How to understand your IP rating

What do the IP ratings stand for?

It’s really simple once you know two things:

The “IP” stands for “ingress protection”. In other words, it stops things going inside. That’s it really.

The two numbers tell you how protected it is against solids and liquids. The first number is for solids, the second number for liquids. Again, that’s it.

As an example, our famous Diggit Bluetooth Outdoor Speaker has an IP55 rating, which makes it equally resistant to rainy weather, as well as bits of sand and grass.

So what is a good IP rating?

The first number (protects against solids like dust and sand) goes up to a maximum of 6. The second one (for liquids like water) reaches as high as 8.

As an example, our new Hive2o Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker boasts an IP67 rating. That means it has the highest possible rating for “complete protection against dust”, and the second highest liquids protection, which means it can be “submerged in 1m of water for up to 30 minutes”.

To put it into perspective, it has the same IP rating as the new iPhone XR

What does it mean when I see an “X”?

Sometimes you may see an “X” where the first number goes, such as “IPX7”. That just means it hasn’t been tested against dust and solids, which is not uncommon. But generally speaking gadgets are as dust proof as they waterproof. So don’t let the X scare you away.

So IP67 is waterproof then?

Well, technically strong ratings such as IP67 are more “ultra-water resistant”, as opposed to “completely waterproof”. But when the Hive2o Waterproof Speaker

can be submerged for up to half an hour in the middle of the swimming pool, then it’s plenty for holidays and beach days don’t you think?

We hope that’s answered your IP questions. We understand that tech jargon can sometimes be confusing, but we’re always here to offer a helping hand and to ensure you know your IP67 from your IP55.

Check out the Hive2o Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker now, and waterproof your music!