Some information about ATEX and TIA4950 radio equipment.

Motorola Solutions produces portable two-way radios that are either ATEX or TIA4950 approved. 

It is not possible for a mobile radio or repeater to be intrinsically safe.

I sometimes get asked which one is better. Well the short answer is that it depends on where in the world you are and what your national regulations state. For example, in the EU, only ATEX radios can be used. In many countries, TIA4950 is sufficient but some non-EU countries and organisations in those countries require ATEX.

A TIA4950 radio is a standard radio which has been supplied with both an intrinsically safe battery and the certification. 

Although it will work, fitting a non-intrinsically safe battery to a TIA4950 radio will invalidate the radio safety.

If no audio accessory is used, the dust cover must always be fitted.

A TIA4950 radio can be identified by the markings on the chassis and radio housing as shown below.

Until 2015, Motorola Solutions also produced FM approved two-way radios. In that year, FMRC said that they were no longer going to certify radio communications equipment for FM3601-88. Because of this, Motorola Solutions continued to offer radio equipment certified according to TIA4950. Read more about the change here as well as here.

An ATEX rado uses a different design. The most notable difference is that the radio is blue (see below). To comply with the IEC EN60079 requirements, the transmit power is reduced to 1W. This radio also requires a different battery - the standard batteries will not fit this radio.

Note the <EX> logo.

Changing the battery in a hazardous area is considered unsafe. The radio must always be charged outside the hazardous area.

These radios can only be repaired by the manufacturer or an approved repair facility, which has been certified to carry out repairs to intrinsically safe equipment. If anyone else tries to repair these radios, it will invalidate the IEC EN60079; FM3601-88 or TIA4950 approval.