Received Pop4 and straight away I see a problem with proprietary USB cables, and no one is mentioning this in reviews. It’s not a bit deal at first, but if you need extend or convert usb-c to usb-a (not all computers have adopted usb-c) then there is compatability issue.
Can someone with experience share which cables, extenders and adapters work?
The cable and connector aren’t proprietary; I have no idea where you got that idea. I’ve used countless USB-C cables, and all of them that meet a certain specification work perfectly. 
Yes, USB can sometimes be a bit strange, but your statement is simply wrong.
According to the law all cables suppose to have now USB C cables so that is not really a choice.
Make sure your USB 3 support not only fast data flow but also fast charging , the best thing you can do is get a new cable like Thunderbolt 3-4 with minimal 8GB data and fast charging in most of my own older computer cases it worked well . Try to flipping the cable it sometimes helps on old USB 3 A ports .
Sadly the individual system and motherboard will decide if your computer connect to the device or not , and since usually old USB get overtime really bad that is a knowing problem . I even contacted my motherboard manufacturer and they could not help me, the one that was responsible for it.
So you can try with the cable or reinstall your USB drivers . If you decide to go with adapter make sure you use a good one supporting fast charging as well , usually they are worthless in Amazon but you may get lucky !
Bought USB-A to USB-C adapter and USB-C extention cable (USB 3.2 Gen2 standard) and scanner works fine. Tried some other usb-c cables - some do not work, some need socket rotation.
So getting 3.2 Gen 2 type should be safest option it to be compatible.
ps. not sure with short cables, they have some stickers with compatibility warnings (for scanner/phone). Will try those later, but guess they are also compatible with latest standard.