You buy a rugged tablet for the conditions
A rugged tablet costs more than an ordinary one in a case. You earn that difference back where equipment genuinely drops, gets wet or freezes — and nowhere else. This page says where that line sits.
What the numbers on the datasheet mean
They are all printed there and rarely used to choose. These four decide whether a device survives the place.
- IP ratingTwo digits: the first for dust, the second for water. IP65 means dust-tight and resistant to a jet of water; IP68 is about immersion. For a production hall or outdoor work this is the first number to look at.
- Drop heightExpressed in metres, and measured onto a defined surface. A tablet surviving 1.2 metres is not the same as one that does it onto concrete; the datasheet says which.
- Operating temperatureFor a freezer cell or outdoor work in winter this is decisive. Batteries lose capacity in the cold, and a device not built for that temperature switches off halfway through the shift.
- Operation with gloves and in the rainAn ordinary touchscreen does neither. This is a property of the screen and not of the casing, so a rugged tablet does not have it automatically.
When which device
Three levels of ruggedness, and the question of when you need none of them.
Zebra ET range — business tablets
Sturdier than a consumer tablet and manageable as a company device. For shop floor, healthcare and indoor work where the device occasionally drops.
Zebra L10 range — fully rugged
For outdoor work, transport and production: high IP rating, large drop height, glove operation and a battery that can be swapped without powering down.
Dell Latitude Rugged — Windows in the field
When the application needs Windows and does not run in a browser: inspection, engineering, measurement equipment. Heavier and with the ports a tablet does not have.
An ordinary tablet in a case
For office, meeting room and reception this is the right answer, and then a rugged tablet is wasted money. We would rather say that than supply the more expensive device.
How you buy it from us
The same device can be ordered anywhere. What comes with it differs, and that is where the money and the time sit.
- Buy or rentFor equipment that lasts years, buying is usually better value; with fluctuating numbers or a season, renting is calmer. The same equipment either way — the choice is about your situation and not about the product.
- Delivered ready to useConfigured, registered in management and tested before it ships. At larger volumes sorted per site or per user and delivered straight to the address.
- Warranty and replacement handledWe handle the warranty instead of sending you to a service number, and we track which serial number sits where and when cover ends. Where downtime costs money directly, we supply pre-configured spares.
- The old equipment goes back with usCollected, wiped to the standard and disposed of with certification, and you get the certificate. That belongs to the lifecycle and not to a separate job afterwards.
Lead time depends on the model and on the manufacturer. We quote the term the manufacturer gives and report it the moment it shifts, rather than naming a date that sounds good. Call +31 85 060 9347 or email info@itproposal.com.
See also
What this connects to.
Questions we get about this
The ones that come up most, answered briefly.
When do I need a rugged tablet?
When the device genuinely drops, gets wet or freezes — and otherwise not. For office, meeting room and reception an ordinary tablet in a case is the right answer, and then a rugged tablet is wasted money.
What do IP65 and IP68 mean?
The first digit is about dust, the second about water. IP65 is dust-tight and resistant to a jet of water; IP68 is about immersion. For a production hall or outdoor work this is the first number to look at.
Tell us what you need, we work it out
Quantity, use and where it has to go. The model follows from that, and the quote follows from the model — with the lead time the manufacturer is giving at that moment.
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