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Why Sys-Admins Are Disabling The Lights on WiFi Access Points (networkworld.com)
More than a dozen IT professionals said they've disabled the LEDs on wireless access points, according to a Network World article shared by Slashdot reader alphadogg:
Some users don't want a beacon shining in their eyes as they try to get to sleep and others worry about the health effects of a blue light glowing all night. Some even resort to unplugging the gear when they're not using it.... "It seems when you are sick and laying in a hospital bed and have trouble sleeping, the single LED shining in your eyes is an issue," [says the wireless network staff specialist for Penn State College of Medicine]. "I get it and understand it..."
Network pros say they have begun asking vendors such as Cisco if they can provide an easier way to dim, rather than turn off the lights on the access points entirely, via wireless controllers. And some would like to see more granular control, such that the power light could be left on to comfort end users that the device is working, but blinking lights could be turned off or dimmed to avoid bothering them.
End users have tried "all sorts of makeshift fixes -- from Post-it notes to bandages to condom wrappers," but one network architect complains that when they disable the LEDs altogether, "I invariably get a ticket (or more) that the access point is offline and wireless is broken because there are no lights on..." On the plus side, when they then re-enable the LED lghts, "magically the wireless performance and coverage is perfect!"
Network pros say they have begun asking vendors such as Cisco if they can provide an easier way to dim, rather than turn off the lights on the access points entirely, via wireless controllers. And some would like to see more granular control, such that the power light could be left on to comfort end users that the device is working, but blinking lights could be turned off or dimmed to avoid bothering them.
End users have tried "all sorts of makeshift fixes -- from Post-it notes to bandages to condom wrappers," but one network architect complains that when they disable the LEDs altogether, "I invariably get a ticket (or more) that the access point is offline and wireless is broken because there are no lights on..." On the plus side, when they then re-enable the LED lghts, "magically the wireless performance and coverage is perfect!"
Why can't we get a strip ok old school lcd like in the digital watch of the 1980.
It can show the info without the light.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
This is newsworthy? Slashdot continues to decline with each transition to a new owner. It's literally become a clickbait site.
I just use a black marker to darken the surface. You can essentially black them out or leave a little light passing through.
So, it has come to this. An article on Slashdot about covering up blinking lights.
one network architect complains that when they disable the LEDs altogether, "I invariably get a ticket (or more) that the access point is offline and wireless is broken because there are no lights on..."
Then cover them with black masking tape. Voila, no lights. Plus, everyone can see why there are no lights, so they won't be psychologically fooled into thinking the thing isn't working. And if there really is a problem, they can peel back the tape and have a look.
Bloody hell...
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
Have a look at Turris Omnia - the LEDs are dimmable in 8 steps, the last one being completely off.
They should add light sensor and dim based on that. iPhone display does that btw.
I've been reading slashdot for years and I've never seen a story about blinking lights and not much else.
Actually, it IS a big deal. Sleep is important to a patient's recovery, and a lack of good sleep can slow healing.
Patients in a hospital are constantly being disturbed at night due to vital signs checks, administration of medication, pain medication wearing off, etc. Sometimes the disturbance is not even for the patient but for the other patient in the same semi-private room. Falling asleep is difficult enough; getting back to sleep can be worse. Lots of strongly glowing and flashing LEDs and other indicators can make it darn near impossible, especially if the patient is already in pain and having to lie in an uncomfortable position.
Imagine you were trying to sleep in the middle of Times Square at night, with all of the lights and noise. That's what it's like. As IT professionals we can at least cut down on the lights and beeps, even if we can't do anything about the other disturbances.
Ideally, these wouldn't be put in hospital rooms or hotel rooms, but out in the hallways and common areas. Sounds more like bad infrastructure management.
The problem is not limited to access points. Power strips, monitors, speakers, keyboards, mice — everything has a LED.
Some devices have options to turn off the LED when working, but insist on blinking said LED when in standby. Good luck turning your monitor to face the wall so that its blinking LED doesn’t disturb your sleep.
If they were that concerned about the led's and wanted to do something about them, assuming the device was no longer under warranty, why didn't they just trace the node that the led is connected to and simply bypass the smt resistor by removing it, taking a small guage solid wire, soldering it to the resistor and installing a 5kohm potentiometer that they could mount to a circuit board that can be fastened down using one or two screws, washers and nuts to the casing, with the pot knob exposed outward so that they can install a pot knob cover. All the job needs is a esd safe soldering station, a small hand drill or electric drill, and access to digikey.
Try that in a hospital and Bioengineering (or whatever they call the folks that are tasked with fixing things with batteries and / or power cords) will be on you like a ton of bricks. No mods! No kinks! No tape! You leave it ** alone ** or something Very Bad could possibly happen and we don't want that, do we?
Hell, I can give our guys the willies by walking around with some zip ties.
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
More than a Dozen sys-admins (we used to call them computer operators in the 80's) have put black electrical tape over some LEDs.
Definitely worthy of an article on Slashdot.
We should discuss the relative merits of different varieties of black electrical tape. It's called 'bush league' in Horowitz & Hill and I agree. But that's topic drift, and we mustn't have that, because this is an IMPORTANT and interesting discussion of sys-admins (we used to call them computer operators) covering up the LED indicators on equipment.
Oh, cut the bleeding heart crap, will ya? We've all got our switches, lights, and knobs to deal with, Striker. I mean, down here there are literally hundreds and thousands of blinking, beeping, and flashing lights, blinking and beeping and flashing - they're *flashing* and they're *beeping*. I can't stand it anymore! They're *blinking* and *beeping* and *flashing*! Why doesn't somebody pull the plug!
As both a physician who has worked for years in hospitals, as well as a patient who has spent MONTHS in intensive care, and months on a regular ward because I've been really sick and close to death several times myself (was actually dead once for a couple minutes), I will re-iterate my statement. If an LED is all you can complain about, you've not been in hospital long enough. Your points are valid but irrelevant. A LED pales in comparison to - staff talking loudly, carts rattling down the hallway, other patients (or their family) making noise, blood pressure cuffs inflating every 10-15 mins or so even when no longer necessary, monitors starting to beep if you change position and happen to pinch your IV line or decrease the blood flow to the finger your pulse oximeter is attached to, phlebotomists coming at all hours to draw blood, nursing staff pausing outside your door or by your bed handing off to the next shift, doctors doing the same, etc etc etc. You can't sleep at a hospital, period. I really don't notice the LED at all. Every little bit helps, but don't think you're saving the world if you eliminate a LED.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
Not quite a roll of tape, but check out LightDims. You get one set of stickers that dim "50-80%" (or rather three sets, in black, silver and white) and another set that, as far as I can tell, are completely opaque.
They only really stick on flat surfaces, but they look better than using a random bit of tape, and the opaque ones really are opaque.