Video conferencing has become an essential component for connecting with anyone from clients and prospects to colleagues and team members working remotely. You don’t want to wait for an important meeting with a prospective client, but what if you have to cancel or reschedule the meeting because you are having trouble with the hardware or other equipment you depend on? Also, you don’t want to look unprofessional and amateur because you are running late while fixing your webcam and microphone, or your internet connection is disruptive. To avoid these awkward situations, test the hardware you are using beforehand and ensure that everything is working fine. We have tried to put together a list of essential hardware for video conferencing.
Desktop, laptop, or smartphone
Your smartphone, laptop, or desktop computer is the central point to connect your video conferencing equipment. It helps you to manage collaboration tools, file transfer, and screen sharing features. Laptops or smartphones also serve as a display device so that everyone can see other meeting participants they are talking to. For this aspect, some people may prefer to have a different, wider monitor as well.
High-Resolution Webcam
Among the most significant benefits of video conferencing is that people are now connected and having conversations “face-to-face” even if they are far away. It’s essential to have a good webcam with high-resolution features that enable your video conferencing experience to be as close as actual face-to-face meetings. Built-in webcams on your laptop or smartphone may serve your purpose with basic features. However, to enhance the video quality of online conferences, you should consider attaching a separate high-resolution webcam. For small rooms, some webcams have a broader viewing angle. In contrast, others have auto-focus options for large areas like auditoriums, lecture halls, or conference spaces. So, the hi-res webcam is the essential hardware for video conferencing.
High-Quality External Microphone
Audio is important in the era of video conferencing. Choosing the best microphone available is essential to capture perfect and clear audio when you are speaking. The built-in microphone on your laptop or smartphone maybe not be the best option in this aspect since it stays a few feet apart from your mouth. As a result, you need to speak loudly so that the microphone takes up your vocal sound. In this situation, an external headset or microphone is helpful. Using a high-quality external microphone is also necessary for video conferencing can also help.
Monitor or Display Screen
As mentioned earlier, visual components made video conferencing popular in recent years. An appropriate display or projection screen to be used is usually determined by the number of audiences present in a certain place. For an individual, a laptop, smartphone, or tablet may be adequate. A wider display or projection screen is ideal for office meeting rooms, auditoriums, or lecture halls. Several people would attend the video conference from a single venue.
Headphone or speakers
A headphone or a speaker is required to hear the voices of people who will join conference calls from the other side. Built-in or external speakers may serve this purpose. Still, a headphone will avoid the microphone from grabbing the louder sounds of speakers, which may disrupt other meeting participants.
Internet Connections
To join in a video conference, you will require access to the internet. A poor internet connection will inevitably result in a poor experience for the online meeting participants. Some video conferencing platforms, such as Convay, will automatically adjust audio and video quality with the available internet bandwidth. Usually, when meeting attendees increase, so does the amount of usable bandwidth for a smooth, high-quality video conferencing experience.
Before you host or join the meeting, double-check the hardware and internet connection working perfectly. Most video conferencing software will help you test your microphone, webcam, and speakers/headphones to confirm that those are working well or malfunction. It’s best to know if your setup has a problem earlier so that you can fix it before the meeting starts.
