Video conferencing for small business - off-the-shelf hardware solution

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dafman

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#191581 9-Feb-2016 14:23

Hi - I want to set up video conferencing equipment to connect Wellington and Auckland offices.

I'm thinking around 50" screens at each site, with dedicated cameras/mics etc. Ease of use is also important.

I want to purchase the equipment and have it installed. I'm not interested in leasing, or paying ongoing costs for proprietary software/service.

Question: Hardware - any recommendations for price effective off-the-shelf hardware solutions?

cheers

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Networkn
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#1488093 9-Feb-2016 14:25

The logitech we sold to a customer recently they are exceptionally happy with.

cisconz

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#1488100 9-Feb-2016 14:38

We just put in a Polycom Trio 8800 with Visual+

Works really well, and 1/4 the price of a "Real" Polycom system

Hmmmm

lxsw20

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#1488101 9-Feb-2016 14:38

Do you have some sort of WAN link or do you need an external bridging service?

For a software solution (you'll need a PC or Laptop at each end) the Logitech cc3000e. For a hardware codec, something like the Cisco SX10 or SX20.

profrink

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#1488112 9-Feb-2016 14:56

Chromebox for Meetings

Probably the easiest to use IMO. Does require Google for Work, but you'd only need to use it with the two 'Chromebox for Meetings' devices.

There is also an Outlook plugin to let you book them, for those on O365.

dafman

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#1488177 9-Feb-2016 16:28

Thanks all, the cc3000e was the device I had heard good reviews of a year or so back - but for some reason I thought it was a Cisco product - thanks for jogging my memory.

Any recommendations for Wellington-based companies I can talk to re hardware and installation (two locations: Wellington/Auckland). If so, please PM me.

cheers

dafman

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#1488324 9-Feb-2016 20:21

In addition to the cc3000e, are there any good standalone systems that don't require connection to a PC with separate video conference software?

thanks in advance

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chevrolux

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#1489990 10-Feb-2016 21:52

Grandstream just came out (6 moths ago-ish) with new video conference solution.

Personally, as soon as someone says 'conferencing' to me Polycom is my first suggestion - if they don't like the price then I will give other options but with none of the 'sales magic' or guarantee of how good it will be.

billgates

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#1490060 11-Feb-2016 06:38

2 x Xbox One with Kinect using Skype. Youtube this. The Kinect does great movement tracking within the room with Skype when people move. You can set this up yourself.

Do whatever you want to do man.

Oriphix

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#1490061 11-Feb-2016 06:45

If they have a good internet connection you could use Skype for Business (formerly known as Lync).

Can plug laptop to your tv suggestion and just need a webcam.

We use this at work and works great. We call national and overseas.

lxsw20

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#1490063 11-Feb-2016 06:50

Skype for Business would require an Office 365 subscription or on-prem Skype for Business setup.

Oriphix

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#1490067 11-Feb-2016 06:57

lxsw20:

Skype for Business would require an Office 365 subscription or on-prem Skype for Business setup.

Yeah since the OP mentioned its for small business I assumed (bad on my part) that they would be on office 365 as its cheaper then buying CD for office which costs a more.

Samsung

Shop now on Samsung phones, tablets, TVs and more (affiliate link).

dafman

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#1490162 11-Feb-2016 09:28

Oriphix:

lxsw20:

Skype for Business would require an Office 365 subscription or on-prem Skype for Business setup.

Yeah since the OP mentioned its for small business I assumed (bad on my part) that they would be on office 365 as its cheaper then buying CD for office which costs a more.

We have Office 365 and Skype - so the logitech CC3000e with Skype looks a likely option. However, I'm keen on finding a truly standalone system that we can just 'switch on' without needing a PC connection (although the ability to connect a PC if required for presentations is needed). ie. I want staff to be able to pop into meeting room and hit a switch to start a AV conversation between the two locations.

I accept that such a solution may cost a little more than installing CC3000e at both locations, but I don't want to pay significantly more.

Keen to buy and install, don't really want to pay a third party on an ongoing basis.

dafman

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#1490164 11-Feb-2016 09:31

chevrolux:

Grandstream just came out (6 moths ago-ish) with new video conference solution.

Personally, as soon as someone says 'conferencing' to me Polycom is my first suggestion - if they don't like the price then I will give other options but with none of the 'sales magic' or guarantee of how good it will be.

Thanks, just had a look online. The Granstream GVC3200 looks promising. Anyone know of a Wellington-based supplier, please PM me.

lxsw20

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#1490176 11-Feb-2016 09:47

Looks like the Grandstreams only support SIP at this point, but H323 is coming. So you would need a SIP server of some sort to use them. From when we were looking at codecs a couple of years back if you wanted a quality standalone product, you have to pay for that. We ended up with Cisco SX20's at each site. Fantastic quality, but you pay for it, aprox 10k per endpoint.

chevrolux

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#1491864 14-Feb-2016 00:05

lxsw20:
Looks like the Grandstreams only support SIP at this point, but H323 is coming. So you would need a SIP server of some sort to use them. From when we were looking at codecs a couple of years back if you wanted a quality standalone product, you have to pay for that. We ended up with Cisco SX20's at each site. Fantastic quality, but you pay for it, aprox 10k per endpoint.

Could just set them up to make a SIP URI call between the two locations. And with h.264 support at both ends I wouldn't expect there to be codecs issues.

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