What does connectivity mean in potentially explosive environments?

Connectivity in hazardous areas means enabling devices, systems, and networks to exchange data safely and reliably through wired or wireless connections within potentially explosive atmospheres. It is not just about establishing a connection; it’s about suitable equipment, protection methods, installation practices, and compliance with requirements such as ATEX or IECEx. Find out more here.

Bringing clarity to connectivity in demanding environments

In industrial environments, many connectivity-related terms have been used for years, but they are often used interchangeably.

When these definitions become blurred, it can lead to confusion when designing, deploying, or evaluating wireless networks.

To avoid this, it’s important to clearly understand what each term refers to.

Below is a breakdown of some of the most commonly used connectivity terms for deploying wireless networks in hazardous areas, as well as what they mean in practice.

Wireless technologies and network types

4G – The fourth generation of cellular mobile network technology, commonly used for mobile broadband, industrial routers, IoT gateways, and remote connectivity. In practice, 4G is often associated with LTE (long-term evolution), the main technology family used to deliver 4G services.

Bluetooth / Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) – A short-range wireless technology used for device-to-device communication, beacons, asset tracking, personnel location, and mobile device connectivity. BLE is designed for low-power communication and  tends to be used where small amounts of data need to be exchanged over short distances.

LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) – A low-power technology used for long-range, low-data-rate IoT communications. It is generally used for sensors, asset tracking, and monitoring where long battery life and extended range are more important than high throughput.

Private 5G / LTE – A cellular network deployed for the dedicated use of an organization, site, or facility rather than shared as part of a public mobile network. Private LTE or 5G is often applied to industrial environments where mobility, coverage, control, security, and reliability are important.

Wi-Fi – A wireless local area networking technology based on the IEEE 802.11 standards, commonly used to connect devices to local networks and the internet over short to medium distances.

Wireless infrastructure and hardware

Access Point (AP) – A network device that provides wireless client access to a network, most commonly in Wi-Fi or WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) systems. An AP usually bridges wireless devices onto a wired connection such as an Ethernet network, although some APs may also use wireless backhaul.

Antenna – A component that transmits and/or receives radio waves using radio frequency (RF) signals. Antenna type, gain, placement, orientation, and surrounding environment all affect wireless coverage, range, and link quality.

Certified Equipment – Equipment that has been assessed and approved for use in hazardous areas according to relevant requirements such as ATEX or IECEx. Certification confirms suitability for specified zones, gas groups, combustible dusts, temperature classes, and protection concepts. In wireless deployments, certified equipment may include antennas, enclosures, gateways, routers, or associated protection equipment.

Gateway – A device or software function that connects different networks, systems, or protocols together. Within industrial wireless systems, a gateway may connect wireless field devices to Ethernet, cellular networks, cloud platforms, or control systems.

Router – A network device that forwards traffic between different networks and determines where data should be sent next. Routers may support Ethernet, Wi-Fi, cellular, VPNs, firewalling, failover, and redundancy features.

Network design, architecture, and topology

Backhaul – The connection that links access points, routers, gateways, or cellular radio equipment back to the main network, core network, or internet connection. Backhaul may be wired, such as Ethernet or fiber, or wireless, such as 5 GHz mesh, microwave, 4G/5G, or satellite. It may also be used as a resilient or redundant path.

Coverage – The area where a wireless signal is available at a usable level. Good coverage is not just about signal presence; it should also deliver the required throughput, latency, reliability, roaming behavior, and application performance.

Link Budget – A calculation of signal gains and losses across a wireless link to determine whether communication is likely to be reliable. It typically includes transmit power, antenna gain, cable loss, path loss, fading margin, receiver sensitivity, and required signal-to-noise ratio.

Mesh Networking – A network architecture where nodes can connect to one another and relay traffic through multiple possible paths. Mesh networking can extend coverage and improve resilience, but it may also introduce additional latency, complexity, and capacity constraints if not designed carefully.

Redundancy / Resilience – Design measures that help a network continue operating during failures, degradation, or unexpected conditions. Examples include dual WAN (Wide Area Network) links, cellular failover, redundant backhaul, multiple access points, diverse routes, backup power, and automatic failover.

Roaming – The ability of a client device to maintain or re-establish connectivity while moving between coverage areas or network nodes. In Wi-Fi this usually means moving between access points; in cellular networks it involves movement between cellular coverage areas.

Site Survey – The process of assessing a location to design, validate, or troubleshoot a wireless network. It may include RF measurements, coverage mapping, interference checks, antenna placement, throughput testing, roaming checks, and link budget validation.

RF environment and signal behavior

Bandwidth – The capacity of a communication channel. Within networking, it often refers to the maximum theoretical data rate of a connection, measured in bits per second. In RF engineering, t can also mean the width of spectrum used by a signal, measured in hertz, in RF engineering.

Interference – Unwanted RF energy or environmental effects that degrade wireless communication. Interference may come from other wireless systems, electrical equipment, physical obstructions, reflections, multipath, or competing devices using the same spectrum.

Signal Strength – The received power level of a wireless signal at a specific location, usually expressed in dBm. Stronger signal strength can help performance, but it does not guarantee a good connection if interference, noise, congestion, or poor signal quality are present.

Network performance and quality

Latency – The time delay between sending data and receiving a response or delivery confirmation. Latency is especially important for real-time communications, control systems, voice, video, and interactive applications.

Packet Loss – The percentage or number of data packets that fail to reach their destination. Packet loss can cause retransmissions, reduced throughput, poor voice/video quality, control delays, or application failures.

Throughput – The actual amount of useful data successfully transferred over a network in a given time. Throughput is real-world achieved performance, whereas bandwidth is the theoretical or available capacity.

Why these definitions matter

While these terms may seem straightforward, confusion arises when they are assumed to mean the same thing. Misunderstanding connectivity terminology can affect network planning, the selection of equipment, and hazardous area compliance decisions.

For example, coverage is often mistaken for performance. A site may have full signal coverage but still experience poor throughput or high latency because of interference or congestion.

The word connectivity can also mean different things depending on context. Some providers use it to describe SIM cards, airtime, or data subscriptions. In hazardous area wireless deployments, connectivity usually refers to the hardware, infrastructure, protection methods, and system design that ensure devices can communicate safely.

Enabling connectivity in hazardous areas

Our role is to enable safe and fit-for-purpose connectivity in some of the most challenging environments.

Hazardous area wireless enclosure solutions (iWAP & EXgate) – enabling standard wireless equipment and mobile devices in Zone 1 and Zone 2 hazardous areas by housing and protecting access points, radios, and gateways for compliant deployment. Learn more about our iWAP design principles here.

Antennas – including certified antennas and simple apparatus suitable for use with isolation technology, supporting flexible deployment in hazardous areas. Learn more about antenna selection here.

RF isolation technology (iSOLATE501) – intrinsically safe RF isolators that enable standard wireless equipment and non-certified (“simple apparatus”) antennas to be used in Zone 0, 1, and 2 hazardous areas by providing galvanic isolation and protection against electrical faults. Learn more about the product here.

Our connectivity solutions enable digitalization in hazardous areas through applications such as mobile worker and asset tracking, improving safety, efficiency, and real-time decision-making in the field.

Are you planning a wireless deployment in a hazardous area?

Contact our team to discuss your requirements.