Honeywell Xenon Ultra 1960g / 1962g troubleshooting
Error tones, no data, a 1962g that will not link or charge, wrong characters: find your symptom and the fix.
In this guide
Find your symptom below. Barcode names are quoted as in the 1960x Quick Start Guide, the 1962x Quick Start Guide and the Xenon Ultra 196X Series User Guide, which is listed on Honeywell's product page.
Find your symptom
| What you see | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No aiming dot, no beep | No power, shipping mode, flat battery or power-down | Fix 1 → |
| Good-read beep, but nothing appears on screen | No text field in focus, wrong interface | Fix 2 → |
| 1962g: error tone and scanner LED red after a scan | Not linked or out of range | Fix 3 → |
| 1962g does not link to its base | Base locked to another scanner, charge-only mode | Fix 4 → |
| Wrong letters, digits or symbols | Keyboard country or Caps Lock | Fix 5 → |
| No Enter after the scan, or one too many | Suffix setting | Fix 6 → |
| 1962g: battery LED red flashing, or the battery does not charge | Flat battery, charging off, temperature | Fix 7 → |
| Scanner reads on its own, light stays on | Presentation or streaming mode | Fix 8 → |
| Programming barcode gives an error tone, or settings are unknown | Not linked, wrong base, or reset needed | Fix 9 → |
What the scanner's lights and beeps mean
| LED | Beeper | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Green flash | 1 beep | Good read, data sent (1962g: or link made) |
| Red blinking | Error tone ("razz") | Communication failed: data not sent |
| Green flash | 2 beeps | Programming barcode accepted |
| Red blinking | Error tone | Programming barcode not accepted |
Fixes
1. Scanner shows no sign of lifeNo aiming dot, no beep
CauseThe 1960g gets no power over its cable. A new 1962g is still in shipping mode, its battery is flat, or it powered down after an hour without use.
Fix
- 1960g: check that the cable is pushed fully into the scanner and the PC is on. Try another USB port or cable.
- 1962g: pull the trigger. If nothing happens, place the scanner in the powered base. A new 1962g only switches on once it has been in the base.
- 1962g: leave it to charge until the battery LED shows green.
2. Scanner beeps, but no data arrivesGood-read beep, empty screen
CauseNo text field has focus, or the scanner is set to an interface other than USB keyboard, for example USB Serial. Honeywell warns that USB Serial without the right Honeywell driver on Windows can stop scanning from working.
Fix
- Click into Notepad and scan again. If the data appears there, check your software.
- Scan Standard Product Defaults, then USB PC Keyboard from the Quick Start Guide. Restart the PC afterwards: the User Guide asks for a power cycle of the host after scanning an interface code. 1962g: if a scan then gives an error tone, place the scanner in the base to link again.
- Set the keyboard country and suffix again.
3. 1962g gives an error tone after scanningError tone, red LED, data not sent
CauseThe base did not confirm the data: the scanner is not linked, it is out of range, or the base has no power.
Fix
- Walk back towards the base. In range, the scanner links again by itself and chirps once. Rescan any barcode that did not arrive.
- Check that the base's USB cable is connected and the PC is awake. The base light is off while the PC's USB port is in suspend.
- Place the scanner in the base to link it, then test a scan: one beep and a green flash mean it is linked.
4. 1962g does not link to its baseNo chirp, error tone on every scan
CauseThe base is in Locked Link Mode (Single Scanner) and keeps its old scanner, or it was set to Charge Only Mode, in which other scanners charge without linking.
Fix
- Scan Override Locked Scanner from the User Guide (chapter "Cordless System Operation") with this scanner and place it in the base.
- If the base is in charge-only mode, link the original scanner and scan Charge and Link Mode.
- Still no link: scan Reset Scanner from the same chapter. The scanner restarts and links to its base again.
5. Wrong letters, digits or symbolsCharacters swapped or missing
CauseThe scanner sends keystrokes for a US keyboard while the PC uses another layout, or Caps Lock is on.
Fix
- Scan the keyboard country that matches the PC, for example Estonia, Finland or Polish (Programmers), from the User Guide section "Keyboard Country Layout".
- Switch off Caps Lock on the PC.
- Accented characters still wrong: scan ALT Mode 3 Characters or 4 Characters after the country code.
6. Enter is missing or doubledCursor does not jump, or skips a field
CauseThe suffix does not match what your software expects. In the User Guide, the USB Keyboard (PC) and USB Keyboard (Mac) interface codes also add a carriage return (Enter).
Fix
- Scan Remove Suffix. Then, if needed, scan Add CR Suffix for Enter or Add Tab Suffix for Tab.
More detail in our Xenon keyboard and suffix guide; the barcode names are the same for the Xenon Ultra.
7. 1962g battery runs flat or does not chargeBattery LED red, or no charge light in the base
CauseThe battery is low (red: 6–30%, red flashing: 5% or less), charging was switched off with Base Charge Off, the room is too cold or warm, or the base runs on USB power alone.
Fix
- Seat the scanner fully in the base. While it charges, the green charge light pulses slowly.
- Charge between 5 and 35 °C.
- Scan External or Interface Cable Power, the default base charge mode.
- Use a Honeywell power supply for the base: charging over USB alone takes longer.
8. Scanner reads on its ownLight stays on, unwanted reads
CausePresentation or Streaming Presentation Mode is on. On the 1962g, pressing Find My while the scanner sits in the base starts a temporary streaming mode (10 seconds by default), and scanning in the presentation base is on by default.
Fix
- Scan Manual Trigger - Normal from the Quick Start Guide.
- 1962g: to stop reading while it sits in the base, scan Scan in Cradle Off from the User Guide.
9. Settings will not change, or are unknownError tone on programming barcodes
CauseA linked 1962g stores its settings in the base, so it must be linked to its own base. Or settings were changed by mistake.
Fix
- 1962g: place the scanner in its base, wait for the link, then scan the programming barcode again.
- To start over, scan Standard Product Defaults from the Quick Start Guide. On the 1962g, if the next scan gives an error tone, place it in the base to link again.
- Then set the interface, keyboard country and suffix again.
Setting up from scratch? Follow our setup guide. All guides for these scanners are on the 1960g and 1962g pages.
Frequently asked questions
How do I reset a Honeywell Xenon Ultra to factory defaults?
Scan Standard Product Defaults from the Quick Start Guide; Honeywell says it resets all standard product default settings. Then set the interface, keyboard country and suffix again.
Why does my Xenon Ultra 1962g beep with an error after every scan?
The scanner is not linked to its base or is out of range. Place it in the base, wait for the link and scan again.
How do I find a lost 1962g scanner?
Press the Find My button on the base. The scanner beeps until you pull its trigger or press the button again.
Why does the 1962g switch itself off?
After one hour without a trigger pull it powers down to save the battery, unless it is charging in the base. Pull the trigger to wake it.
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