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Rugged technology is a term you’re no doubt familiar with, but do you know exactly what it describes – and do you need it? In this introduction to rugged hardware, we take a look at what qualifies as ‘rugged’ and why you might benefit from investing in it.
What is rugged technology?
Rugged technology covers any type of hardware or peripheral that has been designed to perform under challenging working conditions and in harsh environments. This is a broad category, covering items that are semi-rugged, fully-rugged and ultra-rugged – bandings that are relatively self-explanatory. The trick is to work out which level of ruggedness will most precisely suit your needs as, inevitably, the degree of robustness will have an impact on the price.
- Semi-rugged – this is often referred to as business-rugged. It generally indicates a higher level of protection than normal off-the-shelf products – features include things like stronger cases, waterproof keyboards or gel-mounted disk drives. These are useful for people who travel a lot or use their equipment outside the usual office environment.
- Fully-rugged – the modifications on these items goes a bit further. They’re usually designed to work in extreme temperatures, to be shock- and drop-resistant and completely dust- and water-proof. They may have solid state hard drives that can run without needing a fan, and may conform to IEC quality standards.
- Ultra-rugged – these devices are tough enough for military use and for use in the field by geologists and energy-industry professionals. In other words, they’re practically indestructible and can withstand storms, fires and floods.
There are a number of standards against which rugged equipment can be tested – for example, to show how shock-resistant, water-resistant, temperature-resistant or vibration-proof they are. The Ingress Protection (IP) rating will tell you how effective the device’s seals are. MIL STD 810 is the US Defence Department’s range of tests for military equipment and gives a good indication of ruggedness across a defined set of parameters.
Rugged products can include industrial and panel PCs, rugged tablets, notebooks and laptops, handhelds, smartphones and PDAs, mounted displays, rugged keyboards, mice and trackballs, touchpads printers, joysticks, storage devices, routers and network appliances, and docking stations. In other words, you should be able to find rugged products to fulfil all of your computing needs, at a level suited to the harshness of your environment.
About RUGGED LIMITED
UK-based RUGGED is your one-stop, go-to supplier with a wealth of experience in providing cutting-edge and cost-effective computing solutions specifically designed and innovatively engineered to operate reliably in demanding environments and conditions. Add to that an unparalleled range of customer-focused value-added services, you will find all your RUGGED computing needs covered.
Need an innovative custom solution for your unique requirement?
Regardless of how simple or complex the requirements may be, RUGGED has the experience and expertise to provide you with the most optimal solutions to the toughest computing challenges. Whether you need to tweak a standard product or create an entirely new one, our product engineering specialists are standing by to execute your vision into an innovate and successful commercial reality.
For further information please browse our website https://www.rugged.co.uk/, email us at [email protected] or call us on +44(0)1474 240120 today!
