Zebra MC3400 setup guide: battery, Wi-Fi, scanning, keypad

This guide takes a new Zebra MC3400 from the box to its first scan: battery, charging, the setup wizard, Wi-Fi, a scan test and the keypad. The steps are the same for the MC3450, which adds 5G mobile data.

Before you start

Know your configuration

The MC3400 comes in two body styles: the gun, with a pistol grip and scan trigger, and the straight shooter, with side scan keys. There is no rotating-head version. Keypad options are a 29-key numeric, 38-key function numeric or 47-key alphanumeric keypad, and there are three tiers:

Every version has Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 and NFC, and runs Android with Google Mobile Services. The MC3450 adds 5G, a nano SIM plus eSIM, and GPS. Our MC3400 product page lists the exact configuration of each part number.

Video: Zebra Technologies

Insert the battery

The battery is packed separately in the box. Fit it before you switch on for the first time.

1. Loosen the hand strap if it is in the way.
2. Line the battery up with the battery compartment and slide the front end in first.
3. Press the battery down firmly until both battery release buttons spring back to their normal position.
4. Tighten the hand strap again.

To remove the battery later, push in the two battery release buttons and lift it out. The MC3400 supports hot swap, so you can change a battery during a shift without switching off. See MC3400 troubleshooting for how hot swap behaves.

Charge the battery

The charger is not in the box. You have two options:

• Cradle: the MC3400 uses the same cradles as the MC3300x and MC3300ax, for example the single-slot USB cradle CRD-MC33-2SUCHG-01, which also charges a spare battery. Cradles need their own power supply and mains cord.
• Cable: the USB-A to USB-C cable CBL-TC5X-USBC2A-01 plugs into the USB-C port on the side of the device and a Zebra USB power adapter.

A fully empty battery reaches about 90% in roughly four hours and 100% in about five hours. Charge at room temperature. Zebra gives 0 to 45 °C as the optimal charging range, but its troubleshooting table names 40 °C as the upper limit, so keep the device between 0 and 40 °C while it charges. The charge LED shows the state:

Switch on and run the setup wizard

1. Press and hold the Power key until the Zebra splash screen appears.
2. The setup wizard opens with a "Hi there" screen. Choose your language and follow the on-screen steps.
3. When the wizard offers a Wi-Fi network, you can connect now or do it later in the next step.
4. If you are asked to sign in with a Google account, you can usually skip this on a company device unless your IT team says otherwise.

A short press on Power turns the screen off and on. Press and hold it for the Power off and Restart options. If you set a PIN, password or pattern and enter it wrongly five times, the device makes you wait 30 seconds before the next try.

Connect to Wi-Fi

If you skipped Wi-Fi in the wizard, connect now:

1. Swipe down twice from the top of the screen and touch the settings (gear) icon, or open Settings from the app list.
2. Open Settings › Network & internet › Internet. The device searches for networks and lists them.
3. Switch Wi-Fi on, touch your network and enter the password. For a hidden network, use Add network and enter the name and security type yourself.

The MC3400 supports 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz. The 6 GHz band only works with a Wi-Fi 6E access point. For WPA/WPA2/WPA3-Enterprise networks, get the EAP method and certificates from your network administrator. By default the device gets its IP address by DHCP.

Test the scanner

1. Open an app with a text field and touch the field so the cursor blinks in it.
2. Point the scan window at a barcode.
3. Pull the trigger (gun) or press a scan key (straight shooter or keypad) and hold it. An aiming pattern appears.
4. Keep the barcode inside the aiming pattern. The LED lights and the device beeps when it reads the code.
5. Release the trigger. The data appears in the text field.

Scanning into your own apps runs through Zebra DataWedge. To set prefixes, suffixes such as Enter, or app profiles, follow our DataWedge setup guide.

Learn the keypad

The keypad works alongside the touchscreen. The keys below are on the 38-key function numeric keypad. The 29-key and 47-key keypads also have orange and blue modifier keys, but they work differently; Zebra's Product Reference Guide has a table for each keypad.

The status bar shows which mode is on: an orange icon for the orange key, C for CTRL, A for ALT and an up arrow for SHIFT. Apps and administrators can remap most keys, so your keypad may behave differently from the table.

Check the Android version and updates

Open Settings › About phone › Android version to see the Android version, security update and build number. Zebra delivers security patches through its LifeGuard for Android programme. Updates are downloaded from the Zebra MC3400 support page and installed from a microSD card in recovery mode, or pushed over the air by a supported EMM.

According to Zebra's supported Android versions list, the Standard tier is supported up to Android 15 and the Expanded and Full tiers up to Android 18. In a managed fleet, leave updates and enrolment to your IT team or EMM so all devices stay on the same release.

Full details for every feature are in Zebra's MC3400/MC3450 Product Reference Guide. To start over later, see Reset a Zebra Android device.