Sometimes it’s great to have a device that can handle basically everything. The smartphone is the best example: map, key, flashlight, weather tracker, newspaper, music player, TV, web browser, video game console… oh yeah, and it’s a phone, too.
But sometimes it’s nice to have a dedicated device that does what it needs to do better than these catch-all solutions.
Take the new Grandstream WP856 Wi-Fi VoIP Smartphone with Integrated Scanner. This wireless VoIP phone gives you the convenience of an Android smartphone with the performance of a dedicated scanner.
While the WP856 doesn’t compare with the iPhones, Galaxies, and Pixels of this world on sheer performance and specs as a phone, its mission-specific build and feature-set makes it a highly desirable solution for inventory management and more.
In this blog, we introduce Grandstream WP856 and show how it is an excellent device that meets the needs of numerous industries.
Let’s get into it!
Grandstream WP856 Has a Built-In Scanner
The primary selling point of Grandstream WP856 is its built-in scanner. By pressing the yellow button on either the left or right side of the phone or by tapping the scan button on the phone’s display, you activate the scanner.
The scanner works for both 1D and 2D codes:
- 1D codes are scanned across a line, like a UPC code.
- 2D codes are scanned across both horizontal and vertical axes, like a QR code.
It’s convenient for the phone to scan both types, as they’re both commonly in use.
As a scanner, WP856 is usable for an enormous range of barcodes. Here’s the current list (as taken from the datasheet in March 2025):
- 1D. Code128, Code 49, Code 16K, (GS1128) UCC/EAN-128, AIM-128, EAN-8, EAN-13, UPC-E, UPC-A, ITF, ITF 6, ITF 14, Matrix 2 of 5, Industrial 25, Standard 2 of 5, Code39, ISSN, ISBN, CodaBar, Code93, Code 11, Plessey, MSI Plessey, RSS
- 2D. Aztec, Composite, CS Code, Maxicode, Micro PDF, Micro QR, PDF 417, QR Code, Data Matrix, DotCode
Having a built-in scanner makes the phone eminently qualified for usage in many, many scenarios. Here are a few examples:
- Logistics and warehouses. Keeping track of inventory. Ensuring the correct item is being delivered.
- Healthcare. Admitting patients efficiently. Tracking patients. Pulling up records securely.
- Retail. Checking stock levels. Helping customers with prices and information about products.
- Auto shops. Maintaining accurate records of materials and vehicles being worked on.
- Enterprise. Managing devices. Setting up device check out programs for laptops etc.
- Concert venues. Scanning tickets and wristbands.
You might have used your smartphone to scan a QR code off, for example, a concert poster or a mental health advertisement. So why not just use a regular smartphone’s regular camera for scanning codes?
What advantages does using a dedicated scanner offer?
Rather than use a multipurpose visual camera, WP856 has a hardware, infrared scanner built for scanning codes. Sometimes dedicated solutions are just better.
WP856 has highly visible, yellow buttons — one on each side — for operating the scanner, making it easier for users. It lets you establish multiple scanning profiles for different scenarios, finetune the scanner settings, and more. It can recognize OCR documents.
Having a dedicated scanner also means less security risk, because it’ll just be used for that purpose, not for personal communications or otherwise.
The scanner will open the relevant content in the scanning demonstration app or a linked third-party app.
Which is why the fact that it’s an Android smartphone that has access to the Google Play Store is extra important: you’ll be able to use your preferred app. WP856 is Google Mobile Services certified.
As a side note, the phone also supports 13.56 MHz NFC contactless reading, giving you another option for speedy data scanning.
Grandstream WP856 Is a Wi-Fi VoIP Smartphone
First, the basics:
WP856 is an Android smartphone without cellular connectivity. Wait, what? That’s right. You can’t use WP856 with your Verizon plan.
WP856 is a SIP phone that must be connected to your VoIP phone system or cloud phone service. For example, you could use it with a Grandstream UCM6300 Series IP PBX. As a VoIP phone, it supports 6 SIP accounts and 6 lines. (Make sure to check platform compatibility before purchase.)
So Grandstream WP856 is wireless VoIP phone that’s also a Wi-Fi smartphone.
And it’s a great Wi-Fi phone: it supports dual-band Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with fast roaming.
When it comes to using a Wi-Fi smartphone in workspaces, roaming support is essential.
Wi-Fi access points and routers have limited ranges. Getting a good signal throughout a space where there are obstacles like walls, boxes, or machinery can be challenging. The solution is to strategically place multiple wireless access points around the space.
But having multiple wireless APs means that a Wi-Fi device will be switching between APs to establish network connectivity.
That’s what roaming means in the world of Wi-Fi: switching between network access points. So when Grandstream designs the WP856 with fast roaming support, it means the Wi-Fi smartphone can switch between access points seamlessly. That means that a worker in a warehouse will always get a good signal, reducing time wasted and frustration.
WP856 lets you select a roaming mode:
- Default mode is, well, the default and is good on battery life
- Enhanced mode is for situations when the user moves a lot
- Fast roaming mode is for networks where the 802.11k, 802.11v, and 802.11r protocols have been configured
If you or your admin know what you’re doing, you can also finetune the roaming parameters yourself.
By the way, if you’re looking to upgrade your Wi-Fi network, Grandstream has an extensive line of Wi-Fi access points, routers, and network switches that let you build out a simple to manage, professional network. Your Wi-Fi network will reach every nook and cranny. And as a single-brand Wi-Fi network, all the devices will work together, no worries.
Grandstream WP856 Is Ruggedized
…and that’s not all! Just a bit more about this phone.
Because the phone has a scanner, it’s meant to be used in warehouses and other locations where dropping the phone, banging it into something, or whatever else is a real possibility.
So Grandstream beefed up the durability. It comes with a protective case and wrist lanyard in the package. It’s IP65-rated against dust and water ingress. It’s drop-safe from 1.5 m (4.92 ft). It has an antimicrobial casing for hygiene. It has 2.5D Corning 3rd generation glass to prevent breakage.
The battery is large: 5,000 mAh. (For comparison, the massive Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 has a 4,400 mAh battery.) The WP856’s battery is removable and replaceable, too, which is a rare thing to find in the smartphone world today.
So there are many reasons that Grandstream WP856 is such a great device!