5 Features of Outdoor Commercial Digital Signage

One of the key differences between indoor and outdoor commercial digital signage features are the weatherproofing components. Since outdoor signage is subject to whatever nature brings its way (temperature, wind, and humidity), it needs to be adequately protected. While it’s possible to weatherize indoor signage by adding weatherproofing enclosures, the best technology has built-in protection. This allows for optimal functioning without sacrificing sleekness or quality.

For more comprehensive outdoor coverage, you may want to consider adding some sort of security or vandalism protection such as a protective film or strengthened glass cover lens. These options can help reduce negative impacts from vandalism or especially harsh weather such as hail or heavy winds. 

Beyond the rain, snow, and wind, it’s important to protect your signage from extreme temperatures (anything outside the manufacturer’s temperature ratings). Freezing or overheating both can cause permanent damage. Heat is an especially great challenge for signage with heat-producing components, such as high-brightness backlights. When run continuously, and especially in direct sunlight or high temperatures, these components can overheat and burnout. Manufacturers and integrators often add temperature control systems to prevent this. But these systems add bulk and cost to the signage all of which make it difficult to transport and install.

Once your digital signage is installed, you’ll need to have a way to change the messaging. There are a few different ways in which commercial digital signage can be connected to your business for optimal functionality. You can utilize an Ethernet hard line, Wi-Fi, mobile technologies, or even a connected content management system. You can also incorporate a traditional media player, connect devices through HDMI or USB ports, and Bluetooth. The main thing is finding the best solution for your needs.

If you’re going to be setting up your commercial digital signage near your store or business, an Ethernet input may suffice. However, to better increase accessibility and overall convenience, we recommend finding technology that can be connected to a wireless network or transmitting platform. This allows for increased ease of use when changing the display image and reduces technical problems. By choosing outdoor digital signage with an easy-to-use content management system, you’ll help increase overall efficiency.

To get the most out of your outdoor commercial digital signage, you need to have flexibility with mounting options. Most options for digital signage can be mounted in a number of ways, but the most popular tends to be securely attached to a wall. However, with a diverse range of options, your marketing strategies can get fairly creative. There are options for modular, flexible mounts, pop-out designs, display board mounts, mobile cart mounts, and even ceiling mounts. To determine which option is best for you, you want to think about your goals and what you want to accomplish with each display that you construct. An integrator can help you determine the best mounting solution for your needs.

For the best readability in outdoor environments, it’s important to consider whether or not you’ll want to add any glass treatments to your commercial digital signage. Glass treatments can include things such as anti-glare, anti-reflective, or anti-smudge technology.

An anti-glare treatment involves creating a rough surface on the cover lens using an etching process. This helps to scatter reflected light at different angles and therefore, reduce any bright glare from the light source. Anti-reflective technology adds a film or coating to help reduce reflections on the surface by canceling out specific wavelengths of light. This allows for a more vivid display without any mirroring effects. If you’re going to be using your digital signage as an interactive display, utilizing an anti-smudge technology is a good way to keep things clean and easy to read. This treatment helps reduce the ability of the cover lens from retaining the oils present in your fingers. While this treatment isn’t 100% perfect, it does make any trace oil less noticeable and easier to clean.