Importance of Vandalism Protection in Outdoor Digital Signage

Outdoor digital signage has many advantages over indoor systems, including:

' Larger potential audience
' Less signage competition than indoor areas
' Can be viewed from pavements and in vehicles

But there also many disadvantages to outdoor signage screens and perhaps the foremost of these are the protection requirements. There is much that an LCD enclosure operating in an outdoor location needs to protect against:

' Weather ' Water ' Dust ' Heat ' Cold ' Direct sunlight ' Are just a few of the outdoor elements that need to be defended against? However, there is also one other element that outdoor digital signage needs to be protected against: vandalism.

Sadly, vandalism is an all too common problem in the modern world and outdoor digital signage screens are a tempting target.

Smashed screens, damaged enclosures and even stolen LCDs are a common occurrence on many unsupervised outdoor digital signage displays. And the problems caused by a vandalised outdoor digital signage screen are also manyfold:

' Cost of replacement
' Decreases the chance of a return on investment
' A dead screen is not advertising ' losing revenue
' Broken glass or other hazards could leave you liable for any injuries

Protection against Vandalism

There are several areas and aspects to protecting a digital signage screen:

' Shatterproof Glass is highly important ' the screen is the most vulnerable aspect of a digital signage system it can also cause the most hazards if broken. Anti-vandal screens are impossible to shatter ' some are even tested against low velocity bullets.

' Steel LCD Enclosure -Whatever type of digital signage enclosure is used; steel is by far the best material to offer rugged and anti-vandal protection.

' Tamperproof Locks -Tamperproof locks are also a good idea to prevent attempts at theft.

' Prevention of insertion ' another anti-vandal measure that is often overlooked is preventing people from inserting objects (including fingers) into the enclosure which could damage or disable the device (especially if water is squirted in or another liquid)

About the Author:
Richard N Williams is a technical author and a specialist in the digital signage industry helping to develop outdoor digital signage and protection for plasmas. Please visit us for more information about LCD Enclosures or other digital signage solutions.