LED status lights — a nighttime nuisance

LED status lights — why are they so annoying at night?

Whether it’s televisions, computers, game consoles, USB hubs or WiFi extenders — you name it — it’s very common to have devices that indicate they are on or in standby mode.

Many of these are in the same room we sleep in. During the day, the illumination barely crosses our minds; however, when the main lights go out and the room is still lit up, that’s when you start asking questions.

I already have a few devices that are constantly on:

🟠 A monitor with a medium orange standby LED.
🟢 A USB hub power adapter with a small green LED.
🔵 Two USB hubs with a neon blue LED beside each port.
🟢 A speaker with a mini green LED.
🟢 A WiFi extender with four small green LEDs.
📱 An air purifier with a digital display.
🟢 An Xbox controller dock with a large green LED.

The first six have never been big or bright enough to cause an issue. However, the last one is rather vivid — so much so that I have to position my chair in a way that obscures it from view when I’m in bed.

Otherwise, it’s kind of distracting — y’know?

Today, three iBlockCube extension leads I had bought for my room arrived from Amazon, but I quickly realised after setting them up that the little light on the front was noticeably beaming.

This wasn’t something that crossed my mind at the time of browsing. I was mainly lured by the fact this model had a three-metre cable instead of the usual two.

Nevertheless, one of the three was intended for having on my bedside table — which I’ve done. However, I’ve had to position my lamp in front of it so the light doesn’t shine right in my face when I’m asleep.

A quick look on Reddit made me realise I’m not the only one with a grumble about this. People have resorted to duct tape, Sharpies, stickers, and other cover-ups to either partially or fully block the light emitted from their devices.

Do companies not consider this as a factor when designing these products?