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Rugged Tablets in the Cold

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In winter or cold climates, ice and snow won’t be the only thing that may pose as a problem to your tablets. If you work out in the field, consumer grade technology, designed for stable and indoor climates, won’t last long in the frigid environment. The wrong equipment can lead to damaged or ruined hardware, lengthy downtime, increased total cost of ownership, and unproductive workers - ultimately resulting in lost potential revenue. That's where enterprise grade, rugged tablets come in.

Engineered to Excel in Extreme Temperatures

low Temperature performance

Rugged tablets are designed to handle more drastic temperature swings than their consumer counterparts, allowing them to work in the cold environments where consumer-grade tablets would fail, making them reliable for use in environments such as outdoor construction sites, cold storage facilities, and winter field operations. MobileDemand's xTablet T1690 rugged tablet is certified to operate in temperatures as low as -4°F (-20°C), while most consumer grade tablets' lowest operating temperature is only 32°F (0°C).

Water and snow resistant

Beyond just powering up in cold conditions, a tablet must be resilient to other elements commonly associated with cold weather. Where there’s cold, there’s usually snow, and where there’s snow, there’s water. With sealed ports and IP65 ratings, melting snow and ice won’t damage your tablet, preventing costly downtime. 

Battery Performance

Batteries in rugged tablets are often designed to perform better in cold temperatures, where standard batteries might drain quickly or fail.

Touchscreen usability 

 When temperatures drop below freezing, nobody wants to remove their gloves to operate a touchscreen. With consumer technology, the only solution to this is a stylus, but with rugged tablets, many have touchscreens that function with gloves. 

Cold Weather Vehicle Mounting

If you plan on mounting your tablet to a vehicle like a snowmobile, skid loader, or tractor, it will be unlikely that a consumer tablet will be able to withstand the vibrations of these machines. Rugged tablets are put through vibrations tests and have various mounting solutions that make it easy to attach it to nearly any vehicle.

When operating in cold environments, rugged tablets offer significant advantages over their consumer-grade counterparts. Their ability to handle extreme temperature variations, resistance to water and dust, glove-friendly touchscreens, and vibration resilience make them ideal for challenging winter conditions. By choosing the right devices suited to these environments, businesses can expect increased productivity and profitability while simultaneously reducing TCO and downtime.