One of the integral parts of everyday life, in particular, the world of digital technologies, has become a QR code, which not everyone can read. Encryption of this kind can be found absolutely everywhere: on food packaging, on boxes of household and any other equipment, in booklets, brochures, newspapers. In general, not a single information submitted in one form or another is complete without a QR code. This article will be discussed about him. The reader will learn in detail about this method of encrypting information and how to decrypt a QR code using a telephone and a computer.
History of creation
So, what does this kind of code mean? Everything is very simple: QR is an abbreviation of the words Quick Response, which is translated from English as “quick response” or “quick response”. And the QR code is the so-called two-dimensional bar code, which was developed and introduced in 1994 by a Japanese company called Denso Wave. A QR code, which it’s not difficult to decrypt after reading this article, became necessary due to the fact that Japanese companies lacked the amount of information that can be put into a regular one-dimensional bar code.
Recognition process
If you look at the quick response format code, you can see a square with imaginary invisible sides, inside which there are other quadrangular figures of different lengths and sizes. It is in them that all the text information encrypted in two-dimensional code is embedded.
All that is needed to decrypt the QR code on the computer is a special scanner that reads the image like a barcode scanner. The only difference is that the infrared scanner for reading strokes emits only one strip, while the QR code is recognized as a two-dimensional image by emitting a large number of such strips.
Benefits of using
The first noticeable difference between the quick response cipher and the regular barcode is the amount of information that can be placed in it. While the "stroke" only supports digital characters, QR allows you to lay in letters, words and whole sentences.
If you take the largest QR code, decrypt it on Android or on a computer, you can see that the maximum number of digits contained in a cipher is 7089. In addition, up to 4296 numbers and letters can be placed in the Latin alphabet. If we talk about binary code, then the amount of possible embedded information is slightly less - 2953 bytes.
Popularity
When in 1994 Denso Wave developed and licensed its product, its owners did not count on the great popularity of the invention. The QR code was intended only to cover the production needs of individual companies. After all, the QR code, which is very easy to decrypt and recognize, made it possible to reduce many production processes to a few seconds.
Later, in the mid-2000s, with the advent of the first smartphones with a camera, and after them - the Apple iPhone and other more modern devices, the QR code began to gain popularity again. The thing is that applications that read the cipher using the device’s camera can also do this in seconds. Moreover, the information contained in the QR can fully transmit links, letters, SMS, contacts and even images of PNG, JPG and GIF formats up to 4 kb. The latter, by the way, have not taken root in the modern world and are used very rarely.
How to decrypt a QR code
Android and iOS smartphones have long had a huge number of applications designed to recognize a two-dimensional cipher. The most important requirement is the presence of a camera with good resolution and, preferably, autofocus. The fact is that a clear image is required to decrypt the code, so a cheap smartphone with a 2 megapixel camera without autofocus will most likely not be able to read the information. But imagine ideal conditions when the smartphone is quite good, and the camera, respectively, with high resolution and focus.
If you simply turn on the camera application and point to the QR code, of course, nothing will come of it, and the cipher will not be recognized. That's because a special decryptor application is needed for reading. Where to get it? In this case, everything is also very simple: various mobile app stores such as the AppStore on the iPhone and the Play Market on Android are full of similar applications. In the last search bar, enter the query “QR code scanner” or simply “QR scanner”. After the results appear, you should select any application you like, install and run it. A camera is pointed at the QR code of interest from any direction and from absolutely any angle. The application itself displays the necessary information on the display. For example, if it is a link to a website, the installed browser with an already opened page will automatically start by default.
If we talk about recognizing a QR code on a computer, then there is also nothing complicated. The main thing is having the right scanner. The easiest way is to open any text editor and point the scanner at two-dimensional code. As a result, all the necessary information will be provided on the display in text form.
Where are QR codes used?
The most interesting way to use such ciphers is to print on T-shirts, which is what various foreign online stores do. The bottom line is that a person who wants to make new acquaintances forms from a link to his profile in the social. networks the same QR code, which, in turn, is printed on a T-shirt. As a result, anyone who has noticed this kind of “square” on the clothes of another person can “count” it and add it to friends afterwards.
No less useful is QR in the advertising industry. So, many companies print whole banners with two-dimensional ciphers so that everyone passing by or even from afar can scan information, most often containing a link to the company’s website. In addition, you can advertise not only websites, but also individual items. For example, a QR code, which is now easy to decrypt, is applied to a particular wardrobe item directly by the manufacturer. A man sits in a cafe in a beautiful shirt on which the corresponding code is applied. Anyone who liked the shirt can easily scan the code and get directly to the sale page of this shirt. And people are comfortable, and the company profits.
Summing up, I want to say that, thanks to QR codes, the search for information in the modern world has become much more pleasant and easier. Of course, smartphones can also scan simpler one-dimensional barcodes, but the latter do not carry enough information, which makes two-dimensional ciphers more popular. That is why you should not be lazy to download the decoder application on your smartphone. After all, who knows where and when QR code recognition is required.