Guides
Want to understand it before you buy? Start here.
Huddle Room Setup: One USB Cable, 2 to 6 People on a Call
A huddle room is used all the time and looked after by no one. This guide compares the three simplest setups: the SP-1100 all-in-one, the J01i with an SM-500 (UCB-S), and the A01 with an SM-500, and how to choose by headcount, room size and room to grow.
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How to choose a meeting-room camera: 8 things to check, starting with room size
The camera is the most visible part of a video meeting. Whether remote people can see everyone, and see them clearly, depends on it. Work through these 8 points before you choose.
How to adjust colour on a PTZ camera: lighting, exposure, white balance and colour, in that order
The picture looks yellow or blue, faces are too bright or too dark, or two cameras don't match? Work through lighting, exposure, white balance and colour in that order and the picture comes right.
What is BYOM? How Wireless Video Meetings Work, and How to Set Up Small, Medium and Large Rooms
BYOM stands for Bring Your Own Meeting: you run the video call on your own laptop and use the room camera, microphone and speaker. This guide explains how BYOM works, how it differs from BYOD, how small, medium and large rooms differ, and how WP-50 connects to the equipment already in the room.
How to stream a sports event: from one phone to multi-camera coverage in 9 steps
School teams and community leagues want to stream their games too, and you don't have to buy a pile of equipment to begin. This guide starts with a single phone and works up to professional multi-camera coverage.
How to choose a USB extension cable for video meetings: 9 checks when a long cable fails
The camera works with the short cable it came with. Swap in a long extension and the computer can't find it, or the picture freezes. The camera usually isn't broken: the signal and the power can't make the distance.
PTZ Camera Control System Integration: Wiring, Testing and Speaker Tracking
One-touch meeting modes and cameras that turn to whoever is speaking come from integrating PTZ cameras with control systems and conference systems. This guide covers control methods, wiring, VISCA commands and troubleshooting, step by step.
What equipment does a video meeting room need? Cameras, speakers and microphones explained
Three things ruin a video meeting: you can't hear them, they can't hear you, and the picture is a blur. Here is a plain-English walk through what a meeting room needs and how the pieces fit together.
How to choose a conference speakerphone: fixing sound that is unclear, echoing or noisy
You can hold a meeting without seeing the other side. You can't hold one if you can't hear them. Here is where meeting-room sound problems come from, and how to choose speakers and microphones.
How to plan a wireless BYOM meeting room: meet from your own laptop, no cables
Walk into the room, open your own laptop and start the meeting with the room's camera and microphones, without plugging in a tangle of cables. Here is what BYOM is, why Wi-Fi matters most, and how to set it up step by step.
10 things to get right when streaming or recording with a PTZ camera
You bought the right camera, and the picture is still too dark, too yellow or soft? The cause is usually where the camera is placed and a few basic settings. Here are the 10 things to check before going live.
Why do medium and large meeting rooms need a PTZ camera? 5 reasons
A small meeting room gets by with one wide-angle camera. In a bigger room the people at the back become small and blurry in the picture. That is when you need a PTZ camera.
How to plan a recording system: cameras, control, audio and the recorder explained
When people want to record a class, a talk or an event, and perhaps stream it too, the first thing they ask is which recorder to buy. That isn't the first question. Answer these 6 questions, then choose the equipment.
Microphones for Large Meeting Rooms: Which Type to Choose, How Many to Place, and How to Deal with Room Reflections
There are several ways to pick up sound in a large meeting room, each with trade-offs. This guide compares one microphone per person, tabletop omnidirectional units and ceiling arrays, explains the limits of omnidirectional pickup such as the SM-500 and SM-800, and shows how to improve the echo caused by glass walls and hard floors.
What Is a PTZ Camera? Pan, Tilt and Zoom Explained in Plain Words
You hear "PTZ camera" in meeting rooms, classrooms and halls. How does it differ from an ordinary webcam? This guide takes it apart: how it turns, how it zooms, what presets are, how to control it and how the picture gets out.
Wireless Presentation for Meeting Rooms: AirPlay, Miracast and Transmitters Explained
You want to put a laptop or phone screen on the meeting room display without hunting for cables and adapters. This guide covers the ways to present wirelessly, what to watch for in picture quality and the network, and what native 4K in and 4K out really means.
How to Plan a Hybrid Classroom: Lectures, Demonstrations and Discussions, With Remote Students Following Along
The teacher teaches in the classroom while some students join online at the same time. This guide uses three kinds of class (lecture, demonstration, discussion) to explain the cameras, microphones and controls for a hybrid classroom, and sorts out the terms.
Live Streaming and Recording for Churches and Worship Halls: A Setup One Person Can Run
A church wants to stream the Sunday service for people who cannot attend, but only one or two volunteers look after the equipment. This guide covers what to shoot, how to connect the sound and who runs what.