How to Set Up a Smart Meeting Room with Display Panels & Scheduling Tools

Have you ever jumped into a meeting room only to surprise in room audience who started to glaze at you like you have committed a crime? Or you have done the typical “sneak peek” the glass window, trying to figure out if the room is occupied but you get a bunch of people with a confused faces? Or on a typical workday  when your phone rings and you wish to find a private space, the glamorous way to hunt for a meeting room? Or  usual practice of organizing a meeting and not sure which room to lock in as there is not no visibility on the availability? This is the exact issue a meeting room panel mounted outside of the room can resolve. But what is a meeting room panel? How does it work? How is it used? What are the respective licensing requirements to have a meeting room panel? Lets us discuss more about these panels and explore various models in detail? In short a room display panel or meeting room booking panel is a small touch screen specially designed to display the meeting room presence ana availability. These screens are mounted out side the meeting room and can sync with popular platforms  such as Microsoft 365, Google Work Spaces, Zoom Appspace etc.

Before we look at the best meeting room booking systems for offices or conference rooms  let us understand licensing pre-requisite that are required for these room panels. For this exercise we will take AVbyUSB’s meeting room as an example which we currently have a Microsoft Teams room video conference equipment installed. We have allocated a room resource license called “mtr@avbyusb.com.au”. This is a basic license which is free and currently Microsoft offers up to 25 free basic license per organization. Please note that Microsoft's licensing can be changed anytime with out prior notice. We recommend to check the licensing requirements beforehand, else feel free to ContactUs , our team is happy to provide updated information.  When scheduling a virtual meeting, it is our practice to send an Outlook invitation, ensuring that all users required to attend. The very last step would be invite our “MTR” meeting room which we can pick from the “Add a room or location” within the outlook invite. If your organization has multiple meeting rooms , outlook lists all the rooms that are available at your required time frames in Green and rest in red. Once a meeting room is selected and the invitations sent, the meeting is received by the Teams video conferencing system which displays the meeting on the meeting screen. When the user is ready there is a “Join” button to start the meeting.

Similarly, a meeting room panel also requires a resource license; However the Microsoft  teams room “Basic license” is not suitable for  these room panels. Either, you require  “Pro” or a “Shared” device license. If  your meeting room already has a Microsoft teams room system like that of Yealink MTR, Logitech Tap or Shure system then to add a room panel you will be required to upgrade to a “Pro” license which is $59/Month/license paid annually. If your meeting room does not have any Teams room video conference  unit nor you have installed a BYOD conference system like that of Barco CX series or Mersive POD or Kramer VIA  then a “Shared Device” license would be sufficient which is currently $8/Month/device license. “Shared Device” license was earlier called “Common area phone license” but maintained the same price structure. So if you upgrade to a Pro license you could maintain the same resource license email for Teams Room conference system and room panel outside. Hence, if you organize a meeting and link in associated room , the panel picks up the meeting and displays the room booking slots which is highly visible. Work flow is simple and easy.

Now that we have covered and understood the licensing pre-requisites for room panels let’s explore how to choose right room scheduling system . There are  two primary approaches to view meeting room availability:

1. Software Only Systems
2. Dedicated Room Booking Displays

Software only systems provide the required room booking functionality and works on BYO display screens. Simply signup with required software package, download the application onto an i-pad or tablet , mount the display on the wall or table and you will be ready to manage the meeting room . I-pad or tablet can be mounted using specialized mounts such as Heckler mounts. These are perfect for users who prefer a BYO approach  or want to re-purpose their equipment. While considering software systems licensing costs from the software vendor and Microsoft both factors should be factored into the total cost of a software evaluation. This dual licensing can increase the total cost of ownership. Another consideration is that iPads and tablets are not designed to be used continuously in use nor these are  commercial devices.  Once mounted, it is not a fun exercise to  have to recharge them manually on a daily basis. On the other hand, If  these devices are  connected to a wall charger all the time, may overheat and later swell or get damaged. We have had first-hand experience observing these issues unfold in real time, marking the roadblocks on the use of consumer-grade devices for professional handling. Specialized wall mounts that have PoE support such as Hecker's range are a solution for certain operational needs. However, these solutions add to the overall costs and thus should be analyzed carefully while considering the  total cost of ownership (TCO)

Dedicated room booking displays are built purposefully developed for managing meeting room efficiently. These devices typically involve initial hardware investment and Microsoft licensing fees, with minimal or no additional licensing costs. Since the screens are purpose built they ensure optimal reliability, visibility and performance. These panels feature responsive capacitive touch screen and integrated LED indicators on the sides of the panel that provide a immediate visual cue on the room availability and ease of use on a busy environment. These screens are generally 10” which are POE powered and can be mounted on various mounting surfaces. 

In certain instances, clients request dedicated “Wireless” meeting room schedulers for conference rooms. That could be because they are unable to run any ethernet cables or require a quick turn around solution. In these scenarios, the  Joan 6 RE is an ideal choice which is a dedicated meeting room schedules  that is designed for flexibility and ease of use. Joan RE houses a 6” capacitive touch screen that can function up to 3 months of operation once fully charged. Joan RE utilizes an advances e-paper display featuring high contrast and superior readability. This unit can be mounted on most flat surfaces and is offered in black or white metal frames.  If you require extended battery performance, consider Joan 6 Pro which offers similar features to that of  Joan 6 RE but delivers up to 6 months runtime on a single charge. Joan also has Joan13 Pro for users who are seeking a bigger screen and this is a POE powered unit. All of the Joan devices utilize e-paper displays, which may be everyone’s preference.

If you are looking for a color screen with high visible LED panel, we can explore a different category of devices to better meet your needs. In this segment there are multiple brands such as IAdea, Yealink, Concierge, Logitech Tap, Kramer  to name a few. These devices are all genreally POE powered with an optional power supply. All these devices can integrate with service providers such as Microsoft or Google. These units house a high bright LED that visually display meeting room presence. Units can be mounted on various flat surfaces such as walls, glass surfaces else simply table mount on a stand. There are entry level models in this segment such as Yealink Room Panel, IAdea 1078 A2 which offer around 8"-10" screens and provide basic core functionality for room scheduling.  Certain models offer higher functionality such as Iadea WRP1000 , Joan 13  bigger screens, NFC Card Reader, Door Unlock Mechanism etc.  NFC features can add convience where employees can tap their ID card to book the meeting room instead of the usual room booking route.

Overall room scheduling can be achieved either by BYO screens or dedicated meeting room panels. Even though both these routes lead to view room avilability, dedicated meeting room panels have a winning edge when compared. Higher visibility with colored interface makes the room avialability easily recognoisable. POE powered makes cable management easy and unit can be mounted in most surfaces. If you wish to get more clarity on these devices or wish to understand further, please do not hestiate to contact us on 1300668108 or sales@avbyusb.com.au