Key Technology Upgrades for the Modern Boardroom

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, the way we worked was shifting. Now, it’s been forever changed – and with that comes the need for modern boardroom technology that can serve multiple functions, without compromising on quality.

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, the way we worked was shifting. Now, it’s been forever changed – and with that comes the need for modern boardroom technology that can serve multiple functions, without compromising on quality.

Sound Quality, Acoustics, and Reverb Reduction

One of the most significant new demands on the modern boardroom is the ability to host meetings via video conferencing. This means that excellent sound quality –both for participants inside the room and for those attending virtually– has become a necessity.

Unfortunately, many boardrooms just weren’t designed with this functionality in mind. This makes a sound quality overhaul one of the most imperative upgrades for the modern boardroom.

Reverb issues are common, and degrade the sound quality and intelligibility of participants. Reverberation is often caused by flat, hard surfaces (like tables and windows) which bounce soundwaves around the room, causing distortion.   

It’s important to note that factors like room size and ceiling height all make a difference in determining the most appropriate upgrades. For example, in a room with an average ceiling height, roughly 40% of the square footage should be treated with sound-dampening solutions for optimal sound quality.

The placement of speakers and microphones should also be reassessed. Array-microphone technologies, which actually steer and direct sound pickup, are ideal.    

Wireless Presentation Systems

With so many people working both in the office and from home, the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) culture has grown exponentially. In a meeting, this means presenters who want to share content from their laptops and tablets on a shared TV, interactive whiteboard or screen would normally have to manually connect their device to it by a cable.

This interrupts the flow of the meeting, disturbs the other participants, and wastes time. In contrast, a wireless presentation system allows attendees to project their laptop, tablet, notebook, or smartphone content without the need to plug in a cable. This makes sharing and collaborating seamless and effortless – and keeps the room free of clutter in the process!

Wireless presentation systems are currently one of the most sought-after modern boardroom technologies. To present their content, the owner of the device can either plug in a small button or ‘puck’ to start sharing or simply connect to the desired screen via the company Wi-Fi. 

Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) Cameras

In face-to-face meetings, it’s natural for participants to look directly at the person speaking. Replicating this experience in a video conference where you have more than one speaker seated at the boardroom table can be a challenge – unless you have a pan-tilt camera!

These can be mounted beneath your main screen and aimed directly at the person who is currently talking, all with the touch of a button on the remote control. They’re designed to work with all the major video conferencing apps and cloud services and don’t require any OS-specific drivers.

This makes it simple to replicate the in-person meeting experience, even if your clients are conferencing in from hundreds of miles away. The modern boardroom technology behind PTZ cameras is similar to that of integrated security PT cameras, which allow you to view different angles of a room with the same camera.

Crestron Flex – Unified Conferencing

From small huddle spaces to large conference venues, Crestron Flex offers a dynamic range of desktop phones, tabletop devices, soundbars, and mobile carts that make collaboration easy.

Built upon the XiO Cloud platform, you can connect, provision, and manage anywhere from 5 to 5,000 devices, regardless of the operating system. The system was designed in partnership with Microsoft, so integrates effortlessly with Microsoft Teams, Zoom Rooms, and BYOD applications.

Each connected device instantly transforms into a multipurpose dashboard, allowing users to control everything from room scheduling and presentation launch to adjusting lighting, shades, and climate.

Crestron Flex solutions include:

  • The P-Series Crestron Flex Phone and M-Series Mini Tabletop with Microsoft Teams software – up to 3 people
  • The B-Series Smart Soundbar – up to 5 people
  • The M-Series Tabletop – up to 15 people
  • The M Series with Mic Kit – up to 30 people
  • The C-Series customer solutions for large venues and lecture halls – any number of people
  • The R-Series Mobile UC mobile solutions – any number of people

Available features include:

  • High fidelity audio and high-resolution video
  • 360° quad microphone arrays
  • Beamforming technology and mic pods
  • High-precision, HD intelligent cameras with 150° field of vision

Biamp Conference Room Solutions

Biamp conference room solutions use patented technologies engineered to optimize productivity in rooms of all shapes and sizes.

One of their most innovative offerings is beam tracking intelligent microphones. These point dynamic beams exactly where they are needed as the presenter moves around the space, delivering exceptional intelligibility. Other notable features include single cable solutions, burst power mode to manage peak audio in large meetings with multiple speakers, and acoustic echo cancellation.

  • For huddle rooms, Biamp offers the Devio system, complete with an effortless Auto Setup feature
  • For medium conference rooms, the Tesira system includes speaker-tracking parlé microphones
  • For large conference rooms, the TesiraFORTE easily scales up to handle acoustic challenges with ease

Biamp conference room solutions easily integrate with Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Zoom, and Cisco WebEx – and are compatible with products from leading suppliers including HP, Lenovo, Logitech, and Poly.

In Conclusion

These 5 modern boardroom technology upgrades should be top of your list if you want to deliver outstanding presentations to your clients and enhance collaboration for your employees. 

Contact us to upgrade your boardroom technology or for more information.

5 Tips to Know Before Installing a Warehouse PA System

Be sure your next warehouse paging system is powerful and efficient with these pro tips for equipment and installation.

A warehouse paging system can be a powerful tool for improving efficiency and productivity. Even in noisy factory environments, a PA system can allow you to easily broadcast a message to all workers, or ask a single worker to reply via an intercom or call box near their current location, or with a handheld radio. 

One of the biggest benefits of a wireless warehouse PA system is that no messy cables are needed, which can get damaged and even be hazardous in a warehouse environment with lots of traffic.    

In this article, we’ll run through 5 tips to help you choose the right paging system for warehouse use that meets your needs.   

1. Consider the square footage, shape, ceiling height, and noise level of the warehouse 

Naturally, the larger your warehouse space, the more speakers or horns you will need to make sure all staff can hear broadcasts easily. While you might already know the square footage of your warehouse, calculating the cubic footage is vital when sound waves are involved. 

If your ceilings are particularly high, this will affect what types of horns can be used and where they should be placed. You should also have a good idea of the typical noise level in the environment in decibels. 

2. Do you need a one way paging or talk back paging solution?

A one-way warehouse paging system is generally sufficient for smaller warehouses, when the solution will only be used to make general announcements, ask a worker to report to the office, alert staff to the arrival of a delivery or pickup vehicle, or for emergency or evacuation announcements. 

In contrast, talk back systems allow individuals to respond to announcements through the paging speakers or via a talkback controller. This is ideal where real-time communication between office staff and warehouse staff is required – such as getting an instant update on inventory levels of a particular product for the sales department. 

3. Could you benefit from connecting your phone to your PA system too?

Beyond talk back capability, another option is a paging system for warehouse use that also connects with your telephone system. With this functionality in place, your warehouse and technical staff suddenly becomes accessible to multiple branches, or reps traveling on the road. 

These can also be coupled with VoIP technology, allowing seamless and serverless communication between customers, office employees, and warehouse staff.   

4. What type of speakers do you need?

While high-powered horns are most commonly used in large, noisy factory environments, they’re not the only option. There are three main types of speaker to consider – ceiling speakers, wall baffles, and horns.  

Ceiling speakers:

As the name suggests, these speakers are embedded in ceiling panels. They’re suitable for heights of up to 20 feet, and should be spaced 2x the ceiling height apart. So if your ceiling height is 10 feet, for example, speakers should be placed 20 feet apart. A good option for small warehouses and storage areas. 

Wall baffles:

Instead of radiating sound downwards as with a ceiling speaker, wall baffles send soundwaves horizontally. Because of this, it’s important never to place them directly opposite one another.  

Wall baffle speakers are a good option for smaller and medium warehouses which have a ceiling height over 20 feet, but aren’t large enough to warrant horns.

Horns:

Finally, the most powerful warehouse speakers are horns. They can be used indoors, including in noisy environments, as well as outdoors. These are also the types most commonly used by airports and at large shopping centers. Depending on the power of the horn, they can be spaced 50 feet apart and upwards, and are usually mounted 20 feet above the ground or higher.

5. Self-amplified or central-amplified?

Finally, you’ll need to decide between a 70-volt central-amplified, or a 24-volt self-amplified paging system. Here’s a quick synopsis of the two options:

70-volt central-amplified for larger warehouses:

  • One receiver which amplifies the signal to a number of speakers connected to the same wire. (i.e. one power supply) 
  • Suitable for music and other audio, rather than just voice. 
  • Can easily interface with additional peripherals like microphones.
  • Cannot be used near phone lines, as the stronger signal can cause interference.
  • More expensive, but easier to scale. 

24-volt self-amplified for smaller warehouses:

  • Each speaker has its own power supply, which means more cabling. 
  • Only suitable for voice communication. 
  • No interference with phone lines. 
  • More affordable, but can only be used with up to six speakers or four horns.

If you need the best of both, Systcom can design a dynamic system for you that works in tandem. Contact us today.