March 3, 2024
You may have heard the term “Zoom Room” or “Huddle Room” when referring to business meetings. It’s becoming a more normalized term, but many people are still not quite sure exactly what it is. With hybrid work models and work from home becoming more popular than ever, Zoom Rooms are popping up as a very integral solution. A Zoom Room is a software-based virtual room that provides an integrated experience for audio conferencing, wireless screen sharing, and video conferencing. Zoom can be used for room-only attendees, or remote attendees joining from another room, from their desktop, or from their mobile device.
To make this all possible, each setup requires at the very minimum the following setup: A Mac or Windows based computer that runs the Zoom software, and an iPad, Android, or Windows 10 tablet that runs the Zoom app. Additional equipment can include TV displays, speakers, cameras, microphones, and an iPad that runs the Zoom Scheduling Display.
What is the benefit of setting up a zoom room for your business? Everyone’s had to go through the hassle of attempting to get a meeting started and a screen shared or connected with a projector or TV, only to have is fail miserably and ruin the presentation. With a Zoom Room, it is possible to enable a one click meeting start for everyone involved, even people conference calling in, while also enabling the ability for anyone in the meeting to share their screens effortlessly. These abilities can cut down in meeting setup and technology errors and glitches that occurred in the past. With a Zoom Room, you’re ready to go right away.
Whether you choose the Meeting Owl or the Logitech Rally Cam, there are plenty of options to allow you to use a three-in-one setup for the more important parts of your meeting. While you can purchase different options that do each of these things separately, it’s definitely a much better idea to get one of the combo options available. It’ll save hassle later, which is the whole point of your zoom room in the first place.
A solution for smaller rooms, and an all in one solution not requiring additional components other than TV and a Mac Mini (HDMI enabled solution)
Necessary for larger room setups, especially those which require extra speakers/microphones for everyone to use. This option comes with a PTZ camera along with extra speakers and microphones to disperse across the room.
The iPad may seem like a small component, but it’s one of the most important. The heart of your Zoom software is in the iPad, as it is the component running the Zoom client. To enable the one-click meeting start, you’ll need an iPad. Because the Zoom software can integrate with your existing calendars, there’s no need to search needless apps to try and find your meeting. It’ll be right there, ready to go.
If you’re feeling even more adventurous and want to add the latest technology to your conference rooms, you can set up a wall mounted iPad as well. Companies such as iPort make wonderful tabletop and wall mounted models that allow full versatility for meeting planning and scheduling.
Because the meeting will be projected on a large screen (TV or projector), you’ll need a computer and a keyboard to control it. While Zoom handles the difficult parts, you’ll need the computer for the heavy lifting of your meeting.
For those of you using a Mac Mini, you will use either an HDMI connection or a screen sharing option to present information to the TV. The Rally Kit comes with an HDMI In and Out port in order to connect to the screen along with the computer.
Chromebox is a cheaper option with the required inputs and connections using USB to connect to the Logitech meeting software (instead of an iPad). This also works with the Rally Kit Logitech tap device.
As long as it’ll work with your computer and is HDMI enabled (for proper Zoom conferencing), any screen will do. Whether you have a TV screen or a projector, it’ll all function harmoniously with your Zoom room setup. Depending on which option you decide, you’ll have the ability to wirelessly “Airplay” from certain devices such as the Mac Mini, making the requirement for the HDMI cords unnecessary. This is a possible plus in some situations, although sometimes Airplay tends to have a few quirks to get around. If its possible to use an HDMI connection instead, it’ll likely save a bit of a hassle for your business.
Starting at $49/month to use the Zoom app and combine calendars, reduce event overlap, and complete a fully functional immersive meeting experience with a few extra components, it seems a bit difficult to find any reason why somebody wouldn’t want to setup their own Zoom room. A fully automated zoom setup can enhance productivity and workflow especially with the current trends of working from home continuing. Zoom can be a perfect solution for the hybrid workplace.
Think you’re ready to take the plunge and set up your customized Zoom Room solution? Regent5 has been installing Zoom Rooms for the last few years in the San Francisco Bay Area and can help you custom tailor your specific setup to meet your business needs and goals. We’ll be happy to come take a look and get you on the right track. We’ve installed Zoom Rooms in cities such as San Francisco, Atherton, Woodside, Palo Alto, Hillsborough, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, San Jose, Cupertino, Saratoga, Menlo Park and Campbell.
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