Monday, June 24, 2013

ID Scanner for Property Management Systems

As a hotelier you always strive to expedite the check-in process to provide a smooth and pleasant first experience for your guests. In order to help you with this task, I’m introducing an ID Scanner for your MSI NiteVision PM System.
This isn’t anything new, but I wanted to share some of the features and benefits of this hardware in detail. Whether this is something you weren’t aware of, or you couldn’t decide if you really needed it, I hope this will help add to your understanding of its value.
How does the ID Scanner expedite the check-in process?
  • Scanning a driver’s license or business card from the Main Menu of MSI NiteVision will perform a guest search.
  • Scanning a driver’s license/business card in the Guest Worksheet will automatically populate the guest’s name, address, city, state and zip code into a worksheet.
  • Additionally, a color image of the scanned driver’s license is displayed in the Guest Image field of the worksheet.
Bonus benefit:
  • Elimination of filing, archiving and long term storage of paper records.
Please watch the video below that shows how it works.


For those of you who already have this ID scanner, here are some FAQ:
Q: The image quality is poor and I can see lines on every scan.
A: This is normally caused by a non-calibrated scanner, please re-calibrate your scanner. With time, the scanner colors detection tends to change to incorrect values. This phenomenon affects the text detection accuracy as well as the resulted image quality. To reset the scanner to the proper colors, the scanner needs to be calibrated from time to time.
Q: How do I calibrate the scanner?
A: To calibrate the ScanShell 800 scanner, insert the calibration sheet into the scanner arrows first and black lines face down. From Main Screen of MSI NiteVision, click Action tab on top and select Calibrate ID Scanner. Hold the paper in the scanner until the device grabs the paper. Hit OK to the prompt on the screen.

Q: What does the calibration sheet look like?
A: Calibration sheets come with the scanner in the box. They include Black and White squares to determine the levels of the scanner's white and black balance. If you don’t have it, you can download and print it from
here.

Q: The new driver’s licenses are not recognized.
A: This means the driver’s license is too new that the current SDK doesn’t recognize it yet. Card Scanning Solutions releases two new SDK updates per year. Make sure you have the most current SDK file by calling our support team.

Q: Does the ID Scanner come with warranty?
A: Yes, it comes with a 1 year warranty.

Q: Can I use ScanShell 800NR for MSI NiteVision? And why there is such a difference in their prices?
A: ScanShell 800NR is only for image capturing purpose. ScanShell 800R, on other hand, includes a special OCR license that allows MSI NiteVision to read the information on the license. Therefore, ScanShell 800 is more expensive.


How to properly maintain ID Scanners:
  1. Place the scanner on a horizontal flat, non-slippery surface; you may be required to fasten it in place to avoid sliding.
  2. To ensure proper ventilation, allow a minimum of 4 inches of free space around each side of the scanner.
  3. Make sure no vibrations or shocks occur.
  4. Make sure the area is free of dust.
  5. Avoid any contact with water, do not use in a damp environment.
  6. Be sure that the USB cable is strongly connected and secured to the scanner.