Your job takes you places… Remote places that don’t give you access to the same power and Wi-Fi that most people take for granted.

Maybe your job brings you into an open-pit mine. Or your job site is the wide-open air of a boat or an offshore oilrig. In any case, one thing is clear: Your technological needs go well beyond the average user’s needs.

You have a tough job and you work in tough environments. Here are 4 pieces of technology that were built for people like you.

1. A Rugged Laptop

You don’t have time to baby your laptop, or worry about it getting wet or dirty. You need a laptop that can take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’. You also need a laptop/tablet screen that works in high or direct sunlight.

Most of the standard retail stores aren’t going to be much good to you. You need a company that specializes in rugged laptops. For example, Small PC builds computers for the military and the fire department.

They know that a rugged laptop needs to be completely waterproof, while operating with no moving parts or fan.

2. A Walkie-Talkie / Two-Way Radio

The long drive, flight, or boat ride to your job site often means you leave any sort of cell service far behind you. You could also be facing elevation changes, dense forests or other physical barriers that make standard cell phones useless. That’s where walkie talkies will help you to stay connected with your peers

Satellite phones are often the only effective way to stay connected to people back in civilization. However, walkie-talkies and two-way radios are typically the best solutions for crews and teams to stay in touch with each other on site.

Any employee without a lifeline to other people is facing a serious health/ injury risk. You need to invest in reliable technology with a good range and a strong battery life to ensure their safety.

3. A Wireless Hard Drive

With no (or limited) internet access, you can’t exactly share a Dropbox link with a co-worker to share a file. Also, USB sticks and flash drives are often too flimsy for these job sites.

You need something like the WD My Passport 2TB Wireless Hard Drive, which is portable and durable, while offering the ability to connect up to 8 devices at once. Now you can share files with your whole team, without the need to be online.

4. Noise-Cancelling Headphones

These workplaces are also often incredibly noisy. However, that doesn’t mean you don’t sometimes have to be able to hear the audio in a video, or simply lock into what you’re doing with no distractions.

You get what you pay for when it comes to a pair of quality noise-cancelling headphones, so don’t simply go with the cheapest pair. If they break, you can’t exactly just head to the local Best Buy to replace them.

Tough job sites call for tough equipment. Investing in the best and more rugged technology options means you can stay productive and stay connected, even in the most demanding environments.

Being remote doesn’t have to mean being disconnected!