Zebra MC9400 setup guide: battery, charging, Wi-Fi, scanning

This guide takes a new Zebra MC9400 from the box to its first scan: battery, charging, first start, Wi-Fi, a scan test and the keypad. The steps are the same for the MC9450, which adds 5G mobile data.

Before you start

Know your configuration

Every MC9400 is a gun-style device with a trigger, a 4.3-inch touchscreen, a physical keypad, 6 GB RAM and 128 GB flash, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. It runs Android with Google Mobile Services. The configurations differ in these points:

Our MC9400 product page lists the exact configuration of each part number. Zebra describes the MC9400 as the replacement for the MC9300.

microSD and SIM cards sit under the keypad

The microSD slot (and on the MC9450, the SIM holder) is under the keypad, not in the battery compartment. Reaching it means removing the battery and four screws with a long, thin Torx T8 screwdriver, so fit a card before the first start, following Zebra's Installing a microSD Card page. Format the card in the device afterwards.

Insert the battery

Before you start, peel the protective shipping films off the scan window, the display and the camera window.

1. Line the battery up with the battery slot.
2. Push it in and press it firmly into the battery well.
3. Check that the battery release latches on both sides of the device return to their home position. You hear a click when the battery locks.

To take it out later, push in the two primary battery release latches so the battery ejects slightly, then push in the secondary latches on the battery and pull it out.

Video: Zebra Technologies

The MC9400 supports hot swap. When you remove the battery, the display turns off and the device goes into a low-power state. It keeps what is in memory for about five minutes, so fit a charged battery within that time. Zebra notes that the internal backup capacitor needs at least 15 minutes of charging before it can fully hold the connection and memory during a swap.

Charge the battery

No charger is included in the box. Zebra lists these options:

• 1-slot USB charge cradle (CRD-MC93-2SUCHG-01): charges the device and a spare battery at the same time. Needs its own power supply, DC cable and mains cord.
• 4-slot ShareCradles: charge-only (CRD-MC93-4SCHG-01) or with Ethernet (CRD-MC93-4SETH-01).
• USB Charge/Com Snap-on Cup (CBL-MC93-USBCHG-01): clips onto the bottom of the device and connects by USB-C cable to a USB power adapter or a computer.

The MC9400 also fits MC9300 cradles and chargers. Older MC9000, MC9100 and MC9200 cradles need Zebra's charge-only adapter cup. If the device has a rubber boot, remove its lower part before you put the device in a cradle or snap-on cup.

Seat the device in the cradle and press down gently. It turns on and starts charging. A fully empty standard battery reaches about 90% in about four hours and 100% in about five hours. Charge at room temperature: Zebra gives 0 to 40 °C as the optimal range and stops charging outside it. The charging/notification LED shows the state:

Switch on and run the setup wizard

1. Press and hold the red Power key until the device starts.
2. Choose your language on the first screen of the setup wizard and follow the steps.
3. Connect to Wi-Fi when the wizard offers it, or do it in the next step.
4. You can usually skip the Google account sign-in 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 Power off and Restart. If your team works with gloves or a stylus, open Settings › Display › Touch panel mode and choose the matching mode, for example Glove and Finger (Screen Protector OFF).

Connect to Wi-Fi

1. Swipe down from the top of the screen with two fingers and touch the settings (gear) icon.
2. Open Settings › Network & internet › Internet. The device lists the networks it finds.
3. Touch your network, enter the password and touch Connect. For a hidden network, switch Wi-Fi on, scroll to the bottom and use Add network.

The device gets its IP address by DHCP unless you set a static address. The 6 GHz band needs a Wi-Fi 6E access point. For WPA/WPA2/WPA3-Enterprise networks, ask your network administrator for the EAP method and certificates.

Test the scanner

1. Open an app with a text field, for example DWDemo, and touch the field so the cursor blinks in it.
2. Point the scanner exit window on the top of the device at a barcode.
3. Pull the trigger, or press the keypad scan key, and hold it. An aiming crosshair appears: red on the SE4770, green on the SE58.
4. Keep the barcode inside the aiming pattern. The Data Capture LED lights green and the device beeps when it reads the code.
5. Release the trigger. The data appears in the text field.

Zebra DataWedge is installed and enabled by default and sends scans into the app that has focus. To add an Enter suffix, set up app profiles or turn on Picklist mode, follow our DataWedge setup guide.

Learn the keypad

The keys below work the same way on most MC9400 keypads. The exact keys depend on the keypad fitted; Zebra's Product Reference Guide has a layout for each one.

Icons in the status bar show when the blue key, ALT, CTRL or SHIFT is active or locked. On the 43-key keypad, blue + F4 raises and blue + F8 lowers the volume, and blue + F1 or F5 changes the screen brightness. Apps and administrators can remap keys, so your keypad may behave differently.

Keypads are field-replaceable: with a Torx T8 screwdriver you can fit a different keypad, for example an alphanumeric or terminal-emulation layout, without sending the device to a service centre.

Video: Zebra Technologies

Check the Android version and updates

Open Settings › About phone › Android version; the build number shows the software version. According to Zebra's supported Android versions list, the MC9400 and MC9450 currently run Android 13, 14 or 15 and are supported up to Android 18.

Zebra publishes updates on the MC9400 support page; they are installed from a microSD card in recovery mode or pushed by an EMM. Zebra states that a Zebra OneCare service plan is required for software support, including operating system updates and security patches. In a managed fleet, leave updates and enrolment to your IT team so all devices stay on the same release.

To restart, reset or wipe the device later, see Reset a Zebra Android device. For problems, see MC9400 troubleshooting.