The liquid crystals inside an LCD panel don’t have any illumination on their own and require the light to come from a separate component, which, in this case, is provided by the LED backlighting.

If you want to give your own desk setup a bit of an upgrade or maybe you just want a some more light at your desk while working at night like I did, it could be worth picking one up. For those with larger monitors like the ultrawide one in my office, you could always use two of them, though other companies do sell ones that are a bit wider if you don’t want to deal with multiple cables.

As I always say, the best desk setups are constantly evolving, especially as you come across new gadgets and devices to add to them. I’ve always liked having a webcam on top of my monitor but after trying out this monitor light bar, I might need to rethink this as I’ve found it makes for a much more pleasant experience when working at night.

Full LEDs, on the other hand, can achieve true blacks, with even brightness levels because the light spreads across the entire panel accurately. That also means the lights in the full-LED panel can be disabled or turned off individually to create a darker image.

Make the screen go black, then look along the edges of the screen for light and dark patches. You can also check the manufacturer's website.

Installing the monitor light bar was a cinch as just like many of the best webcams, it has a bracket clamp that holds it in place on top of your monitor. For better ergonomics, I decided to use the same monitor stand that I have a mini PC attached to the back of in my office. However, as I’m not using a dark desk this time around, I opted for the white version of the monitor stand for that classic, two-tone, white and black look.

Instead of having a lightstrip behind my monitor, this time around, I decided to add a monitor light bar on top of my display for some extra lumination on my desk itself. If you’re looking for a quick and inexpensive upgrade for your own desk setup, you might want to consider following suit, as this setup has already made a big difference for me while working. Here’s how.

Besides its cheaper price, one of my favorite things about this monitor light bar so far is that it’s powered by USB-C instead of a proprietary power plug. This means you can use any USB-C cable you want to power it which gives you a bit more flexibility when installing it on top of your monitor. Likewise, if your monitor has built-in USB ports, you can use one of them, as the light only requires 5 volts of power. When configured like this, you have fewer cables to manage since you can easily hide the power cord behind your monitor.

Since I opted for the more expensive wireless version of this monitor light bar, it also comes with a dial that has adhesive on its underside so that it sticks in place on your desk. Turning the dial clockwise increases the light’s brightness while turning it counterclockwise decreases the brightness. There’s also a button on the top to let you cycle between lighting modes.

There are a lot of moving parts to consider when putting together a desk setup, whether you’re working from home or even if you just want to carve out a little nook where you can comfortably use your laptop.

Normally when someone lights a home office, they might put a small lamp on their desk or maybe a tall floor lamp in the corner while relying on overhead lighting for most of their light. I personally have a light on each side of the room, though I do get some natural light from the window behind my desk.

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In the past, I’ve outfitted my own home office with several of the best smart lights so that I could easily control them with either my phone or my voice. For instance, at my desk right now, I’ve attached a lightstrip to the back of my monitor to help avoid unnecessary eye strain. While bias lighting has served me well over the years, I decided to do something different with my latest desk setup.

This changes the picture on the display, particularly when it comes to dark scenes and true black colors. On an LED-backlit display, for example, dark scenes may appear washed out because of how the light is focused on the edges and spreads thinly into the center.

LED backlitphoto frame

While all LED TVs are LCD TVs, not all LCD TVs are LED TVs. If a TV is marketed as LCD with no mention of LED, then it probably uses a different type of backlighting such as CCFL.

LED backlitdisplay means

Because both types are fundamentally LCD panels, both LED and LED-backlit displays produce bright and vivid pictures. However, scenes may appear brighter or slightly washed out, depending on how the light source is distributed, such as from edge backlighting versus evenly distributed lighting. If you prefer a more accurate picture, full LED panels are the way to go, but they are more expensive.

To clean a flat-screen TV, turn off the device and use a dry microfiber cloth to gently wipe the screen. If necessary, dampen the cloth with distilled water or an equal ratio of distilled water to white vinegar.

Monitors are generally full LED panels with a fully distributed light source. This allows them to provide a brighter and sharper image overall, which is ideal for computer-related activities and media.

LED backlitdisplay vs IPS

With this new setup though, I’ve found working at night to be a lot more pleasant since the monitor light bar is able to put off just the right amount of light at my desk. I don’t have to worry about keeping others in my house up with the bright lights emanating from my office nor do I have to work in almost complete darkness.

I mainly use an ultrawide monitor for most of my day to day work so that I can have two full-sized windows side by side. So I decided to put together a brand new desk setup to try out my new monitor light bar. Given its smaller size, I went with a 27-inch monitor so that there wouldn’t be too much extra room on either side. I also wanted to try working out in my living room for a change since my home office can feel a bit cramped at times.

You may have noticed that I’m not using my new ThinkPad laptop in this setup. This is because its USB-C ports are on the left and the Razer USB C Dock’s main cable just isn’t long enough unless I flip it over but then the ports would be upside down. I managed to fix this by buying a USB-C extension cable but this setup gave me a chance to use my Chromebook Duet 3 like a laptop instead of as a tablet. Plus, it's always nice to see what new features Google is working on in Chrome OS.

From your desk to your office chair to your monitor and all of the little accessories that make a workspace truly your own, it’s easy to get bogged down with all of the choices you’ll need to make. While most people often put a lot of thought into choosing the best laptop for their workflow or one of the best monitors for some much needed extra screen real estate, there’s one thing we often completely overlook: the lighting.

LED backlitdisplay Laptop

Even though it was slightly more expensive, I’m glad I went with the wireless version of this monitor light bar as it gives me more options. On the device itself, there are touch-sensitive buttons on the right side that let you turn the light on or off, adjust its brightness or change between three different color modes.

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While I love the look and feel of the dial, it is powered by a CR2450 watch battery instead of a rechargeable one. Due to this, I’ve been using it sparingly but according to Diirglus, it should last for up to a year before needing to be replaced.

The Diirglus Computer Monitor Light Bar ($50, Amazon) is around the same size as the more expensive BenQ one, plus it comes with a dial for adjusting it. However, if you don’t mind reaching up to adjust your lighting though, you can get one without the dial for around $30.

Backlit ledvsled

Diirglus Computer Monitor Light Bar: was $49 now $39 @ Amazon This home office accessory adds some much needed light by attaching to the top of your monitor. In addition to touch controls on the light itself, you can also control it using the included wireless dial. This monitor light bar has three different light modes and is powered by a USB-C cable.

Overall though, I’m pleased with how everything turned out and you know me, I’ll never turn down a chance to put together a new desk setup.

Similar to TVs and other displays, an LED-backlit LCD monitor is an LCD panel with LED backlights. What often sets a monitor or computer monitor apart from standard displays is they don’t include a built-in tuner, which is needed to access cable. They often include different video or display ports, such as HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA, and so on. They're designed to be used as a primary or secondary display for desktop computers, laptops, and beyond.

If you want to replace your TV or computer screen, you should check with the manufacturer to see if they offer repair services. If not, try Best Buy or another electronics repair shop.

LED backlitLCD

Even during the day with the blinds open and natural light pouring in, this monitor light bar still manages to cast a nice glow on my monitor, my computer underneath it and on the rest of my desk as well. However, it’s at night where it really shines.

Short pressing the button on the left lets you cycle between white light (6000K), mixed light (4200K) or warm light (3000K) while a long press on this same button allows you to adjust the monitor light bar’s brightness. Meanwhile, the button on the right is a simple on/off switch.

LED-backlit LCD display means

The LED backlight illuminates the pixels, from behind, making them appear richer and brighter. Not all LCDs have a backlight, and for those that do, not all of them utilize LED backlighting. Some displays also use CCFL lighting or Cold-Cathode Fluorescent Lamps. Although, it should be noted that CCFL displays are being phased out in favor of LED-backlit panels.

Now that I’ve had a chance to try out a monitor light bar, I wouldn’t mind spending extra on a more fully-featured one from BenQ. For instance, the company’s most expensive one, the ScreenBar Halo ($179, Amazon), also has a light at the rear to give you the best of both worlds. Your monitor and desk are lit up in the front while you have some bias lighting in the back to make working on your desktop computer even easier on your eyes. Still though, for $50, I’m glad I took a chance on this less expensive monitor light bar first to see if I liked it.

Older display types, such as cathode ray tubes (CRT) produce illumination already and so they do not need an additional light source like LCD devices.

As you can see in the picture above, the monitor light bar shines down from the top of my monitor and illuminates the display itself along with the front half of my desk. This is good for when you don’t have a backlit keyboard but still want to be able to see the odd key every now and then. There also isn’t a lot of spillover and the rest of the room where this desk is set up remains dark while my workspace is fully illuminated.

As I’m always looking for new gadgets to test out, I decided it was finally time to give using a monitor light bar a try. You see, I’ve had my eye on the BenQ ScreenBar ($110, Amazon) for some time now. However, it was hard to justify spending more than $100 on a light that may or may not work with my desk setup. After some searching online though, I came across a more budget friendly option that was less than half its price.

LED-backlit TVs, monitors, and displays are used in many different places including ATMs, cash registers, digital billboards, fitness equipment like treadmills, vehicle infotainment systems, gas station pumps, Pachinko, and casino machines, mobile devices, and much more.

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LCD is an acronym for Liquid Crystal Display, which is a type of monitor or screen—and flat-panel technology—that relies on thousands or millions of pixels, arranged in a rectangular grid. When an LCD is turned on, each pixel takes on a red, green, or blue sub-pixel (RGB) that is either enabled or disabled. When the pixels are off, the individual section appears black, and when all of the sub-pixels are on, it appears white. Collectively, the arranged pixels provide the sharp image on the display by being in either an on or off configuration.

LED LCD backlights are small light strips, or light sources, contained inside a display, TV, or monitor to provide lighting for the screen. All LED TVs are LCD panels with LED backlighting. A common misconception is that LED displays are different from LCD when fundamentally they are the same. LED is better described as a sub-set of LCD devices.

While it can be confusing at first, LED-backlit panels are different from a full LED. LED-backlit panels have LED strips lining the edges of the screen whereas full HD illuminates the entirety of the display often with higher brightness and color accuracy. Full LED panels achieve this thanks to an evenly distributed light source across the rear of the set.

edge-lit vsbacklit ledtv

This is a bit odd as we all know that the right lighting can make a big difference in the other parts of our home but when it comes to our home offices, lighting is often an afterthought. Maybe this is because we’ve used up all of our budget on a powerful PC or one of the best MacBooks, and what little we have left is put toward giving our home workspaces a touch of flair or maybe some added comfort. It doesn’t have to be this way though.

The monitor I’m using for this setup is actually an older one that I previously had mounted to the wall in my office to display my digital dashboard. Since it is an older monitor after all, it doesn’t have a USB-C port which is why I’m using the Razer USB C Dock ($120, Amazon). It’s been great so far and I really like how I’m able to run all of its cables underneath my monitor stand for a cleaner look.

I know I’m not supposed to work at night but as a night owl, I find that’s when a lot of my best ideas come to me. Up until now though, I often found myself working in a room with all the lights on or in a dark room bathed in the glow of my monitor, neither of which is ideal.

Anthony Spadafora is the managing editor for security and home office furniture at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches to password managers and the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. He also reviews standing desks, office chairs and other home office accessories with a penchant for building desk setups. Before joining the team, Anthony wrote for ITProPortal while living in Korea and later for TechRadar Pro after moving back to the US. Based in Houston, Texas, when he’s not writing Anthony can be found tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home.