QR codes began in 1994 when Denso Wave, a global automotive components manufacturer in Japan, created a matrix barcode to track vehicles during manufacture via high-speed component scanning. Over the years, the use of these codes has spread from the automotive industry to almost all other sectors. You might be wondering about QR code how it works- you are in the right place!
What are QR codes, and how do they work?
A QR code is a two-dimensional barcode that contains various forms of data. It appears as black pixels on a white background. Besides, the information in a QR code is encoded in square arrangements.
Are you still trying to figure out how work QR code? Qr codes are scanned to reveal the information in them. The two-dimensional arrangement of these codes contains numeric and alphanumeric characters, bytes, and kanji. All you need to do is pass a scanner over those unique squares, and you will access the original data.
For example, if you have a website, you can invite people by encoding its URL on a QR code. Once someone scans the code, they will be directed to your site.
It is easy to scan these codes, but how do QR codes work technically?
Once you focus your phone’s camera towards the QR code, it recognizes the three-position marker in the QR code.
It starts from the bottom right of the QR code, where it encounters the mode indicator (four data modules that indicate the type of data).
Then it encounters the character count indicator. These are the subsequent 8 data modules that indicate how many characters are in the total encoded data.
After knowing the data type and the character length, the scanner proceeds with its zig-zag path along the data module to retrieve all the encoded information until it comes to the end indicator.
Once it reads the final character, it proceeds to the path of error correction data modules. This is where data is backed up in case there is damage.
How to check if a QR code works?
To know if your QR code is working, use your smartphone’s camera or a QR code reader app to scan it. If the code is working properly, it will be readable, and the camera or the app will prompt you to open the QR code’s original data, such as a website link, menu, product, or payment information.
How do Dynamic QR codes work?
A dynamic code is a type of QR code whose encoded information can be changed after creation. This is because the information in it is a short redirection URL meaning it is a URL that redirects you to another URL (a destination URL). The final content intended to reach people is in the destination URL. This can be business contact information, an event invite, or product information. You can change the information entirely without changing the QR code or alter the whole destination URL without changing the QR code. And that is how a dynamic QR code works.
