Deployment

Hazardous Areas & Industrial Radio

In a classified area the certificate is the product. Everything else is secondary.

Hazardous-area procurement runs in a different order from every other category on this site. The buyer is not comparing processors; the buyer's safety engineer is checking whether a certificate exists, whether that certificate carries the right Ex marking for the zone, and whether the marking on the device matches the document. A terminal that fails that check does not get rejected at the quote stage - it gets rejected at the gate, after the crew has already been told to expect it. We quote this line the way it will be audited: certificate first, configuration second, price third.

Who actually makes the purchase

Oil and gas, chemical and pharmaceutical plants, mining, grain handling, paint and coatings, and any site where a flammable atmosphere can be present during normal operation or during an upset.

Where these projects stall

Typical software in this stack

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The certificate is issued to a model, not to a category

Protection is granted to a specific manufacturer, model and build. A near-identical housing without the certification is a different product, and the difference is invisible in a photograph.

IP68 is not Ex

The most common and most expensive confusion in this category. Ingress protection answers whether water gets in. It says nothing about whether the device can ignite an atmosphere. A sealed device with a hot surface or an unsuppressed spark is still an ignition source.

Zone 1 and Zone 2 are not the same purchase

Zone 2 allows a lower protection level than Zone 1. Quoting a Zone 2 device into a Zone 1 area is a compliance failure, and quoting a Zone 1 device where Zone 2 suffices is money wasted on every unit.

Radio and certificate are specified separately

A site needs DMR on a specific band and Ex approval at the same time. Options that are available on the standard build are often not covered by the certified build, and that is discovered after the order.

The fleet is mixed and migrating

Analogue UHF, DMR digital and PoC often run side by side on one site for years. A handset that only speaks one of them leaves part of the crew off the talkgroup.

Usage scenario

How the work actually runs

In an explosive atmosphere the device is not judged on speed. It is judged on whether it can be carried in at all, and whether anyone will sign the permit that lets it through the gate.

Hazardous Areas & Industrial Radio — on site — ON SITEControl cabinet, diagnostics running on site

01Where the device sits in the zone

Workflow

Permit and entry logging — who is inside, and for how long.
Inspection rounds — readings, photos, defect notes.
Maintenance work orders — isolation, parts, sign-off.
Emergency drill and mustering — headcount against the tag list.
Incident reporting with photo and location evidence.

02Certification decides the model

Selection

ATEX / IECEx Zone 1 or Zone 2 handheld, intrinsically safe.
Non-incendive tablet for Zone 2 only — check the marking.
Accessories certified with the device, not added later.
Charging only in the safe area, with the matching dock.

03What the certificate does not tell you

Spec

The exact marking: gas group, temperature class, ambient range.
Whether the battery is the certified pack — swaps void the approval.
Whether the camera or scan module is covered by the certificate.
Which accessories are inside the approval and which are not.
What the site's own permit system will accept as evidence.

04What the pilot has to prove

Pilot

The certificate is accepted by the site safety officer.
The app runs on the certified build, with no third-party add-ons.
Glove operation in a suit and a mask.
Battery lasts the shift inside the zone.
A documented swap procedure that keeps the approval valid.

Data flow

How the information actually moves

This is the part that decides the device. Each step below has a different requirement for screen size, scan engine and connectivity.

01Zone and atmosphereZone 1 or Zone 2, gas group and temperature class established from the site's area classification drawing before any model is proposed.

02Certificate checkEx marking read off the certificate and matched to the zone, group and temperature class. Certificate number and notified body recorded on the quotation.

03Build and optionsOnly options covered by the certified build are offered. Anything outside it is quoted as a separate non-certified unit for use outside the classified area.

04Radio configurationDMR, analogue UHF or PoC configured to the customer's existing fleet so the handset joins the talkgroup on day one.

05Documentation and sparesCertificate copies, marking plate photographs and a spares path shipped with the order, because the audit happens again at the next inspection.

Reference deployments

Hazardous programmes we can talk about

Same workflow, same failure points, different scale. The kit column is what was actually deployed.

All deployments

8 h → 30 min Retail & apparel

Fashion chain, 200+ stores

Full stock-take of a two-floor store, done before opening instead of after closing.

UHF RFID handheld + fixed reader at the stockroom door

10 M parcels / day Parcel & logistics

Global logistics hub

Sortation reads at belt speed; no manual re-scan when a label is creased.

Pistol-grip UHF reader + vehicle terminal on the tug

1,800 spindles Production & MES

Smart textile mill

Spindle-level traceability replaces paper travellers on the spinning line.

Rugged tablet at the line + UHF handheld for the doff round

Hardware

Devices we quote for this deployment

BT-I16J

Windows · Tablets

10.1" Windows rugged tablet

FingerprintNFC2D scan

View specs

BH-I61J

Windows · Handhelds

6.5" Windows rugged handheld

Windows rugged panel PC

2D scanWindows

View specs

Questions we get

Before you ask

The questions that come up on almost every project in this sector, answered before the first call.

All questions

01Can we use an IP68 device in a classified area instead of an Ex-certified one?

No. Ingress protection and explosion protection are different standards answering different questions. IP68 says water and dust will not get inside; it says nothing about surface temperature, spark energy or current limitation. A sealed device can still be an ignition source. Any site with an area classification drawing will reject an IP68-only device regardless of how rugged it is.

02Why will you not print the Ex marking and certificate number on this page?

Because a hazardous-area certificate is issued to a specific manufacturer, model and build, and copying a number onto a web page without the certificate behind it is how wrong equipment ends up in a classified area. We supply the certificate document with the quotation so your safety engineer can verify the marking against the issuing body. If a supplier gives you an Ex number without a document, treat that as a reason to stop.

03What is the difference between Zone 1 and Zone 2 for this equipment?

Zone 1 is an area where a flammable atmosphere is likely during normal operation; Zone 2 is where it is unlikely and only present for a short time. The protection level required differs, and so does the price. We need the area classification before quoting, because quoting a Zone 2 device into Zone 1 is a compliance failure and quoting Zone 1 where Zone 2 suffices overspends on every unit.

04Can we get DMR and a barcode scanner on the certified build?

Only where the certified build covers them. Optional modules are frequently certified separately or not at all, and adding an uncertified module to a certified device voids the basis of the certification. Where an option is not covered, we quote it as a separate unit for use outside the classified area.

05Do you supply the radio side as well?

Yes. Several handsets on this line carry DMR digital, analogue UHF or PoC, and one carries 4 W across both VHF and UHF. Which one applies depends on the customer's existing fleet and on the national frequency allocation, so we confirm the band before quoting rather than after.

06Can you supply five units for a pilot?

Yes. A pilot is the normal entry point. We quote single units at sample pricing and support the pilot with spare parts on the same order — a spare battery and a cradle, not a pallet.

Zone 1, Zone 2 and the three variables that decide a hazardous-area purchase

IP68 is not Ex, a certificate is issued to a build rather than a family, and the radio is specified by a different team from the one buying the handset. A checklist for getting the order right the first time.

Running a hazardous project?

Send the workflow and the software stack. You will get two models and the caveats, not a catalogue.

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