7 Office Gadgets That Are Vital to Online Meetings

Working from home is not a remote idea, as recognized by at least a hundred companies. Although not all jobs can be taken home or done outside work premises, some roles can manage as long as a computer and the internet are present.

You can say the same about collaboration. If people can work without being chained to their desks, they can meet for routine and critical matters online. Web conferencing facilitates real-time and face-to-face conversations between two people or scores more. Depending on the service, you can share your screen with the other participants and live chat while the conference is ongoing. 

Indeed, these virtual gatherings are the lifeblood of organizations with geographically dispersed staff or out-of-the-country leaders, for that matter. If your office fits the bill, gather these gizmos, and set up your online meetings for efficiency and productivity.  

1. Laptop

A desktop computer is fine if it’s a one-on-one meeting. But if there are three more people involved in the call and a bigger room is needed, the portability of a laptop saves the day. You can take it anywhere quiet, station it in a meeting room, and click on the link to the meeting. Laptops generally have a built-in camera and microphone, as well as speakers to complete the setup. 

2. Webcam

Notwithstanding your laptop’s camera, owning a stand-alone webcam still pays for larger meetings. Webcams vary by specialization (e.g., recording, streaming, editing, and videoconferencing). For business-meeting purposes, here are crucial considerations for your external camera:

• High-resolution video or at least 720p to display images that are not grainy
• High frame rate starting at 30 frames per second to avoid lags, freezing, or stuttering of video 
• Compatibility with your operating system or devices

Webcams can have built-in microphones offering standard sound quality. You can have superior sound and video in your webcam for a heftier price. 

3. Microphone 

Like webcams, microphones exist for many purposes, as Twitch and YouTube folks can attest. Computer mics are built to deliver your words to the other party loud and clear. You can own an external mic for a reasonable price, although additional features merit a bump in the cost. Should you go all-out with your mic, don’t miss out on noise cancelation or ambient noise reduction. 

4. Bluetooth Speakers 

You are huddled together for a big announcement with your CEO. You can use Bluetooth speakers to broadcast the all-important message to every corner in the room. Known audio manufacturers have their versions of wireless speakers for indoor and outdoor settings. These portable and battery-powered ones are an alternative to the usual plug-and-play computer speakers with their wires and all. When the meeting is over, the office can resume playing lo-fi music.  

5. External Monitor

How do you like a bright display, camera, and speaker in one monitor for your next videoconference? Some brands offer computer monitors that solve the problem of a PC with too many peripherals for teleconferencing. You can probably forgo the extra features and focus on the size of the screen relative to the area of the room. Forty-two inches for a display is a good start.

6. Projector 

Truth be told, presentations are getting scarcer by the day; people prefer to open and view the file in their computers. Instead of a giant monitor, you can use the projector for the video display. Secure the designated screen or project to a plain white wall, use an HDMI cable to connect, and presto, you can see the folks joining the call. 

7.  Conference Phone

You can call in to join online meetings. In this case, you use telephones like those from Nortel Networks to speak with and hear the other participants. Conference phones or speakerphones are compatible with VoIP, which facilitates real-time audio communication on a given meeting.

You certainly have an array of equipment for an online meeting, whether it is voice-only or with video. One last thing: the internet connection is critical to this audiovisual arrangement, so free up the office bandwidth before you begin.