If like us you want smart home tech everywhere including the garden you need to understand IP rating. This is a UK guide however these are international standards.
IP rating or ingress protection to give it is full name tells you the effectiveness of the enclosure from moisture and foreign bodies.
Think of it like this – if it’s going outside do you want the enclosure to allow in moisture and dust?
No!
Therefore, it needs a good IP rating.
What do IP ratings mean?
You will find the number on any tech that claims to be ‘splash proof’ or ‘waterproof’ or ‘outdoor’, for example IP 45.
The number is two digits, the first refers to the intrusion protection. Each offering a different level of protection:
- No protection
- Protection from a large part of the body such as a hand (but no protection from deliberate access); from solid objects greater than 50mm in diameter.
- Protection against fingers or other object not greater than 80mm in length and 12mm in diameter.
- Protection from entry by tools, wires etc, with a diameter of 2.5 mm or more.
- Protection against solid bodies larger than 1mm (eg fine tools/small etc).
- Protected against dust that may harm equipment.
- Totally dust tight.
The second number refers to the moisture protection, again each offering different levels of protection.
- No protection.
- Protection against condensation
- Protection against water droplets deflected up to 15° from vertical
- Protected against spray up to 60° from vertical.
- Protected against water spray from all directions.
- Protection against low pressure water jets (all directions)
- Protection against strong water jets and waves.
- Protected against temporary immersion.
- Protected against prolonged effects of immersion under pressure.
This should now gives you enough information to understand where you can put your tech!
Disclaimer: If unsure please speak to an electrician or where you are buying the tech from – we are not electricians just geeks 🙂