Kathrin Geisler discusses new developments for safe communication in potentially explosive areas.
In all industrial sectors, workers are facing major challenges to keep up with the transformation processes. Of course, it’s not only machines and processes that need to be adapted to the new challenges; but also the end devices used. Particularly for applications in potentially hazardous areas such as those found in the oil & gas sector, there are many additional hurdles to overcome. Numerous standards and safety concepts must be adhered to, but users must also be provided with an up-to-date and user-friendly device. With its new smartphone innovation, the German company i.safe Mobile has managed to fulfil all these requirements and is entering a new era.
The i.safe Mobile R&D team has developed the IS540.1, a new innovation for use in hazardous areas. Its makers believe it to be the world’s first ATEX and IECEx Zone 1/21-approved smartphone with Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, a 6in display and broadly supported 5G frequency bands. With the Qualcomm QCM6490, IS540.1 users get a future-proof mobile device with robust 5G connectivity, advanced camera quality and multimedia capabilities.
The high-performance chipset has powerful artificial intelligence and computing capabilities that can handle demanding applications without compromising on power efficiency. The 48MP main camera ensures the highest image quality. When it comes to secure communication (also for push-to-talk over cellular use) in noisy industrial environments, users can always rely on the amplified speaker. Thanks to Android 12 and the high-end processor, the smartphone enables users to process data quickly, which is essential for predictive maintenance tasks, for example. The available accessories can be securely connected via a 16-pin ISM interface, such as a barcode scanner or audio accessories. The IS540.1 supports standards such as NFC, Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6.
Supporting 5G
With the new smartphone development, i.safe Mobile fully supports the 5G standard, which is increasingly becoming established for company-internal campus networks (stand-alone networks) and, therefore, also in the ex-areas of companies. The 5G standard primarily enables the integration and consolidation of complex workflows and the networking of employees, machines and processes. Maintenance, remote monitoring and the evaluation of process data in industrial environments requires fast data transmission and processing. In the 5G network, these can be transmitted many times faster than was previously possible in 4G networks.
All i.safe Mobile devices are precisely tailored to the requirements of customers in demanding industries. The company incorporates all international standards in its product development. Within the scope of development consulting for explosion protection, i.safe Mobile engineers support other companies as partners. In this way, cross-sector knowledge is continuously growing and guarantees high-quality communication technology at the latest technical level.
Kathrin Geisler is with isafe Mobile
