Imagine you are commuting outdoors with your gadgets and all of a sudden it starts to rain, or you are having a pool party, but you can’t play music because the speakers would get drenched. To help you out from such situations, companies started to make their devices dust and water-resistant.
Understanding IP Ratings
You might have seen different types of IP ratings on your devices. Ever wondered what these ratings are for? In this video, we will try to explain IP ratings to you so that you can find the best IP-rated device, considering which types of devices you need.
What Does IP Stand For?
- Ingress Protection: IP in this segment stands for Ingress Protection, or in some cases, International Protection.
- Importance: An IP rating is a level that describes how much dust or water your device can endure up to.
The Essence of IP Ratings
Now you can easily understand why this rating is so essential for your device. But all the IP ratings don’t really make your device dust or waterproof.
Levels of IP Ratings
- Range: There are a total of nine levels of IP ratings, which start from IPX0 to IPX8.
- Least Protection: If the device is not water-protected at all, the rating is given IPX0.
- Maximum Protection: And the device with maximum water ingressibility is rated with an IPX8.
Specifics of IP Ratings
Another thing you might find while looking for an IP rating is devices rated with IP5. If the device is rated with IP5, it can be called dust-proof, but not totally.
Dust Protection
- Partial Protection: With this rating, your device can indeed protect itself from dust, but somehow if dust gets inside the device, it might lack performance.
- Full Dust-Proof: That’s why to make your device fully dust-proof, you need to have an IP6 rating on your device.
Water Protection
The second symbol in the IP rating describes the level of protection against water ingress. The higher the number, the better the protection.
Choosing the Right IP Rating
- Daily Use: Most of the devices that we use frequently come with an IPX4 rating.
- For Workouts: IPX4 is the level where your device can protect itself from splashes and sweats.
For More Rigorous Activities
- Pool Parties/Beach Visits: But if you are having a pool party or tend to visit the beaches too often, you will need a fully waterproof device, which must be rated with IPX6, IPX7, or IPX8 rating.
Advanced Protection: Rugged Phones
Apart from these ratings, if you want to have extreme endurance, you can buy rugged phones that come with up to IP69K ratings. These rugged phones can survive from scorching heat to freezing cold.
Examples
- Ulefone Armor 9 -FLIR or Blackview BV9900 Pro: which is rated with IP69K, extreme dust and waterproofing to survive in extreme conditions.
Misconceptions and Truths
Many companies claim their tech product or even phone cases to be fully waterproof and mention that they have an IPX6 rating. A device with such a rating cannot be called waterproof, but as they mentioned already about the IP rating, you won’t be able to call them fraud. Instead, you just got tricked.
Conclusion: Making an Informed Choice
Now you know what shall be the ideal rating for your purpose. Choose your device according to that. This was all about the IP rating of the device that makes it dust and waterproof.