A network scanner digitizes paper documents and sends them directly to a shared network location, no computer connection required to operate it.
- A network scanner is a standalone scanning device that connects to a local network rather than a single computer.
- It can send a scanned file straight to a shared folder, email address, or cloud storage location without routing through a PC.
- Fax.Plus lets a user capture a document with a phone camera and fax it directly, without any scanner hardware at all.
What Is a Network Scanner?
A network scanner is a scanning device that connects to a local network instead of a single computer, so any authorized user on that network can send a scanned document straight to a shared folder, an email address, or cloud storage. This is different from a basic USB scanner, which only works through whichever computer it is physically plugged into.
Network Scanners and Fax Machines
Many office multifunction devices combine a network scanner with a dedicated fax machine and a printer in one unit, letting a document be scanned once and either faxed, emailed, or filed. The scanning step itself is the same regardless of what happens to the file afterward, only the destination changes. Whether that scanned file ends up as fully searchable text depends on whether optical character recognition (OCR) is applied to it afterward.
Faxing Without Scanner Hardware
Fax.Plus's mobile app lets a user photograph a paper document with a phone camera and send it as a fax directly, no network scanner, flatbed scanner, or dedicated hardware required. For document scanning beyond faxing, Alohi's separate Scan.Plus product is built specifically for that job.
A Common Case: Digitizing Permit Applications
A small municipal office in Maine uses a network scanner to digitize paper permit applications straight into a shared folder for the whole planning department to access. When one of those applications needs to go out by fax to a state agency, the digitized file gets faxed through Fax.Plus without printing it back out first.
FAQs
What's the difference between a scanner and a network scanner?
A regular scanner connects to one computer and only works through it. A network scanner connects to the local network directly, so it can send a scanned file to a shared folder, email, or cloud storage without a computer in between.
Can a network scanner send a document straight to email?
Yes. A network scanner can send a scanned file directly to an email address, a shared folder, or cloud storage without routing through a computer first, since it connects to the network itself rather than a single PC.
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