With many of us staring at screens for longer periods during the global pandemic of 2020/2021 we’ve all become a bit more conscious about our eyesight. One way to reduce strain is by adding LED Lights to the back of your monitor. Or maybe you have been working at home more and simply want to make your home office look a bit nicer.
One of the first changes I made to my working environment once I was forced to work from home was to add LED lights around the back of my monitor. It looks cool and it really is easy to do. Don’t be put off by thinking you need any kind of DIY skills to get this to work, it really is very easy to buy the right lights and fix them in place yourself.
Which LEDs do I need to buy?
There are a whole range of LED lights for monitors available over at Amazon so you won’t have any problem finding the right type of strip lighting. There are a few things to consider:
- Length: The length of the strip light you need depends on what size monitor you have. As a minimum the lights should stretch across the width of your screen, but you might want a longer set to go the whole way round the edges. I would suggest measuring the permieter of your monitor before ordering.
- Colour: I bought myself some plain white backlights, but there are many options available out there that offer colour control or strobing effects. The latter can be quite fun and is good for mood lighting but you don’t need anything fancy if you just want to make the area brighter.
- Power: If you have a monitor with USB ports then I would recommend getting USB powered lights.
You can plug them into the monitors USB port and there is no need for visible cabling. The lights will then come on when you turn your computer on and the monitors power up. Note that some monitors coninue to supply power to the USB port even when in standby mode. This was the case for my ViewSonic screen, fortunately there was a configuration option to cut the power in standby mode so the lights went off with my monitor. If you want continuous ambient lighting then you may want lights that can be powered independently.
How do I attach LEDs to my monitor?
It’s really very simple. The strip lights will have sticky backs, just peel away the protective backing and fix the lights to the back of your monitor by pressing down on them. It can be a little awkward to get the strips round corners but it’s nothing you won’t be able to handle with a little patience.
Once attached the effect looks really good, it helps your eyes and makes your home office look that much smarter.
So what are you waiting for, go buy some LED backlights and upgrade your home office!
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