Low temperatures and frequent zone transitions can affect battery runtime, scanning performance and touchscreen usability. NetRay supplies cold-rated PDAs, industrial scanning, DWS and packing verification hardware for cold chain warehouses, freezer operations and temperature-controlled logistics.
Cold storage adds physics to every operational problem: low temperatures, condensation at zone transitions, and staff working in gloves and freezer suits. The recurring failures:
Standard lithium batteries lose capacity fast below freezing, so devices that last a full shift in ambient conditions can die mid-morning in the freezer.
Moving from sub-zero storage to an ambient dock coats the scan window and screen in condensation, and there are no reads until it clears.
Consumer and standard industrial devices cycled in and out of cold rooms fail early, so the device budget never stabilizes.
Pick lists and temperature logs stay on paper, filled in with gloves and typed into systems later, with errors creeping in at both ends.
Lot, expiry and temperature-zone data captured inconsistently, discovered during a client or regulatory audit.
Every extra minute at the dock is temperature exposure, and manual measuring and re-labeling stretch exactly that window.
A cold chain site is really three environments, and equipment that works in one fails in another. The fix is zone-appropriate hardware with data flowing to one system:
Select devices by their operating rating, not their storage rating. The EP030 is rated for operation down to −25°C and the K8 Cold down to −30°C. Applications below −30°C require separate equipment suitability confirmation.
Cold-rated where it must be, standard where it can be, with one data flow across zones:
Two cold storage PDA options for different freezer requirements: the NetRay EP030 (operating to −25°C) and the iData K8 Cold (operating to −30°C, with glove-mode touch and automatic scan-window and screen defog). Both are storage-rated to −40°C to 70°C. Built for freezer picking, putaway and stock counts.
Explore cold storage PDAs
Wired and wireless imagers at receiving and dispatch, so lot, expiry and order references are scanned instead of hand-written while product waits at the dock.
Explore scanners
Capture dimensions, weight and barcode for cartons and pallets at the ambient dock, recording billing and hand-off data in one pass and keeping cold-room exposure time short.
Explore DWS systems
W8 camera + PackEye records packing and dispatch activity, indexed by order or waybill reference, to support shipment investigations. Video records do not replace temperature monitoring or cold-chain compliance records.
Explore packing verificationTwo cold storage PDA models cover most freezer operations, each with a different operating range and feature set:
| Model | NetRay EP030 | iData K8 Cold |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Compact, keypad-led scanning | Glove-operated freezer & multi-zone workflows |
| Operating temp. | −25°C to 55°C | −30°C to 50°C |
| Storage temp. | −40°C to 70°C | −40°C to 70°C |
| OS / screen | Android 9 · 3.5-inch capacitive | Android 12 GMS · 4-inch IPS HD |
| Battery | 4900mAh, removable | 6700mAh, removable |
| Defog | Auto heating: scan window | Auto heating: scan window & screen |
| Protection | IP67 · 2.0m drop | IP68 · 1.8m drop |
Operating and storage ratings are different figures. The right model also depends on charging location, zone-transition frequency, WMS application and shift pattern.
Share your temperature zones, WMS environment, user count and current device problems. NetRay will recommend zone-appropriate hardware, no obligation.
