Updated on August 14, 2026
Ingress Protection (IP) rating is quite important in the AV industry, but its importance depends heavily on where and how the AV equipment is installed.
What is IP compliance?
The Ingress Protection (IP) rating, defined by IEC 60529, indicates how well an enclosure protects equipment against:
First digit: Solid objects/dust
Second digit: Water/moisture
For example:
Rating | Protection | Typical AV application |
|---|---|---|
IP20 | No water protection; basic finger/object protection | Indoor rack rooms, offices |
IP30 | Limited solid-object protection | Indoor electronics |
IP54 | Dust protected + water splash protection | Semi-outdoor AV |
IP55 | Dust protected + water jets | Outdoor equipment |
IP65 | Dust-tight + water jets | Outdoor displays, speakers, enclosures |
IP66 | Dust-tight + powerful water jets | Exposed outdoor AV |
IP67 | Dust-tight + temporary immersion | Special outdoor/wet applications |
IP68 | Dust-tight + continuous immersion conditions defined by manufacturer | Specialized underwater/wet installations |
Why is this important in AV?
1. Outdoor AV
This is probably the most obvious application.
Examples:
Outdoor LED walls
Digital signage
Outdoor displays
Outdoor speakers
PTZ cameras
AV-over-IP equipment in outdoor enclosures
Stadium AV
Theme parks
Outdoor hospitality systems
For example, specifying an IP65-rated loudspeaker instead of an indoor IP20 speaker can make a major difference in reliability.
2. Dust and construction environments
IP protection isn't only about rain.
AV equipment installed in:
Industrial facilities
Warehouses
Manufacturing plants
Mining environments
Transportation facilities
Construction sites
can be exposed to significant dust and particulate matter.
A normal indoor AV enclosure may allow dust to enter through ventilation openings, potentially affecting:
Fans → filters → power supplies → electronics → connectors → long-term reliability
This is particularly important for LED displays and outdoor digital signage, where dust accumulation can also affect thermal performance.
3. Humidity and moisture
Even when equipment isn't directly exposed to rain, environments such as:
Swimming pools
Spas
Marine environments
Coastal locations
Food-processing areas
Outdoor hospitality
can have high humidity or water exposure.
The AV professional should therefore consider IP rating together with corrosion protection, rather than treating IP rating as the complete environmental specification.
4. Safety and project compliance
This is where IP compliance becomes particularly important for professional AV design.
If a project specification says: "All equipment installed outdoors shall be minimum IP65."
Then installing an IP20 product inside an improvised box isn't automatically equivalent.
You need to consider:
Enclosure rating
Cable glands
Connectors
Cable entries
Ventilation
Door seals
Mounting orientation
Drainage
Condensation
UV exposure
Temperature
Corrosion
The complete installed assembly must maintain the required environmental protection.
5. IP rating should be part of the AV design specification
For professional AV projects, I would recommend adding an Environmental Requirements section to the equipment specification.
For example:
Outdoor AV equipment: Minimum IP65 enclosure protection, UV-resistant construction, suitable operating temperature range, corrosion-resistant hardware, and weatherproof cable entry system.
For indoor equipment:
Indoor AV equipment: Minimum IP20 unless otherwise specified.
For particularly harsh environments, IP rating alone isn't enough. You may need additional requirements such as NEMA enclosure rating, IK impact rating, corrosion resistance, operating temperature and humidity limits. (This can be change according to local infrastructure rules and regulations standard of the region)
One important point for AV Professionals
IP rating is not the same as weatherproofing.
For example, an IP65 device may be:
Dust-tight
Protected against water jets
but that doesn't automatically mean it is suitable for:
Direct sunlight
Extreme heat
Salt air
Condensation
Freezing temperatures
UV exposure
Physical impact
So, an AV specification should ideally consider: IP + IK + UV + temperature + humidity + corrosion + installation environment.
There are several common myths about IP (Ingress Protection) ratings across the general industry, and some of them are particularly dangerous in AV, lighting, automation, and outdoor installations.
Myth | Reality |
|---|---|
1. “Higher IP always means better.” | ❌ Not necessarily. IP68 isn't automatically better than IP65 for every application. You should select the rating based on the actual environment. |
2. “IP65 means waterproof.” | ❌ IP65 means dust-tight + protection against water jets. It does not mean the equipment can be submerged. |
3. “IP67 can be used underwater permanently.” | ❌ IP67 generally covers temporary immersion under specified test conditions. Continuous immersion is a different requirement. |
4. “IP68 means it can go anywhere underwater.” | ❌ IP68 conditions are manufacturer-defined. Depth and duration must be specified by the manufacturer. |
5. “IP rating protects against humidity.” | ❌ IP testing primarily addresses ingress of solids and water under defined conditions. High humidity, condensation and corrosion require additional consideration. |
6. “IP65 equipment doesn't need weatherproof connectors.” | ❌ The complete installation must maintain the required protection. An IP65 enclosure with an unsealed cable entry can compromise the installation. |
7. “IP rating protects against heat and sunlight.” | ❌ IP doesn't tell you about UV resistance, operating temperature, thermal management or solar radiation. |
8. “IP rating means impact resistance.” | ❌ IP and IK ratings are different. IK addresses mechanical impact protection. |
9. “IP rating means corrosion resistance.” | ❌ An IP65 enclosure can still corrode in a coastal/salt-air environment. Material and corrosion protection need separate specifications. |
10. “Any IP65 enclosure is suitable outdoors.” | ❌ Outdoor suitability also depends on UV, temperature, condensation, drainage, corrosion, cable glands and installation method. |
11. “If the device is IP rated, the whole system is protected.” | ❌ The weakest component can compromise the system—connectors, glands, cables, junction boxes and mounting interfaces matter. |
12. “IP rating is only important for outdoor equipment.” | ❌ IP can be important in industrial, dusty, humid, food-processing, pool, marine and other indoor environments too. |