Teams Room Magic or BYOD Flexibility: Making the Right Choice for Your Meetings

If you’re reading this, you’ve more than likely already begun your meeting room refresh journey and stumbled upon the ongoing debate between, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) rooms and Microsoft Teams Rooms (MTR).

At this point you’re probably wondering, “Which approach will suit my organisation better?”, “What are the pros and cons of each?” and “How can I find the perfect balance?” Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. Let’s dive into the details and explore the exciting world of meeting room setups.

 

BYOD Rooms: Flexibility Meets Distractions

Let’s start with BYOD rooms. Imagine walking into a conference room designed for the BYOD experience. Here, you connect your laptop to the meeting rooms camera and display using a USB, HDMI or USB-C cable to access your meeting rooms devices from your laptop.

The biggest advantage of this setup is the flexibility it offers. You can use any video conferencing software installed on your laptop and have access to all the features you know at your fingertips. Flexibility, right?

But here’s the catch: in this situation your laptop becomes the brains of the meeting room, controlling the software and requiring users to set up the solution at the start of each meeting.

In reality, this means you need to arrive early, set everything up, and on top of that you’re stuck in the room until the meeting ends even if it doesn’t involve you.

Configuration can also be a major hassle, requiring changes in microphones, speakers, and settings when you move to different spaces.

As you can guess, this approach can lead to distractions and technical hiccups, resulting in precious time wasted and frustrated calls to the IT help desk or worse a failed or missed meeting.

Pro’s and Con’s of BYOD Rooms 

Pro’s		Con’s
Flexibility	You can use any video conferencing software and access all features.	Distractions	Laptops can be a distraction during meetings, impacting productivity.
Familiarity	Employees are comfortable with their own devices and software	Technical Hassles	Manual setup, configuration, and compatibility issues lead to delays and help desk calls.

 

Alright, now let’s shift our focus to Microsoft Teams Rooms (MTR).

 

Microsoft Teams Rooms (MTR): The Simplicity of a One Touch to Join Solution.

Picture yourself in front of a well-equipped MTR space. In this setup, the camera, speakers, microphones, and display are all already connected to a dedicated PC whose sole job is to run the Microsoft Teams Room software.

This means the room is always ready for collaboration – no need for manual configuration!

Booking a meeting is a breeze; you simply schedule it in Outlook, and the in room MTR PC automatically receives the Teams meeting invitation.

But here’s the game-changer: MTRs come with a user-friendly touch screen interface that displays all your upcoming meeting information. Just tap the ‘Join’ button next to your meeting icon on the touch screen, and voila – your meeting starts instantly.

Pro’s and Con’s of Microsoft Teams Rooms (MTR)

Pro’s		Con’s
Effortless Setup	One-touch start-up, no cables to plug, no manual configurations	Platform Limitations	Primarily designed for Microsoft Teams, may not fully support other conferencing platforms. Talk to your Leedall meeting room specialist to ensure you have all possibilities covered before your install.
Streamlined Booking	The room has its own calendar, making meeting scheduling hassle-free.	Internal Presentation Limitations	Without the correct set up, sharing presentations can become difficult if you haven’t configured your system correctly.
		Higher Cost	MTR solutions may require a higher initial investment compared to BYOD rooms.

 

So, there you have it – the two different meeting room approaches dissected for you. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, and the best choice depends on your organisation’s needs and priorities.

If you’re thinking, “Why can’t I get the best of both approaches?” or “Can I do this wirelessly?”

Well, you can! This however adds another range of considerations and solution design which is outside the scope of this article.

Speak with one of Leedall’s meeting room specialists today to remove the headache from the decision making process and ensure your organisation gets the best possible solution for your organisations needs.

 

Author: Brad Eather – Sales and Market Development Manager