Case Study: Juniper Systems Archer 4 rugged Android handheld part of tech equipment on Meso-American Barrier Reef System expedition
When the going gets tough, bumpy, wet and salty, 
you need a rugged, waterproof mobile computer that you can really, really rely on, always
(by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer -- photography by Carol Cotton)
At RuggedPCReview.com, we have been examining, testing, benchmarking and generally pushing rugged mobile computing technology to its very limits for over two decades.
Much of that happens in our offices, grounds and testing lab, but not all. To know how the rugged handhelds, tablets and laptops we're testing hold up out there in the field, we take them there and put them to work. This includes product review trips to challenging field locations, and we also regularly participate in scientific expeditions and explorations to some of the roughest places on earth.
The latter have included expeditions to arctic as well as antarctic regions and locations, to land-based and marine nature and wildlife preserves such as the Silver Banks off the coast of the Dominican Republic where the humpback whales congregate, and to various other remote, demanding places. What all those venues have in common is that the electronic equipment you take along in support of those missions must be functional and capable of getting the job done under very trying conditions. And, most importantly by far, that equipment must not break or fail, and it must not ever let you down.
That sounds like a tall and often almost impossible order, and it is. But it's really no different from workforces using gear out there in the field and on the job, away from the safety of an office and in places where things get dropped, soaked, crushed or exposed to nasty tuff. The bottomline is that it must not fail. And for an October 2024 excursion to Central America where we'd spend most of our time on dive boats, we needed a handheld computer that could handle a couple of weeks on the boat, on the ocean.
This trip was mostly dedicated to marine research and documentation of the Meso-American barrier reef system. And for that, among lots of other equipment, a rugged handheld computer was on our list. One that was fully dust- and waterproof, lightweight, easy to use, with extensive software support, and — very important — the ability to handle salt water and salt spray, sand, rough handling among all those heavy scuba tanks, as well as, probably, full immersion in the sea, both unintended and intended.
The image below shows the beauty of the Meso-American barrier reef. That's the way it still is today in many places along the reef. The question is for how much longer it can last? It is a magical underwater landscape full of life and beauty, something that only few people ever see in person, something that is essential to the kind of healthy marine ecosystem that surrounds islands, guards coastlines, and provides a habitat to a vast variety of underwater wildlife. But can it survive? We've seen it decline over the years. There are mounting threats to its very existence. It's part of our mission to document what all is down there under the waters, and alert the public and our readership to parts of the planet that few ever see, and how it is all affected by human activity.
The Meso-American Barrier Reef
The Meso-American Barrier Reef System, also known as the Great Mayan Reef, is the largest coral reef system in the Western Hemisphere and the second largest on the planet, right after Australia's Great Barrier Reef. It is a marine region that stretches almost 700 miles along the coasts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. The reef hosts over 500 species of fish, is the home of about 70 types of stony corals, and it is a habitat for endangered species such as loggerhead and hawksbill turtles, manatees and many others. In addition, the reef protects coastlines, is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, and supports industries such as fishing and tourism. But is now threatened by climate change, destructive overfishing, and untreated wastes from agriculture, dumping, and coastal development.
The island of Roatan, where we conducted our work, is one of the Honduran Bay Islands that also include Guanaja, Utila and a few dozen much smaller ones. Measuring less than 50 square miles, the lush and heavily forested island is said to have been visited by Columbus on his fourth voyage 1502-1504 and later explored by other Spanish conquistadors as well as pirates. The island eventually operated as a British Crown Colony until it became part of Honduras in 1858. 
Relatively sparsely developed, the island was discovered by scuba divers starting in the 1980s and 90s, and has been seeing increasing development and migration from mainland Honduras ever since.
In 1997, Honduras established the Bay Island National Marine Park as a protected area. In 2005, a non-profit — the Roatan Marine Park — was created to curb illegal fishing, seagrass removal and mangrove cutting, and work on coral restoration and similar projects. Marine Park staff is also educating local communities about marine conservation and slowing the loss of biodiversity caused by increasing cruise ship traffic and rapidly advancing island development and population growth.
RuggedPCReview staff has conducted equipment testing, reef condition documentation, as well as photography and videography on Roatan for almost two decades now. This includes a combined total of well over 100 boat trips, many hundreds of dives, and capturing the Meso-American barrier reef status in thousands of images and extensive video footage.
In the process, we saw and recorded a lot of good. Gorgeous hard and soft coral of all kinds, sponges, sea fans, symphonies of shapes and colors, life and vitality that is a sight to behold, and something that far too few humans ever get to see. For if more people saw that magical world underwater, they'd know what we may be about to lose, wondrous landscapes — seascapes — like the ones below.
But over the years we've seen disturbing trends, ugly signs that it already may be too late. Infectious desease can decimate coral in just weeks, as can temperature peaks and rising average temperatures. Algae can cover and smother coral and sponges until they and break and die. Invasive species, such a lionfish, can wipe out indigenous fish populations. Below is how the reefs and walls now look in many places — broken, overgrown by algae, decaying, dying.
The current project
In October 2024 we got a chance to return to Honduras for another round of rugged product reviews and and compiling an update to our Meso-American Barrier Reef image and video database.
High on our list of what we needed in our latest equipment roster was a modern rugged handheld that could stand up to travel, rough handling, (inevitably) getting dropped, and, especially, handle sand and water, and salt water at that. Because there would be lots of that at our scuba dive camp location on Roatan.
As part of our equipment roster, such a device was going to take up residence in the dive lockers by the dock, and it was going to accompany us on the dive boats from which we'd conduct our daily dives, usually three or four depending on weather and assignments. We would use it for as many functions as possible in order to give it a complete workout.
In the past, we mostly used laptops for much of this work. What held us back was that we couldn't take big, non-rugged, non-waterproof laptops on the boat, but we did use them indoors as servers and general computing devices. Microsoft Windows, of course, as well as Macintosh computers remain the major platforms in today's business world. There are numerous applications where there's really no alternative to Windows with its industrial-strength servers, file systems and management, its wealth of standard professional applications, its universal IT support, as well as its integration to the Azure cloud infrastructure.
But more and more things are moving to handhelds and small tablets, and there it's either iOS or Android, and an entirely different world. "There's an app for that" was the theme of an old Apple iPhone TV commercial back in 2009. And now there are about three million Android apps and two million iOS apps! There's indeed an app for almost everything, and that makes it easy to quickly find inexpensive apps for any job, far easier than for Windows. And that's why handhelds and tablets have become ever more important to our field work.
As far as specific ruggedness testing goes, we didn't plan on running the proverbial tank over the chosen device. Nor would we take it on deep dives for which such devices are obviously not designed for, nor would we actively trying to destroy it. We would, however, take it on the job, and it would not get preferential treatment. That meant salt spray and salt water on the boat every day. It meant sitting unattended and unprotected on a dive boat in the sun, together with several dozen scuba tanks and all sort of other heavy scuba gear. It meant sand, lots of it.
Since it would spend a lot of time on boats, it would have to be an IP68-rated device, which means it'd be rated capable of handling up to five feet underwater for an hour or so without any damage. It might get dunked in sea water, and we planned on attempting underwater video, which is absolutely not a natural for any touchscreen device.
The Juniper Archer 4 rugged Android handheld
In the end, what we decided on was the Archer 4 webpage rugged Android handheld from Juniper Systems. The Archer 4 looks just like a modern smartphone in a case, except that here the protective case isn't a case; it's a well protected housing. The Archer 4 has a big 6.3-inch screen with the very high (over 400 pixels per square inch) resolution everyone has come to expect from modern smartphones. 
The Archer 4 is fully IP68-sealed, feels extremely solid and well protected, has passed all the requisite US military MIL-STD tests, yet the device is barely larger or heavier than a modern iPhone or Android smartphone.
What closed the deal? Part was the process of elimination. We ruled out using our personal smartphones. As much as we all love our own personal phones, and as good as some of the protective smartphone cases are, consumer smartphones simply aren't designed to take much abuse. Plus, half of our lives are on our smartphones these days -- you don't want to put that at risk. Why Android over Apple? Because there are no rugged Apple devices. Why not something that's inherently part of the gigantic Microsoft electronic ecosystem? Because Microsoft, sadly, left the mobile space many years ago. It remains a mystery why a gargantuan company like Microsoft with all of its massiveresources and expertise couldn't make it in mobile hardware nor software, even though they were early pioneers in both.
On the hardware side, we wanted something small and handy, and the Archer 4 is. Plus, the Archer had something that few rugged IP68-sealed handhelds offer: a USB-C port that doesn't need a rubber plug! Given that most devices are now charged through their USB ports and have no other ports, having to pry open one of those pesky, cumbersome little plugs every day for charging or connecting cables is simply unacceptable, especially since the plugs almost inevitably fail. Juniper, unlike most of their competition, thought that through and came up with a USB-C port solution that needs no protective plug even in an IP68 device.
As for general specs, the Archer 4 measures 6.85 x 3.35 inches, is about 0.6 inches thick, and weighs 11.5 ounces. Those numbers are all just a tad more than a modern "big screen" smartphone like the Apple 16 Pro Max. Since the Archer 4 was designed as a tool for work, it has a replaceable battery so that users can just put in a fully charged spare should the battery run out in the middle of work (when we later tested the Archer 4 in our lab, it ran over 18 hours on a charge in the PC Mark for Android Battery test, and Juniper also offers an extended battery with almost twice the capacity, just in case). The Archer 4 comes with Android 14 GMS, where the "GMS" stands for Google Mobile Services, i.e. all the Google apps like Gmail, Chrome, Maps, Photos, etc., apps that everyone uses and is familiar with.
There's 8GB of RAM, which is a lot for an Android handheld, 128GB of storage, plus however much extra you add via a MicroSDXC card. The 1080 x 2280 pixel display is protected via Gorilla Glass 5. There are two programmable physical buttons, which can come in very handy. Not important for our mission, but definitely required in many field work applications, there are optional bolt-on expansion "pods" for the Archer 4, such as scanning or dedicated GNSS. And there's also Juniper's Allegro Wireless Keyboard, a large numeric as well as alphanumeric keyboard handle that you can snap an Archer 4 (or other smartphone-style handhelds) onto.
The Archer 4 is, without needing a protective case, inherently way more robust than any consumer smartphone. And while these days, many premium smartphones are also IP68-rated, the difference is that Juniper generally does test its IP68-rated gear for two hours at about five feet of water. With a consumer phone, you never know, and we've actually had some spectacular sealing failures even with "rugged" phones.
The role of computers in diving and marine documentation
Different types of computers play major roles in dive expeditions and marine exploration. You see smartphones, tablets, laptops, even desktops, and also panel computers built into boats. Then there are dive computers. Those are crucial life support equipment for scuba divers and very different from anything used above water. Dive computers are both very simple in terms of technology, but they are incredibly reliable and incredibly tough. 
They have to be, because divers' life and safety depend on their sensors and the complex math in their software. Once back up from a dive, logs from wrist- or console-mounted dive computers are uploaded into land-based computers for analysis, documentation and planning. On the right is a look at the an underwater screen of a ScubaPro G2 dive computer.
Scuba diving is an equipment-intensive activity where there is no margin for error. When exploring near-vertical walls a hundred feet below the surface, divers rely on their tanks and regulators for air to breathe and for their buoyancy compensators to keep from sinking into the abyss or ascending too fast and risking air embolisms or other life-threatening conditions. Scuba divers must learn the complex physics of diving and how to use dive computers to plan maximum exposure to water pressure at depth, keep track of remaining bottom time, stay within ascension rates, monitoring remaining air, and perform decompression stops.
Perhaps the most crucial task of modern wrist-worn dive computers is to integrate and process all pertinent information to prevent nitrogen bubbles from forming inside the human body as the diver ascends and the nitrogen gas that was absorbed in the body under increasing pressure re-expands. The human body includes many different tissue types, some of which, like cartilage and bone, absorb nitrogen very slowly whereas others, like lung tissue, absorb and release nitrogen much more quickly. Dive computers use mathematical models to calculate nitrogen on and off-gassing in these multiple tissue groups, tracking safe absorption and expulsion.
The image below shows my backup dive computer, an Uwatec Galileo SOL, that on its main screen displays pertinent data such as tank pressure, the type of air mixture, the maximum dive depth for this mix as well as my ID number for DAN, the Divers Alert Network.
Dive computers used to work in conjunction with software on desktop or laptop computers, often via infrared connection, which has almost completely been replaced by Bluetooth. This usually meant divers had to go back to camp or cabins to upload their dive computer data, then analyze their dive data, and fill out their dive logs. There could be hours of lag between dives and recording them in logs, often forgetting observations and valuable data and detail.
How the Archer 4 worked out
So how did the Archer 4 work out for us? Sometimes, getting used to test equipment, finding the proper role for them, integrating them into the workflow, and just generally put them to good use isn't all that easy. The Archer 4, on the other hand, simply fit in right from the start. Maybe that's, in part, because it looks, feels, and work so much like a modern smartphone. And also because it runs Android. Literally billions of people know how to use Android.
One way we used the Archer 4 was to log our dives. Logging dives is important. In the past, divers used paper logbooks with waterproof pages. Those worked okay, but the books are bulky and you can't "search" paper like you can a database or app on a computer. The ScubaPro LogTRAK software we used runs on Android (as well as on iOS, MacOS and Windows), which made it super-easy to transfer data from the dive computer to LogTRAK on the Archer 4 via Bluetooth after each dive. That way, we could peruse the dive data, enter commentary and, depending on what dive cameras we had with us, add underwater pictures right into LogTRAK after each dives. Below are four screen shots of LogTRAK screens off the Archer 4.
Unlike older software that was pretty much confined to one laptop or desktop, app data is generally cloud-based. So the several dozen dives we each wirelessly transferred from our dive computers into LogTRAK on the Archer 4 instantly became accessible from LogTRAK on our other computing gear, or later LogTRAK on our desktops back in the office.
One of the best things of modern smartphones is the incredible wealth of apps available for them. There's an app literally for everything, which is so different from the traditional Windows ecosystem that is generally limited to costly "real" software rather than handy little apps. We used several ship tracker apps on the Archer 4, as well as the Marine Traffic app to assess the volume and density of maritime traffic around Roatan and, especially, in the protected marine park area. The amount of traffic is quite shocking, and there is no doubt that it contributes to the demise of coral reefs.
We live in a connected world these days, and the extent of that connectivity can be quite amazing. Between the Archer 4's onboard connectivity (fast Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth 5.2, dual nano-SIMs and optional 5G mobile broadband (which we didn't have in our unit), mobile hotspots, WhatsApp, and local Wi-Fi, constant connectivity felt completely seamless, even when on the water. Being able to follow where, exactly, you are on a boat trip is terrific. And especially so when you go to locations small enough to not even be visible on satellite maps.
Another area where we heavily used the Archer 4 was for image and video storage and transfer. For that we used the PhotoSync app that also is available for Android, iOS, Windows and MacOS. While transferring files between rivaling operating systems can be tricky, PhotoSync makes it easy.
A day with sharks
One of the questions we had was to what extent coral and reef condition varied with proximity to land and developed areas. To get a better idea, we scheduled a long boat ride all the way to the west end of the island of Roatan and out to Pigeon Cay. We'd get in three dives along the way, farther off the shore and in less travelled areas. On this excursion, the Archer 4 served as a mapping and location tool as well as the primary camera.
We remembered Pigeon Cay as an exceedingly charming tiny island back in 2016, and were looking forward to another visit. Sadly, Pigeon Cay was no more; only some dead brush was still there. Whether its demise was due to natural shifting and erosion, or if the sea level had indeed risen enough in a short eight years to wipe out the fragile little island is unclear. The image below shows Pigeon Cay in October 2016 (top) and eight years later (bottom).
What was, however, still there were sharks. It was as if they had been waiting for us. They were "only" nurse sharks, a generally quite docile variant, though they can get to be up to ten feet long or more.
The ones that mobbed our dive boat, though, weren't very big and so we went into the water with them, snorkeling around. These pictures were all taken with the Archer 4.
Archer 4 in and under water
The IP68-rated Archer 4 is sealed against dust and liquids as completely as it gets for anything other than dedicated underwater electronics. The Archer 4 can survive more than just the occasional downpour or drop into a puddle, or even accidental full immersion. But even IP68 doesn't mean a device is waterproof the way a dive computer is totally waterproof, or an underwater camera. And saltwater (or salt fog and spray) really isn't kind to electronics at all.
However, we had the Archer 4 on the dive boat every day, and that means it frequently got soaked. But since IP68 means that a device has passed the requisite lengthy full immersion test, we figured we'd check that out ourselves. With its camera running. We did that from the dive boats and also from kayaks.
Below is the result — the Archer 4, recording fully immersed in salty ocean water, looking down at coral heads and sea grass.
We took the Archer 4 a bit deeper, maybe six or seven feet, looking down at a scuba diver and the reef. Standard touch screens, of course, aren't meant to be operated underwater, and the camera isn't designed to focus or white balance-correct underwater. But the Archer 4 passed that test with flying color. We simply gave it a good rinse back on dry land afterwards. No harm done, none at all.
The next set of pictures below were all taken with the Archer 4's camera. It has a 48-megapixel imager, which makes for insanely high resolution. We don't know its origin, but it seems to be a "quad-pixel" imager, the kind where four tiny pixels either operate independently for 48mp images, or four of them are "binned" together, which results in 12mp images. The idea is that this approach improves low-light performance by bundling four individual pictures for better light capture. In optimal conditions (plenty of light, camera completely steady), all 48mp are used for a very high resolution image. We didn't explore this in full detail, but the Archer 4 is certainly capable of taking some very good pictures (see below).
Ruggedness
After all is said and done, we ARE still RuggedPCReview.com, which means we analyse, test, and comment on, ruggedness. We never willfully destroy a device, but we may test what the marketing materials and specs say it can handle. So our test Archer 4 was dropped, did tumble, fell into puddles, was bounced around in a saltware tidal pool for half an hour, (and later, back home, also survived ice and snow). After all that, the Archer 4 was none the worse for wear.
Bottomline
The overall verdict: the Archer 4 rocks. We can't say it any other way. It is a very different device from earlier versions of the Archer product line. Those older models were designed specifically for the field and for a fairly narrow range of vertical market applications. They were absolutely bullet-proof but didn't have the ease of use of consumer tech, and they didn't have the very wide application potential of the new Archer 4.
This new Juniper Archer is different. It represents a complete break from the earlier design philosophy. It presents all the goodness of a state-of-the-art Android smartphone packed into a remarkably light and slender package without giving up any ruggedness. It's probably the best implementation of this concept — merging leading-edge Android smartphone tech with full ruggedness and vertical market features such as replaceable battery, bolt-on options, physical buttons, etc., — available today. And best of all, the Archer 4 simply works, always. It never once let us down. – Conrad H. Blickenstorfer, March 2025
MORE INFO:
Juniper Archer 4 webpage
Juniper Archer 4 spec sheet
Full review of the Juniper Archer 4
Juniper Systems OEM/Customization options
Juniper Allegro Wireless Keyboard
Juniper Systems Get Rugged blog
