5 Tips to Buy a Reliable LED Billboard

Mother Nature doesn’t have a chance against good design.

Mother Nature doesn’t always play nice. Extreme weather and technical problems challenge all outdoor electronic devices, including LED billboards. Yet, out-of-home operators expect the utmost reliability from their equipment.

They’re a lot of products on the market. How do you choose a really dependable digital billboard?

Ask these 5 questions before you buy, because you know downtime isn’t an option:

1. What protects the modules from the environment?
Complete encapsulation with full-silicone-based sealant front and back protects quality LED modules designed to last.

Learn more about component protection and IP ratings at “Complete Defense.”

2. What protects the power supplies from the environment?
Power supplies can be the number one cause of outage. But proper weatherproofing can protect the power supplies form airborne corrosives. Reputable manufacturers protect their power supplies with silicone potting and a rugged plastic enclosure.

Read more details. Scroll down to “Protected from Mother Nature.”

3. Does the display come with diagnostics?
Diagnostic equipment organizes and interprets data. With this information, a diagnostic management system identifies malfunctions, errors, and other issues. This helps off-site technicians prevent an outage before it happens.

Discover more about remote diagnostics.

4. Do your billboards have a data redundancy feature?
A dual signal paths design often prevents visual outages, even in the event of a signal failure. If one signal is lost or malfunctions, all the modules in that data path will continue to function, and the audience continues to read the advertisement.

View these signal redundancy graphics.

5. What data do you use to improve your billboard design?
Problems that billboards have in the field help engineers to improve the next generation of products. But some suppliers also use data from in-house labs, where they test products to the limit.  This information helps engineers modify design early in the product’s development.

Take a look at “Tested to the Max.”

* BONUS TIP #6 Does the billboard come with a wireless remote power controller?
Daktronics billboards come equipped with the SmartLink™ wireless controller to monitor and control it. With this controller, owners avoid unnecessary service calls.

Learn more about the SmartLink controller. Scroll down to “Ultimate Control with SmartLink™”

Explore these infographics about digital billboard technology.