What is MIL-STD-810?

MIL-STD-810 is a US Military Standard that defines a series of environmental tests, that simulate what a piece of equipment would need to endure during its its service life. Although the standard was  originally prepared for the US Military, it is often used for non-military equipment and has become a de-facto standard across the radio communications industry.

Essentially, a piece of equipment that has undergone MIL-STD-810 testing should be able to withstand a number of environmental extremes such as heat; cold; dust; salt fog; vibration and drop testing. 

The current version of the standard is MIL-STD-810G - though manufacturers will also state that their equipment has been tested against previous versions of the standard.

Motorola Solutions goes beyond simply testing for MIL-STD-810 and, many years ago, developed the Accelerated Life Test (simply known as ALT) procedure that simulates five years of hard use. ALT and MIL-STD-810 testing is carried out on an ongoing basis, or before a product reaches market: the first few (or a random sample) of a specific model - or accessory - is taken and tested to ensure ruggedness.

Having ALT and MIL-STD-810 tells the customer that the equipment to be purchased will last and can withstand daily use for years to come.