LED Signs provide a high brightness display that will allow for your audience to view from close up to further away distances. The closer the distance the smaller the pitch that is required. Current technology has a pitch of 2.5mm allowed for outdoor signage, developments are underway for pitches smaller than 2.5mm, however this becomes cost-ineffective as most outdoor signs/screens are viewed from distances that 2.5mm screens caters efficiently. Any closer, signs  would then be considered audience interaction and extra hardware and design would then need to be incorporated. 

LCD Screens allows for UHD display for content should the audience be standing right up to the sign. There are screens that offer high brightness and are also built for outdoor usage. Cost will vary between brands and the level of brightness required. LCD screens also provide touch screen capabilities for user interaction. However screen size is restricted to 85” as well as the hardware’s ability to withstand the elements is severly restricted. 

LED signs have the capability of being robust in terms of weather, climate, and pest resitstant, as the hardware used are not as delicate compared to that of LCD screens. For example, LED signs have seen ants and spiders making nests in them, and unless the hardware has been eaten away by the pests, IC boards and its components can withstand pests attacks. However as the hardware in LCD screens are much more delicate and complicated, pests and environmental factors, create a much higher risk of electrical shorts and hence damaging components. 

Depending on exactl what you need your sign to do will determine the product that would suit your purposes. 

LED Signs come in a variety of types and colours. Signs come with single colours and are great for messages whilst full colour screens are great for advertising and video walls. Deciding on what you want to display on the sign will definitely affect your choice of sign as well as your budget for your sign.

The size of the sign’s pitch will also affect the display quality of your sign. Current industry standards are at around 5mm pitch, with some down to as well low as 2.5mm. However the cost of the signs increase dramatically as the pitch size decreases. For most outdoor signage applications a 5mm pitch is sufficient to display high quality images and videos.

P10 DIP signs allow for great viewing distances for text whilst at the same increasing the durability of the hardware. SMD signs are great for images (texts as well) and are able to display texts with different fonts and styles better than DIP signs. In general, DIP signs are much more cost friendly than SMD signs. 

So you have finalised whever you want to display images and texts or texts only, the use of the right controller card also affects the display of your sign as well as the CMS and the access control of your sign/s.

Novastar – Leader in the industry, and our standard choice of controller manufacturer. Offers both desktop software and cloud CMS access. Has a powerful rendering hardware that delivers 30% better graphic quality than other cards. 

CPower – Simple controller card, great for message based signs. Has simple but effective sofware interface, internetwork access is available however a server must be setup for internetwork access. Display quality is more suitable for text messages. 

DBStar – powerful display controller card, has a powerful rendering chip similar to DBStar. Sofware is not as straight forward to use as Novastar. 

Colourlight – has a number of different hardware add-ons, and can be customisable for different situations. Controller software is not user friendly. Cloud access is available, however individual cloud server must be setup for internetwork use. 

There are numerous other controller card and softwares out in the marketplace, these are just some of the controller cards that we have used and encountered whilst servicing signs from different manufacturers. 

Now that you have decided what type of signage (LED vs LCD) you wish to implement and what media types to be displayed (texts only vs images), you will then need to decide where you will implment you sign. Obviously the more traffic that will see your sign, the better, however the following questions you will also need to ask yourself:

1: Single Sided, Double Sided, or 2 x Single V Configuration. Is your sign going to face outward to the traffic or will it face both ways of the traffic, or are there topological interfernce to double sided signs that you will need to implement 2 x singled sided and installed in a V configuration? IF the sign is double sided, are you then looking at 2 x singled sided mounted on both sides of a pylong, or 1 x single sided sign that is mounted between two posts? Furthermore are both sides going to be displayin the same or different content? 

2: Will the sign be prone to vandalism? What protective measures do you need to take into consideration for vandalism?

3: Power feed and Communications: how will the sign be powered? Would you need an underground trench to be dug and power cables run from your offices to the sign or will the sign be running off solar and batteries? How will you communicate with your sign?

4: Are there any vegetation around the sign that will need trimming or removing? Are the topology and geology of the ground and environment be stable enough for the sign to be erected (e.g. Sand, coastal environment, flood plains)?

5: What traffic would the erected sign be next to? i.e. Highways, busy roads, intersections, back roads, country roads etc. Each State and council would also have different views and restrictions on where the sign can be placed and what the signs can and can not display. 

You will need to be very specific with your location with the erection of your sign, in many instances council DA approval will be required for new sign installation. Sign upgrades may not require DA Approval. 

So now that you have the location of your sign finalised, how will you communicate with your sign? The communication types available is the same with indoor signs and screens. 

Direct Connection – A network cable is connected directly into the sign and into the server/router/network system. Internetworking is then either allowed or disallowed with the network security protocols. On some controllers, the computer with the software installed must be in the same IP range in order for communications to occur. 

WIFI Connectivity – same as Direct Connection, however through the wirless network. Most, if not all controller cards have WiFi function allowing it to connecto the network with relative ease. 

Point to Point Wirless Bridges – using Wireless technology and differnt bandwidths, it is possible to transmit and receive data from the sign with a distance of up to 5KM with clear line of sight. A trans-receiver must be installed both at the sign and at the server building in order for the network connection to be established. Please talk to our technical advisers on how this can be achieved. 

4G/5G Mobile – the use of 4G/5G modems connected to the mobile network will allow for signs connect to the cloud/internet server, that can not be implemented into the network or signs that are installed without a line of sight to the server building. This is becoming popular with school sigange as schools are starting to ban the implementation of digital signs into the school’s network. 

Should you have any questions on the best type of communications for your sign, please contact our technical team and we will be more than happy to discuss different options suitable for your signage. 

Warranty, Support and Servicing is a major aspec of acquiring a sign that many customers fail to plan and incorporate fully. The number of digital sign manufacturers are like the number of pixels on a screen, each to their technological advantage and production methods. However, most have not had to design and build signs that can withstand the harsh Australian weather. 

Many have incorporated sealed and watertight features but fail to realise the dissipation of heat becomes much more crucial than being water tight. Often this leads to the overheating and then failing of the electronic components within the sign. 

When purchasing electronic signs from an overseas supplier and/or manufacturer, spare parts is another aspect that many fail to take into consideration. Australian Consumer law states that all products sold in Australia must carry parts for a maximum of 7 years from date of purchase. This means that suppliers must carry parts for at least 7 years and not necessarily for warranty purposes. Parts can be sold after the initial warranty has expired, and must be available for up to 7 years. What must be understood is that China does not have this consumer protection law! What was sold last year can be already outdated and replaced by another product. Hence when ordering signs, it would always be best to order as much spare parts as your budget would allow to last the desired lenght of time.  

Our products have a great proven track record as they have been designed, assesed, redesigned and re-assessed for quality assurances purposes, and are fit for specific environments. We also order extra parts depending on the type and the use of the sign. When ordering spare parts are the time of the sign, this will also ensure that there are no colour fluctuation between the spare modules and the sign as these are made with the same batch of LEDs. 

Our technicians have over 20 years of technical experience in the servicing of digital signs and will be more than capable to determine the problems that exists in the the sign and depending on the types of problem encountered, solve the issues in the sign. Please contact our technical support team should you have any questions or problems with your sign.