Electronic Sign Failures Plague Local Businesses

Businesses across northeast Ohio are facing mounting challenges with electronic signage systems, as digital displays increasingly fail to operate as intended. Industry experts report that 80% of digital signage installs fail, highlighting a widespread reliability crisis affecting companies that have invested thousands in modern display technology.

Technology Issues

Multiple factors contribute to digital signage failures, including loss of power, unreliable network connections, use of consumer-grade hardware, poor lifecycle management and failed updates leading to bricked units. Local businesses are discovering that what appeared to be plug-and-play solutions often require extensive ongoing maintenance.

Common problems include connectivity issues where network drops cause displays to go blank or freeze, software bugs and glitches that create unexpected errors or crashes, and content display errors that result in advertisements being shown incorrectly. Additional issues include blank displays, flickering lights, discolored or dead pixels that remain visible even after on-screen images change. These failures can significantly impact a business’s professional image during peak customer hours.

Power and Hardware Problems

Power issues and unstable connections are two of the most common and costly causes of digital signage downtime. Many businesses underestimate the electrical demands of multiple displays. Most commercial-grade signage displays pull 2.5 to 4.5 amps per unit under full brightness, and when multiple displays are chained into a single circuit without calculating peak demand conditions, problems compound quickly.

Digital signage hardware is vulnerable to both transient voltage spikes and long-duration sags, which don’t always cause immediate failure but instead degrade power supply units and logic boards over time. Even buildings with regulated electrical systems can experience voltage issues from nearby equipment.

Component Reliability

The reliability varies dramatically between manufacturers and installation approaches. Digital signs can vary dramatically in the number of connection points, with some displays having over 39,000 connections compared to others with just 6,721 connections for the same size display. More connection points translate to higher failure rates.

Consumer-grade displays placed in high-traffic, 24/7 environments guarantee failure, as businesses mistakenly treat static displays as interchangeable with high-performance signage systems. Commercial environments require displays rated for continuous operation with proper thermal management.

Maintenance Challenges

Without preventive maintenance, minor glitches can escalate into major failures, including complete system outages where entire digital signage systems go dark, leaving screens blank and messages undelivered. Many businesses fail to budget for ongoing maintenance costs.

Regular monitoring of displays for signs of trouble such as flickering screens, frozen images, poor sound quality, or unresponsive touchscreens is essential. However, many companies lack the technical expertise or dedicated staff to perform these checks consistently.

Security Risks

The greatest threat to digital signage is cyberattacks, with hijacked signage causing anything from panic to potential monetary damages. Businesses must implement security best practices, yet many installations use unsecured network connections that create vulnerabilities.

Local Impact

Northeast Ohio businesses are increasingly seeking reliable digital signage solutions and maintenance services. Local repair companies report that signs can endure significant damage in challenging weather conditions and normal wear and tear. Electronic message center boards may experience dim illumination issues due to old ballasts or lamps, or debris that has entered sign cabinets when they’re not properly watertight.

Solutions

Industry experts recommend several approaches to minimize failures. Investing in reliable and reputable digital signage hardware and software from the start, along with regular maintenance and updates, can prevent potential issues. Some operators see value in remote reboot capability or timed overnight reboots to avoid failure during business hours.

The digital signage market continues growing, valued at USD 28.83 billion as of 2024 and projected to grow to USD 45.94 billion by 2030, but reliability concerns persist as businesses balance cost considerations with performance expectations.