In winter or cold climates, ice and snow aren't the only things that can be a problem for your tablets. If you work outdoors, consumer-grade technology designed for a stable indoor climate won't last long in the cold environment. The wrong equipment can lead to damaged or ruined hardware, long downtimes, increased total cost of ownership, and unproductive employees - ultimately leading to lost potential revenue. That's where enterprise-grade rugged tablets come in.
Companies no longer have to compromise on functionality and information access just because of the environment. Honeywell Next-generation cold storage mobile computers are built not only to withstand prolonged use in the cold, but more importantly transitioning between cold and warm locations.
What Changes in the cold?
Cold air, frost, and condensation. Each of there elements creates a specific challenge for rugged mobile computing equipment. The insulation used to keep refrigerated and frozen storage areas cold also poses problems when it comes to wireless connectivity.
Rugged tablets are designed to withstand more drastic temperature changes than their consumer counterparts, so they can be used in cold environments where most other tablets won't work. Accentec Technologies has several rugged tablets with certified operating temperatures as low as 14 °F (-10 °C), while the lowest operating temperature of most consumer tablets is as low as 32 °F (0 °C).
A tablet needs to be able to do more than just boot up in cold environments. Where there is cold, there is usually snow, and where there is snow, there is water. Many rugged tablets are IP65 sealed, which means they are sealed against water and dust. So if the snow falls and melts on your device, the water won't damage your tablet.
Also, if you want to attach your tablet to a vehicle like a snowmobile, skid steer loader, or tractor, it's unlikely that a consumer tablet will be able to withstand the vibrations of these machines. Rugged tablets undergo rigorous testing and have a variety of mounting solutions that make it easy to attach them to almost any vehicle.
Another important consideration is the touchscreen. When temperatures drop below freezing, no one wants to take off their gloves to operate a touchscreen. With consumer technologies, the only solution for this is a stylus, but with rugged tablets, many touchscreens have the option to work with gloves. With the ability to keep gloves on while working, rugged tablets are a great tool for cold field use.
Standard computer models deliver less-than-substandard performance if they are consistently used inside freezers or exposed to frequent temperature changes. In fact, moving the computer between normal and cold areas is extraordinarily hard on just about every part of the device, even if it’s ruggedized. In the short term, LCD screens fog up, batteries won’t release enough energy and processors may not perform as intended. This all equates to reduced user productivity. Long-term use of non-optimized equipment in cold conditions causes screens and housings to become brittle, and repeated condensation can cause internal components to corrode, short-circuit, and fail.
Thriving in cold conditions requires the ability to adapt to the environment. Mobile computers can be adapted for cold-environment use with heaters, housings, components, and peripherals that set them apart from standard models. Without these adaptations, mobile computers are at significantly elevated risk for failure, putting organisations at risk for lost productivity as well as unnecessary repair and replacement costs. Seemingly minor problems such as frequent battery changes and devices periodically being unusable because of condensation problems drive up operating costs by reducing productivity and threatening on-time performance.
