With a 2D barcode, you need a 2D imager which is dedicated for scanning both 1D and 2D barcodes and it is really a camera that will take a photo of the barcode and decode it very fast and with great accuracy.
2D imagers nowadays are just as fast as 1D lasers and they are the go-to scan engine not only because they are just as fast as 1D so there is no detriment to going to 2D. There are a number of benefits that come with a 2D imager.
An operator traditionally with a handheld 1D scanner with a single line would have to line up the barcode with the scanner but with 2D imager scanner, you do not have to worry about orientation meaning you can scan upside-down, the right way up, the camera sees the barcode in 2D and can decode it in any orientation and also 1D barcodes as well so even if you have got 1D barcodes, you still get a benefit by having a 2D imager scanning the 1D barcode because of any orientation, it's going to be able to decode it.