> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.clinikehr.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Count with a CipherLab scanner

> Walk the shelves with a CipherLab terminal, upload the scans over its cradle, and reconcile them against expected stock before applying the count.

export const StillStuck = ({topic}) => <div className="ck-callout ck-callout--note" role="note">
    <p className="ck-callout__body">
      <strong>Still stuck{topic ? ` with ${topic}` : ''}?</strong>{' '}
      Check <a href="/platform/help/troubleshooting">Troubleshooting</a> first —
      it covers the failures we see most often. If that does not resolve it,{' '}
      <a href="/platform/help/contact-support">contact support</a> and include
      your workspace name and the time the problem happened, so we can find the
      matching entry in your audit log.
    </p>
  </div>;

export const TaskHeader = ({before, time, after}) => <div className="ck-task">
    {before ? <div className="ck-task__cell">
        <div className="ck-task__title">Before you start</div>
        <p className="ck-task__body">{before}</p>
      </div> : null}

    {time ? <div className="ck-task__cell">
        <div className="ck-task__title">Takes about</div>
        <p className="ck-task__body">{time}</p>
      </div> : null}

    {after ? <div className="ck-task__cell">
        <div className="ck-task__title">When you're done</div>
        <p className="ck-task__body">{after}</p>
      </div> : null}
  </div>;

export const Path = ({steps = []}) => <span className="ck-path">
    {steps.map((s, i) => <span key={i} className="ck-path__step">
        {i > 0 ? <span className="ck-path__sep" aria-hidden="true">
            ›
          </span> : null}
        {s}
      </span>)}
  </span>;

export const Availability = ({editions = ['all'], plans, roles, note}) => {
  const list = editions.includes('all') ? ['clinic', 'pharmacy', 'lims'] : editions;
  return <div className="ck-avail" role="note" aria-label="Feature availability">
      <span className="ck-avail__label">Available in</span>

      {list.map(e => <span key={e} className={`ck-pill ck-pill--${e}`}>
          {EDITION_LABELS[e] || e}
        </span>)}

      {plans ? <span className="ck-avail__label">Plan</span> : null}
      {plans ? <span className="ck-pill ck-pill--plan">{plans}</span> : null}

      {roles ? <span className="ck-avail__label">Who</span> : null}
      {roles ? <span className="ck-pill ck-pill--role">{roles}</span> : null}

      {note ? <span className="ck-avail__note">{note}</span> : null}
    </div>;
};

<Availability editions={['pharmacy']} plans="All plans" roles="Staff with the adjust stock permission" />

A CipherLab 8000-series terminal counts a whole pharmacy far faster than a worksheet does: you scan and key quantities on the shelf, then dock the terminal and send the batch to ClinikEHR in one transfer. This page covers the transfer and the reconciliation. Opening the count is the same as any other — see [Run a stock count](/pharmacy/inventory/stock-counts).

<Path steps={['Sidebar', 'Inventory', 'Counts', 'New count']} />

<TaskHeader before="A CipherLab terminal holding a completed count, its USB cradle plugged into this computer, and Chrome, Edge or the ClinikEHR desktop app" time="5 minutes for the transfer, longer for reconciling unmatched barcodes" after="A physical count reconciled against expected stock, ready to apply" />

## Before you dock the terminal

Three things have to be true, and each one fails in a way that looks like a dead port:

* The cradle is plugged into **this** computer by USB — not into a hub on another machine, and not only into power.
* You are in **Chrome** or **Edge**, or in the ClinikEHR desktop app. Any other browser shows "This browser cannot talk to a serial scanner. Use Chrome, Edge, or the ClinikEHR desktop app on the machine the cradle is plugged into." See [The desktop app](/pharmacy/hardware/desktop-app).
* The terminal actually holds the count. Nothing is read off the shelves during the transfer — only what is already stored on the device.

## Transfer the count

The order of these steps matters. Do them as written.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Choose the scanner route on the new count">
    On **New count**, set your **Scope** and **Count type**, then set **How was it counted?** to **Portable scanner (CipherLab terminal)** — "Walk the shelves with the terminal first, then upload the scans here." The collection panel appears with the same three instructions repeated below.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Seat the terminal in its cradle">
    "Seat the CipherLab terminal in its cradle (USB plugged into this computer)." Check it is properly seated — the contacts, not just the housing.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select Connect scanner and pick the port">
    "Press **Connect scanner** below and choose the cradle's port." Your browser asks which serial port to use; choose the cradle. The badge reads **Opening port…**, then **Connected — start the upload on the terminal**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Start the upload on the terminal">
    "On the terminal, choose **2. Upload** (Upload Data). This app keeps requesting the transfer, so either order works." The badge changes to **Receiving…** and the tally starts filling.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Wait for Upload complete">
    When the terminal has finished, the badge turns green — **Upload complete**. **Finish now** ends a transfer early if you are sure it has stalled, and **Collect again** starts over from an empty tally.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  The transfer is a conversation between this computer and the terminal, not a plain dump of text — the app requests each block and acknowledges it. So if the terminal reports a successful upload but nothing arrived here, the conversation never started: select **Disconnect**, then **Connect scanner** again, rather than re-running the upload into a port that is not listening.
</Note>

## Read the tally before you go on

The panel reports what actually arrived — for example "42 products, 1,180 units" — plus, in amber, how many unreadable lines were skipped.

A skipped line is a record the app could not parse. A handful is normal on a long count; a large number means the transfer is being read at the wrong speed, and the count is not trustworthy. See the 9600-baud fallback below.

## Reconcile the scans

Opening the count moves you to the **Physical count** sheet, headed with the scope — **Physical count — Whole clinic**, or the location you scoped to.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Deal with unmatched barcodes first">
    Barcodes that matched nothing in your catalogue are surfaced at the top, deliberately, because silently dropping them would understate the count. Use **Assign to a product…** against each one to attach it to the right item. It then joins the table below.

    If a barcode belongs to a product that has no stock line in this count's scope you get "That product has no stock line in this count's scope." — the item is at a different location, or it was never received here.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the table">
    Each row shows **Barcode**, **Location**, **Expected** and **Counted**. The scanned figure lands in **Counted**; you can correct any of them by hand before applying.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review the totals">
    **More than expected**, **Less than expected** and **Net difference** are valued in your currency. Investigate the outliers now, not after applying.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add a witness if the scope is controlled">
    A controlled scope requires dual sign-off — choose the colleague from **Select a witnessing staff member**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Apply the count">
    Select **Apply changes to inventory** and confirm with **Apply changes**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Applying posts every difference to stock and closes the count. It cannot be reopened or reversed, and an unassigned barcode is applied as though the stock was never counted. Clear the unmatched list first.
</Warning>

## Check it worked

* The count is closed and the sheet reads "This count is closed — the lines are the record of what was counted."
* The **Stock** tab matches your scanned quantities.
* The **Ledger** tab carries a movement for each variance.
* If the shelf already agreed with the system, the confirmation reads **"Applied — stock already matched the count"**.

## If something goes wrong

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="'This browser cannot talk to a serial scanner…'">
    Serial devices only work in Chrome, Edge, or the ClinikEHR desktop app, and only on the machine the cradle is physically plugged into. Safari and Firefox cannot do it at all.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="No port appears in the chooser">
    The cradle is not being seen by the computer. Re-seat the USB cable, try another port, and check the cradle has power. On a shared machine, another tab or app may already hold the port — close it and try again.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="'Data is arriving but none of it reads as records — try the 9600-baud option.'">
    The terminal is talking at a different speed than the default. Select **Disconnect**, then **Try at 9600 baud**, and start the upload again. The default is 115200; older or reconfigured terminals often sit at 9600.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The terminal says it uploaded, but the tally stayed at zero">
    The app was not listening when the terminal sent. **Disconnect**, select **Connect scanner**, wait for **Connected — start the upload on the terminal**, and only then choose **2. Upload** on the device.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A lot of unreadable lines were skipped">
    Almost always the baud rate. Select **Collect again**, reconnect with **Try at 9600 baud**, and re-upload. Do not open a count off a partial transfer — an under-read count applies as missing stock.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Barcodes are unmatched that I know we stock">
    The barcode on the pack is not the one on the catalogue entry. Assign it here to get the count done, then add the barcode to the product so the next count matches automatically — see [Stock control](/pharmacy/inventory/index) and [Barcode scanners](/pharmacy/hardware/barcode-scanner).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The transfer stalls halfway">
    Select **Finish now** to keep what arrived, check the tally against roughly what you expect, and if it is short, **Collect again** from the start rather than applying a partial count.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<StillStuck topic="a CipherLab upload" />