If your conference room has a wall panel and/or tablet with Cisco branding, this guide will help you use this technology to enhance your next meeting. This equipment is installed and supported by OIT (not SOMITSS), so if you are experiencing issues outside the normal functionality described here, reach out for support at 303-724-8129.
The Wall Panel
To wake the TV, tap the wall panel to see the home screen. You can see that there are two options, presenting and video calls. The TV has a computer connected behind it that is used for presentation mode. The Cisco tablet on the conference room table controls the video call mode.
Presentation Mode
You will see four options when in Presentation Mode. The function of each one is covered here briefly.
Room PC
This will activate the TV to show the desktop of the computer installed on the back of the TV. This computer has a generic "Presenter" login (no password), so any person can use the wireless mouse and keyboard to use the computer once this mode is active.
On the wall panel, "Room PC" will light up blue and there is no other configuration needed to use the computer.
Air-Media
This will change the display to the TV's own Air-Media technology (similar to Airplay or Chromecast casting). It will display an ip address to visit on your computer (does not work for smartphones).
You will then be prompted to install the AirMedia Utility Software unless you have already installed it (takes only a couple of seconds). Enter the code and your screen can be shared using the start and stop buttons. You can also click the details button for more options on how your screen is shared.
Table HDMI
This will change the display of the TV to the open HDMI port located in the conference room table. Simply plug your computer in with an HDMI connection to mirror your screen on the TV (should also mirror audio). Many laptops do not have an HDMI port, but can be used with the proper adapter. If you do not have an HDMI cable and/or needed adapter, please reach out to your department's IT support.
Blank
The blank option is useful for turning the TV black for when the focus of your meeting should not be on the screen. If you are using the Air Media or HDMI option, you can temporarily select "Blank" to pull up a prepared document without showing any potentially sensitive data that might be open in your email or other programs.
Video Call Mode
You will see the same four options after selecting video call mode. The difference in this mode is that the tablet on the conference room table and the conference webcam installed under the TV will be active.
The Cisco Touch Panel (Tablet)
The Cisco tablet uses Cisco Webex to make calls and video calls. While it is not intended for use with Zoom, there are two ways discussed below that this can be done. The tablet has four buttons, you will likely not need the meetings button or "Join Webex" button (unless you're using Webex instead of Zoom). The share button will display/share the Room Computer's screen.
You can adjust the conference room camera settings by pressing the Video Camera icon in the top right.
Using Zoom
Since the Room Computer is not directly connected to the camera/microphone, it is not ideal to run Zoom directly from the Room Computer. Instead, host the Zoom meeting from a laptop computer. The idea is to split responsibilities between the two devices so that the laptop is in charge of hosting the meeting and any screen shares while the Cisco equipment is in charge of the camera, microphone, and speakers:
1. Create or Schedule a Zoom Meeting on your laptop and take note of the meeting ID and password (if applicable). Start the meeting on your laptop.
2. The laptop will serve as the host and for screen sharing, but you will want to mute the audio and microphone on the laptop to avoid echo. Go to the audio settings within zoom and move the speaker volume all the way down (Windows muting will not work):
3. Make sure the wall panel is set to Video Call Mode, and you can select "Blank" for the display (you should see a video camera preview on the screen)
4. On the tablet, press "Call"
5. Select Zoom CRC (Conference Room Connector) and then "Call"
6. On this screen you will use the keypad (third button from the right) to input the Zoom meeting ID from the laptop. Make sure to start and end the number with the # key. You can use the * key as a backspace if you make a mistake. As you dial, the numbers you type will show on the TV screen.
7. The conference room camera/microphone will then join the Zoom meeting as its own participant. The laptop should have everything muted since it is only acting as the host.
8. If you need to share documents or other media, sharing the laptop's screen is the preferred method. You can also share the Room computer's screen, but this creates some display glitches.
8a. If you can't share the laptop's screen, press the tablet's share button (third from the left) and then press "Share in call" on the left side for the Room PC.
Only after sharing will you see the Room PC screen displayed on the TV (and to the Zoom call). You may need to press the Windows key to pull up the start menu to find the material you wish to share. Click the red "Stop sharing" button on the tablet to end the share.