obsidian/TallyFlow/Marketing/Product Strategy/TallyFlow Scout.md

TallyFlow Scout

Status: Active product (app v0.6.2+14 as of 2026-07-30 review; master 0e37633)
Repo: tallyflow-assets-iot (package tallyflow_scout)
Pairs with: TallyFlow Edge (repo tallyflow-iot) — optional; can run fully offline
Does not replace: TallyFlow Assets (tallyflow_mobile) — the Core-connected mobile app for enrollment, inventory, zone moves, seek-and-find, and scan-and-print

Overview

TallyFlow Scout is a Flutter handheld (and desktop demo) app for barcode and RFID work on the floor with TallyFlow Edge. Operators use three destinations:

Section	What it does
Collect	Scan barcode/RFID; submit reads to Edge as a remote reader, or export CSV when Edge is offline / disabled / not configured
Verify	Scan a GS1 barcode, then RFID tags; show whether each EPC encodes the same GS1 identity key (SGTIN / SSCC / GRAI / GIAI interoperability). Optional auto-confirm countdown when all match
Locate	Seek-and-find by EPC hex, GTIN/GS1, or Internal part number with RSSI / geiger feedback — works fully offline (no Edge required). Hit indicator lights whenever tags are in the field

Scout is the mobile companion for Edge site deployments (docks, tunnels, on-prem readers). It is not the full asset system of record app: enrollment, zones, Core sync, and scan-and-print remain TallyFlow Assets.

Positioning (marketing truth)

• Edge path, not Core path — Scout talks to Edge remote-reader REST (/api/v1/reader/barcode, /api/v1/reader/rfid, /health). Assets talks to Core.
• Edge optional — Settings Use TallyFlow Edge can be turned off for pure CSV / demo / floor work without health checks or submits.
• Complementary — Sell Scout with Edge for handheld collect / verify / locate at the reader edge. Sell Assets with Core for asset lifecycle and inventory programs.
• Offline-capable floor tool — Collect list + CSV export + Locate work without a live Edge server; submit when online.
• Hardware-real — Android industrial scanners via flutter_hardware_scanner (e.g. Janam XR2, ATID, SEUIC, URFID stacks); camera barcode fallback on phones; desktop always in simulator mode for demos.

Target use cases

• Handheld remote reader into a multi-reader Edge site (same feed as fixed Impinj/Zebra readers)
• GS1 barcode↔RFID Verify at encode/pack/ship (catch wrong EPC encoding before product leaves)
• Offline Locate / seek-and-find on the floor without Core
• CSV collect for demos, audits, or sites not yet wired to Edge submit
• SI / partner demos with desktop simulator (JSON tag groups, optional automation)
• On-device tag decode (GS1 EPC-96, GS1 barcode AIs, SDG RAIN CIN) without leaving the floor tool

Core features (from product review)

• Material 3 shell: Collect / Verify / Locate bottom navigation (l10n key navUpdate = “Collect”)
• Collect: pending/sent/failed status, manual batch submit or auto-send, CSV share/save (including GS1 type-filter rollup mode); list menu for clear and sort (value / RSSI)
• Verify: lists all RFID tags (no EPC soft-filter hiding mismatches); Confirm / Reset; swipe to Locate or delete
• Locate: EPC mask filters (GS1 / SDG RAIN / hex / part); power slider; geiger audio; hit lamp while any tags are in field; handoff from Collect/Verify/decode sheet
• Tag decode sheet — tap a Collect/Locate row for decoded GS1 / SDG RAIN / barcode AI fields; RFID can jump to Locate
• Internal part_serial RFID settings aligned with TallyFlow Print (group Collect by part; Locate by part)
• Edge health banner when Edge is enabled; disable Edge for CSV-only mode
• Stronger RFID beep gate so Locate geiger does not fight inventory beeps
• EN + ES localization
• Settings: Use Edge, base URL, remote reader name, optional API key, RFID power/session, scan beep, symbology filters, verify auto-confirm seconds, Internal part_serial layout

Technical notes

• Android applicationId / namespace: com.tallyflow.scout
• Vendor AARs for some handheld stacks live under android/app/lib/ (see repo README); SEUIC uses on-device system libraries
• ATID + URFID ship incompatible libserial_port.so — separate build variants or prune AARs per device (conflict fix landed post-0.5.x)
• Desktop (macOS / Linux / Windows): simulation only — load JSON tag groups, send to Edge, add to list, or export CSV
• Service client still named tallyflow_iot_client; product name is TallyFlow Edge
• SDG RAIN CIN filter uses EPC prefix D3C4C753 (AFI in Gen2 PC word, not EPC body)
• README feature list lags app (still under-describes Verify / decode / Edge toggle); trust code + this note for marketing

Related components

• tallyflow-iot — TallyFlow Edge backend (remote reader + fixed readers + CSV/REST/AMQP egress)
• tallyflow_mobile — TallyFlow Assets (Core mobile; not replaced by Scout)
• tallyflow-print / Print UI — Internal EPC encodings Scout can decode/group
• flutter_hardware_scanner (+ XR2 / SEUIC / ATID device plugins)
• sgtin / flutter-sgtin — GS1 EPC-96 and element-string decode used by Verify + decode sheet

Open / watch

• Website and datasheets should say Scout + Edge, not “Assets for IoT”
• Distribution channel (Play / sideload / SI bundle) not fixed in vault
• Do not market Scout as Core enrollment or scan-and-print — those stay on Assets
• README version footer still stale (0.1.0+1); app version is pubspec 0.6.2+14
• Symbology checklist is not full OEM set — soft-filter vs device scan tool ownership still a cross-app story