Scannable Tower: Setup & User Guide
The Scannable Tower is the hardware + software combo you use to link 2D codes (e.g. data matrix or QR) and NFC tags to unique serial numbers in the Scannable cloud. Each item you process becomes a Smart Product — when an equipment owner taps the Smart Product with their phone, they can add the item straight to their Scannable account with all the information already associated.
This guide walks you through setup, your first capture session, and the features you'll use as you product Smart Products.
What's in the box
Barcode scanner
NFC reader
Modular frame setup
Check out our recent Tower updates in this short video
1. Connect the hardware
Plug the barcode scanner and NFC reader into your computer via USB. The Tower app will detect them automatically.
2. Install the Tower application
Download the Tower app using the link we sent you. It's available on:
3. Log in with your API key
The Tower app uses an API key to connect to your Scannable account. To generate an API key:
Log into the Scannable web app
Go to Settings → API Keys
Create a new API key and copy it
In the Tower app, click the Settings cog in the top-right corner
Paste the key and save
If you have no active sessions yet, the Active Sessions list will be empty. That's expected — let's create one.
4. Create a serialisation session
In the Scannable web app:
Go to Serialisation → Capture Serials
Click Create
Fill in the session details — Sales Order #, Purchase Order #, Customer Reference, Batch #, Date of Manufacture
Look up and add the product you're capturing serials for
Set the number of serials (you can capture as many as you want)
Save
The session status will show as Active and is now available to any Tower configured to see it.
5. Select your session in the Tower
Open the Tower app. The Active Sessions screen lists every active session this Tower is set up to see.
Click Refresh Active Sessions if a new session doesn't appear right away
Select the row and click Continue
You can filter which sessions appear in the list via the Settings page (top-right cog) — useful when you want to limit a Tower to specific suppliers, batches, or sales orders. More on that below.
6. Choose your reader mode
The Selected Session screen shows your session details up top, the live progress counter in the middle, and the reader status panels on either side. Pick the mode that matches what you're doing:
Capture Serial and NFC (default) — scan a serial barcode then tap an NFC tag to create a brand-new linked pair
Note: the serial number you are scanning here must not be created in Scannable
Link Existing Serial and NFC — pair an existing serial (created in Scannable) to a different NFC tag (or re-pair an NFC that's already linked to another item). Use this for re-pairing damaged tags or correcting mis-scans
Capture Serial Only — scan only the 2D code. For products with no NFC tag
Capture NFC Only — tap only the NFC tag. For products with no 2D code
Get Item Status — look up an existing item to see what it's currently linked to
The selected mode is shown at the bottom of the screen along with a short reminder of what to do.
7. Capture items
With your mode selected, scan and/or tap each item. Submissions happen automatically — there's no extra confirmation step. The counter in the middle of the screen (e.g. 3 / 5) updates in real time as items are submitted to the Scannable cloud.
If you try to link an NFC tag that's already paired to another item, the Tower will prompt you to confirm the reassignment before proceeding.
8. Review captured serials
Open the session in the web app to see all linked serials. Click any serial to view its unique URL — this is what an end user sees when they tap the product with their phone, letting them add the item to their Scannable account instantly.
Other features
Filtering sessions per Tower
If you have multiple factories, operators or suppliers, you can configure each Tower to show only the sessions relevant to it. From the Active Sessions screen, click the Settings cog and apply filters by Customer Reference, batch, or other session attributes.
For example, if Factory A makes carabiners and Factory B makes helmets, set Factory A's Tower to filter on their Customer Reference so they only see their own work — and the same for Factory B. This keeps each operator focused and prevents cross-supplier visibility.
When creating sessions in the web app, set the Customer Reference (or whichever field you're filtering on) to match the supplier the session is for. You can type a new value straight into the field and it'll be remembered for next time.
Languages
The Tower app is available in multiple languages, useful when an overseas factory is doing the capture for you. Currently supported:
English
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Vietnamese
More languages are in progress, for example French, German or Italian.
Running multiple sessions
You can have multiple active sessions at once — they'll all appear in the Active Sessions list (subject to any filters you've set). To deactivate a session, open it in the web app, click the three dots, and toggle the status to inactive. It will disappear from the Tower app immediately.
Need help?
If you run into any issues during setup or capture, get in touch with the Scannable team and we'll sort it out.
Email: [email protected]