a driver and assign a COM port number — note that number for your application configuration.

Adding a Suffix Character (Enter Key)

Most systems need scans followed by a carriage return so the application knows the barcode entry is complete. By default, some scanners don’t send a suffix at all. Others send CR, CR+LF, or Tab depending on factory settings.

In EZConfig:

1. Navigate to Data Formatting > Suffix.
2. Enter the ASCII hex code for your desired character. Carriage return is 0D, line feed is 0A. For an Enter key action, 0D alone is typically what you want.
3. Click Apply.

Test it by opening Notepad and scanning a barcode. If the cursor jumps to the next line after each scan, your suffix is configured correctly.

Beep Settings

The default beep on Honeywell scanners is a single high-pitched beep on good read. In loud dock environments, you may need to crank up the volume or switch to a different tone. In quiet office or clinic environments, you might want it quieter.

Under Beeper, you can control:

• Volume: Low, Medium, High, or Off
• Tone: High, Medium, Low frequency
• Good Read Beep: Enable/disable
• Bad Read Beep: Enable/disable

I typically set scanners deployed in shipping dock areas to High volume with a High frequency tone. The high frequency cuts through forklift and conveyor noise better than a mid-tone beep does.

Enabling 2D Codes on a 1D Scanner

This one requires a reality check first: if your scanner has a 1D-only laser engine, no software setting is going to make it read QR codes or Data Matrix. Laser scanners cannot read 2D symbologies — full stop. You need an imager-based scanner (CCD or 2D area imager) to read 2D codes.

That said, many Honeywell imager-based scanners ship with 2D symbologies disabled by default to speed up scan rates. If you have a Xenon 1900 or similar imager and it’s not reading QR codes, that’s likely the issue.

In EZConfig:

1. Go to Symbologies.
2. Find QR Code in the list and toggle it to Enabled.
3. Do the same for Data Matrix, PDF417, or any other 2D format you need.
4. Click Apply.

You can also enable or disable specific 1D symbologies here. If you’re only scanning Code 128 barcodes, disabling Interleaved 2 of 5, UPC, and EAN can improve decode speed because the scanner isn’t trying to match every possible barcode format on every scan.

Programming Barcodes as an Alternative

EZConfig is the right tool when you have a USB connection, but there’s another option: programming barcodes. Honeywell includes full programming barcode sheets in the scanner’s user guide PDF, available on their support site.

Programming barcodes are printed barcodes that contain configuration commands. You hold the scanner up to a sheet and scan the barcodes in sequence. No computer required.

This is useful for:

• Configuring scanners in the field without a laptop
• Deploying settings to large numbers of scanners quickly (you can print the relevant barcodes and tape them to a clipboard)
• Resetting a scanner to factory defaults when you can’t connect via USB

The main limitation is that you can only set what’s available in the user guide barcode sheets. EZConfig gives you more granular control, and you can combine multiple settings changes in a single saved configuration file.

Saving and Loading Configurations

Once you have a scanner configured the way you want it, save the configuration file. In EZConfig, go to File > Save Configuration As and save a .ezc file with a descriptive name — something like WMS-USB-COM-QR-Enabled-2026.ezc.

To apply that configuration to another scanner of the same model:

1. Connect the new scanner.
2. Open EZConfig and load your saved .ezc file via File > Open Configuration.
3. Go to Device > Write to Device to push the settings.

Keep your configuration files in a shared folder or document management system. When you onboard a new scanner or replace a failed unit, you can have it configured in under two minutes.

One important note: configuration files are generally model-specific. A file built for a Xenon 1952 won’t apply cleanly to a Xenon 1900. Always test on a spare unit before rolling out to production.

A Few Things I’ve Learned the Hard Way

If a scanner isn’t responding in EZConfig, try a different USB cable first. I’ve wasted 20 minutes debugging a connection only to find a flaky cable was the problem.

If you’re deploying into a citrix or thin-client environment, USB-HID is almost always easier to manage than USB-COM. Virtual COM ports over thin clients are a mess.

And if you’re inheriting a scanner fleet with unknown configurations, scan Honeywell’s factory default programming barcode on each unit before you start. Start from a known baseline — it’ll save you from chasing phantom configuration conflicts.

EZConfig isn’t the flashiest software in the world, but it covers everything you need to standardize a scanner fleet and get consistent, predictable behavior out of your Honeywell hardware.