Is Direct Sunlight Bad for Monitors?
A desk with a view, what a beautiful scene to position your office! In front of a window, natural light, the rays just pouring in through the panes…but is all that direct sun bad for monitors?
New screens or LCD’s might not react well to sunlight, but old screens might actually be good. Some tech experts say that sun on your screen is absolutely fine so long as your device doesn’t overall overheat. Unless the sunlight heats your monitor past the safe range, it won’t actually affect your screen at all.
Not to mention other issues that might come with the straight sun to your tech. Working in a pleasant environment with light and brightness is fantastic, but there are some caveats for your screen health, but is sunlight bad for monitors? Today, we’re going to decide if sunlight is or is not truly bad for all of your devices.
Does Sunlight Damage Laptop Screen?
There is actually a case for both scenarios, and it depends on the screen you might have. Looking at all of the situations possible, any screen you have might be a different solution. New screens and LCD’s might not react well, but older screens might actually be okay.
We’ll go over each so that you know if you should be worried about your exposure or not.
THE CASE FOR SUN – WHY SUNLIGHT IS NOT BAD FOR YOUR MONITOR.
Some tech experts and online forums say that it depends on the overall amount of heat your monitor or laptop gets. Sun on your screen is absolutely fine so long as your device doesn’t overall overheat. Unless the sunlight heats your monitor past the safe range, it won’t actually affect your screen at all.
It may cause fading on the outer plastics and potentially hurting a warranty claim, but overall, it will not harm your monitor. Additionally, UV, the kind of ray that is harmful, is filtered out some by windows.
Eventually, the plastic will still yellow through the filter because of the direct exposure, but the monitor being ruined is unlikely.
Another question to think about is if the sunlight is backlighting your monitor or behind your monitor. It still shouldn’t be a problem as long as your monitor doesn’t get too hot and destroy the internal elements.
Experts on a tech forum about the heat on monitors note that the heat is purely aesthetic from a plastic fading perspective, but the interior should be okay so long as it is not a heat issue.
THE CASE AGAINST THE SUN – WHY SUNLIGHT CAN BE BAD FOR YOUR MONITOR.
Some experts say that the sun can severely damage your monitor and desktop. Especially if it’s an LCD or laptop, sunlight can also make it difficult to see your screen, so it might not be worth having your desktop in the sun anyway.
It’s best to reposition your computer so that it’s not direct sunlight. Given enough time, sunlight can destroy anything.
Monitors aren’t designed to be UV safe, as they are not typically used outdoors or in direct sunlight.
Additionally, the heat is more of a problem than even the light is. The light can give you monitor issues like making the screen less matte and discoloring the plastic.
Still, the heat can destroy your battery, your hard drive, the overall functioning of your computer, and the glues used in binding your plastic computer together. An ordinary window will block 90% of the worst UV, but a lot of low energy UV still gets through.
Another point to consider is that every electronic device dissipates some amount of heat. The sunlight increases the temperature of the inner consoles, which may cause a leak of any electronic part.
COOLING YOUR COMPUTER IF YOU’RE WORRIED ABOUT SUN
1.STAY WITHIN 50 – 95 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT
Most laptops will work in outdoor temperatures but getting way too hot in anything over 95 degrees is not ideal. The heat can disrupt your monitor, the screen, and, internally, the hard drive.
Heat can cause damage to your battery and significantly decrease the battery life.
2.DON’T LEAVE YOUR COMPUTER IN THE CAR
Considering sunlight in the office is one thing, but do sunlight and heat affect your monitors in the car? The same principle applies to outdoor heat in the car heat, except it gets ten times hotter, ten times quicker.
3.SIT IN THE SHADE
Direct sunlight outside, unfiltered through a window, can severely damage your monitor.
4.AVOID 80%+ HUMIDITY
Along with head can come humidity, and humidity can actually show up as water damage in your computer, nullifying your warranty and ruining your computer. It can short your circuits and build up condensation, which is, of course, a significant issue in your technology.
5.AVOID MOVING BETWEEN HOT AND COLD TEMPS
Another temperature issue that follows the idea of direct sunlight. The drastic temperature change is a lot for your computer to handle, so when moving back and forth from these environments, shut your computer down and give it a few moments to adjust.
There is, however, somewhat of a solution to this monitor problem. There are some brands of sunlight readable monitors that enable users to see clear, sharp images even in direct sunlight with a bright screen.
SPECIAL LAPTOPS MONITORS FOR THE USE IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT
These screens are specialized to be exceptionally bright. High brightness displays and touch screens, as some of them are, allow clear images even in direct sunlight.
Another thing that these screens feature is something called optical bonding. Most regular screens have a protective sheet of glass over the panel to protect it from damage, but this glass gives off glares and reflections.
Direct sunlight monitors are called “optically bonded” so that there’s no issue with this. This is the process of laminating the protective glass to the actual screen with resin.
This combats the glare and eliminates the air gap between the glass and the panel. Optical bonding also eliminates condensation or moisture from heat and humidity.
These screens are specially built so that you can keep them in direct sunlight, or even backlit, and the sun will have little to no effect on the viewability of your screen, and more importantly, the destruction that the sunlight could have caused otherwise.
Another solution is putting your computer somewhere where the monitor might not be in direct sun, but there is indirect light so that your office still feels bright.
This will allow you to reap all of the benefits of having a light-filled office without damaging any of your technology at the expense. A lack of sunlight in your workspace can make you feel more tired and unaware of the time since you can’t see outside well, so having this light source is crucial to a productive office, but direct windows are absolutely avoidable.
If you are set on working right in front of a window, there are also half screens that you can place on the window or top-down blinds; they can block your desk area but allow the sun to come in from the top.
CONCLUSION – IS DIRECT SUNLIGHT BAD FOR MONITORS?
While there seems to be a number of arguments for direct sunlight, it appears that the best idea is to keep your computer out of direct sunlight just to be on the safe side. The last thing you want is to have a warranty issue, screen fading, or even just difficulty reading what’s on your screen.
The eye strain that can come from these kinds of problems definitely builds up over time. When you’re already working long hours, this is something that you just can’t risk.
There are so many solutions to help you achieve your office’s aesthetic goals without sacrificing any of the technical aspects that enable you actually get your work accomplished.
