Outdoor Digital Signage in Extreme Weather

Whilst the sector is still not as large as the indoor market, outdoor digital signage is becoming increasingly popular with digital screens and billboards becoming more and more commonplace.

The great advantage of an outdoor digital signage campaign is the audience levels will always be higher than an indoor system; however, there are plenty of challenges when it comes to using digital screens in outdoor locations.

Waterproof and weatherproof

Any screen taken outside does of course need to be protected from the weather which is why most of these commercial grade LCD screens are housed in waterproof LCD enclosures which prevent the rain and other elements from penetrating the enclosure and damaging the screen.

And while a waterproof LCD enclosure is important there are other aspects to placing a screen outdoors that need to be considered.

Extreme Temperature

Temperatures can vary from season to season. In many locations the hot summer months are in complete contrast to the snow and ice of the winter but any outdoor digital signage screen needs to be protected from both if it is to be able to operate all year round.

Digital signage is becoming increasingly common in ski resorts

Snow to Sunlight

Temperature and climatic controls are placed inside the outdoor LCD enclosure to ensure the screen is operating at the optimum conditions as recommended by the manufacturer (commercial grade screens can often tolerate higher temperatures than standard devices).

The types of components used will vary depending on the conditions the screen has to operate in so in the summer months when overheating and direct sunlight are an issue, additional cooling fans, cut-off switches and even air conditioning are used to prevent overheating; whilst the screen is protected from the sun suing optical bonding, anti-reflective glass of other solutions.

For the winter months insulation is often required inside the LCD enclosure along with heater elements which ensure that no condensation inside the enclosure freezes and causes damage.

Other Outdoor Considerations

Weather and temperature are not the only issues with an outdoor digital signage screen. Often these devices are left unsupervised which makes them a potential target for acts of deliberate damage. Anti-vandal solutions are also implemented in most outdoor LCD enclosures to ensure the device continues operating no matter what the weather, temperature or other demands placed on it.