Digital Signage in Summer: Increasing Device Lifetime

When we read about digital signage in summer there is a focus on the content that is being displayed, and rightly so as this is what brings in the revenue. The industry term is weather-marketing, and it is reactive marketing where the content being displayed changes according to the temperature and weather conditions outside. Imagine seeing an ad for an umbrella on a hot and sunny 100° F (38° C) day, it doesn’t make sense. If, on the other hand, you see an ad for a pair of sunglasses, you just might go and get a new pair. Weather-marketing does these changes automatically with a series of set parameters, so when your sunny day becomes a wet and rainy 64° F (18° C) the ad will change according to the preset parameters to a more appropriate ad.

What this article focuses on is not the ads, but the impact the summer weather conditions have on hardware and digital signage infrastructure in general.

Temperature can have a very adverse effect on the life span of a screen. When you constantly run a screen at increased ambient temperatures, you reduce its life span. An increase of 50° F (10° C) above the operating temperature of the screen decreases the life span of the device by half. When the installation in general needs to run between 5-7 years and has a cost of approximately $2000-$3000 per screen, you could be in for a bit of a shock if you do not look after your screens. Not only will you have to replace your screens, but you will also have a loss in your ad revenue.

Black spots on poorly heat managed screen.

signageOS has the capability through its software to monitor the hardware temperature within the cloud based dashboard. Not only is this information available, you can create an alert system based on your own temperature parameters. This means if a device temperature is higher/lower or a specific temperature, you will receive a custom alert of your preference. The advantage of this is you can monitor the health of your screens and act prior to any damage being cause to them. 

The Alerts feature is not only for screen temperature, it can also be used for other device, applet and policy changes. You can read more about the Alerts feature here.

signageOS also provides other crucial screen information under the device information section, where you can also view the uptime of the screen, as well as view screenshots of what is being displayed at the time. These two parameters will allow you to see is if a screen does go down, when did it occur, and in what conditions the screen was operating at the time.

What it comes down to is the increase in temperature has a negative effect on your digital signage infrastructure. Imagine being closed in a hot dark room with no fresh air day in and day out. Well, your cables and devices have to deal with this all of the time. In summer, temperatures can soar and as a result the hardware suffers and so can your ad revenue.

It can be difficult to maintain your digital signage devices in summer, however there are a few companies such as signageOS with its device telemetry and Alerts feature that can make the monitoring and maintenance process a lot easier, giving you more time to relax and take in the sun.