3 Dangers of Keeping Your Electronics in the Cold

As New York City is recovering from the latest winter storm and gale force winds, we thought it only appropriate to remind you, our readership, about the importance of protecting your smartphones, tablets and laptops from long-term cold exposure.

Below are the negative effects extreme weather can have on your devices and the 10 things you can do to minimize the impact.

3 Dangers of Extended Time in the Cold

• ‍Battery Drainage and Damage. If your device is exposed to the cold for a long period of time, it may spontaneously power off due to a dead battery. Unfortunately, this damage may be permanent and require you to replace the battery. 
• Screen Issues. If you have an iPad or Android device, your unit may have delayed touch screen reaction, smudging or ghosting of images. In addition, the screen may become rigid and spontaneously shatter. 
• Condensation. If you bring items inside and try to power them up too quickly after they have been in the cold, they can have liquid condensation under the screen which may make your display hard to read.

10 Prevention Methods That Work

• ‍Don’t take items out in the cold. Warm up your car before going to and from work or keep your devices at home or work during extreme temperatures, like we are now experiencing. 
• If you must take them out into the extreme temps, change the settings to power save mode and make sure your unit is fully charged.  
• Keep mobile devices in your jacket, purse, or briefcase when going out into the cold. This limits the devices exposure to the cold, even for short jaunts outside. 
• Buy a well-insulated, well-padded case. Killspencer,  Griffin, Otterbox  and others offer products that help keep your mobile products protected.  
• If your car is outside, be sure to let it warm up for at least 10 minutes. This will allow you to go from one similar environment to another, thus reducing the risk of internal and battery damage, especially if you must recharge your battery while in the car. 
• Before starting up or bringing your laptop out of sleep mode, let it warm up to room temperature to protect the screen and internal units. 
• If your mobile unit does shut off unexpectedly, wait until the device has returned to room temperature before powering it back on. 
• If you ordered new technology, and the box has been sitting outside for hours, move the box into the office and wait several hours before removing it from the box. 
• When looking at replacing laptops, remember that devices with Solid State Drives (SSD) have less susceptibility to cold weather because of the lack of moving parts. 
• Lastly, check out the stored temperature requirements from the manufacturer. Every device is a little different as to what temperature range they can handle.

Brought to You By Your Friends at The ProActive Technology Group

Please keep yourself and your devices warm this winter! Let us help your business with all its IT and cybersecurity needs! Call 516.876.8200 or email info@ptg.co us to request a quote today.