JOPLIN, Mo. — Keeping tabs on your technology is also a good idea with these frigid temperatures.

What kinds of problems are we talking about?

The colder the temperature, the bigger the risk. It could be anything from cutting battery power in half to shutting down a device completely.

John Motazedi, SNC Squared Tech Group, said, “Technology has a real challenge working at a certain range. Once it’s very very cold, it has a problem.”

Many devices have a normal operating range of zero to 120 degrees.

“That really becomes a challenge when you have outdoor led lights, outdoor surveillance cameras, door locks, motion sensors. Equipment that really needs to stay warm or that’s designed to work at a different temp that what we’re having currently.”

So colder temperatures may mean they’re just not working. The devices will likely return to normal function as the weather warms, but some owners may want to upgrade to models designed for extreme cold. And even cell phones, tablets, and laptops can be affected if forgotten in your car.

“The cold has a terrible tendency to reduce battery power – and it can in some cases reduce your power of your batteries by 50% simply because it just gets cold.”

You want to warm them gradually, giving at least 30 to 60 minutes before use.

For more on protecting technology visit https://www.sncsquared.com/

“If you leave them in the cold then bring them into a warm building, you get condensation on the electronics – condensation is a really bad thing. Electronics and water typically don’t mix well together.”

Also, you’ll want to extra careful handling devices in the cold. Those temperatures can make the housing more brittle, making it easier to crack or shatter.