Conference Room Video Conferencing Guide

How to Set Up a Conference Room for Video Calls

TL;DR

The single most important decision for any conference room AV setup is picking your platform first (Zoom, Teams, or Meet) — hardware certification follows from that choice. For most NYC offices, Logitech or Poly all-in-one video bars handle rooms up to 10 people without custom programming. Book a consultation and we'll recommend the right system for your room count, sizes, and platform.

Table of Contents

• Step 1: Pick Your Platform
• Step 2: Choose Your Hardware Brand
• Step 3: What "Certified" Means (and Why It Matters)
• Step 4: Camera Selection by Room Size
• Scheduling Panels — The Underrated Upgrade
• Common Mistakes We See in NYC Offices
• NYC-Specific Considerations
• FAQ

Setting up a conference room for video calls should be simple. Between Zoom Rooms, Microsoft Teams Rooms, Google Meet hardware, all-in-one bars, and component systems — the number of decisions multiplies fast.

We install conference room AV systems in NYC offices every week. This guide breaks down the actual decision-making process: which platform, which hardware brand, and how to avoid the expensive mistakes we see constantly.

Step 1: Pick Your Platform

The most important decision isn't the camera or the soundbar — it's which video conferencing platform your company uses. The hardware follows from that choice.

Platform Comparison

Zoom Rooms — Best for companies already on Zoom. Supports the widest range of third-party hardware. $49/month per room on top of your Zoom Workplace plan. Best wireless sharing of the three.

Microsoft Teams Rooms — Best for Microsoft 365 organizations. Deep Outlook calendar integration, Front Row layout puts remote participants at eye level, intelligent speaker identifies who's talking in transcripts. Teams Rooms Pro is $40/month per room.

Google Meet — Best for Google Workspace organizations. Simplest setup (ChromeOS boots fast), lowest license cost. Smallest hardware ecosystem and limited interop with Zoom and Teams.

Our recommendation: About 60% of NYC companies we work with use Microsoft Teams and 35% use Zoom. Google Meet is growing but still a distant third in the NYC corporate market. If you're not sure, Zoom Rooms gives you the most hardware flexibility.

Step 2: Choose Your Hardware Brand

We install and support hardware from these manufacturers. They fall into two tiers based on price and complexity.

Standard Brands — Best for Most Offices

These are all-in-one or simple component systems. Plug in, configure the platform, and you're running. No custom programming required.

High-End Brands — For Complex or Large Installations

These require professional programming and configuration. They're for boardrooms, town halls, and offices with 10+ rooms that need centralized management.

When do you need high-end? If your room seats 10+ people, you're outfitting 10+ rooms at once, or you need custom control (lights dim when the meeting starts, shades close automatically) — that's Cisco, Q-SYS, or Crestron territory. For everything else, the standard brands deliver excellent results at a fraction of the cost.

Not sure which system is right for your office? We install all these brands and handle the full setup — equipment, mounting, cabling, and configuration. Our corporate AV services start at $10,000, equipment and labor included. Book a consultation and we'll design the right system for your space.

Step 3: What "Certified" Means (and Why It Matters)

When a device is "Zoom Certified" or "Teams Certified," it means the manufacturer worked with Zoom or Microsoft to test and approve that specific hardware for their platform. Certified devices get:

• Guaranteed compatibility — the platform's features (one-touch join, calendar display, AI framing) work natively
• Automatic firmware updates pushed through the platform's management tools
• Support escalation — if something breaks, both the hardware vendor and the platform vendor will help troubleshoot

What happens with non-certified hardware? It might work — most USB cameras function with any platform — but you lose native features like one-touch join, room scheduling, and intelligent framing. For a permanent room installation, always buy certified.

Step 4: Camera Selection by Room Size

The camera determines how remote participants see your room. Here's what we recommend based on room size.

Huddle Room (4–6 People)

Pick: All-in-one video bar — Logitech Rally Bar Mini, Poly Studio X30, Neat Bar, or Yealink A30.

One device handles camera, microphone, and speaker. Mount it below the display, connect one cable, done. The 120-degree field of view captures everyone in a small room. Built-in AI auto-framing adjusts to show exactly who's present.

Conference Room (6–10 People)

Pick: Premium video bar — Logitech Rally Bar, Poly Studio X50, Neat Bar Pro, or Yealink A40.

Wider microphone pickup (5–7 meters), stronger speakers, and better camera zoom than the huddle room devices. Add a scheduling panel (Neat Pad, Logitech Tap Scheduler, or Crestron) outside the door.

Boardroom (10+ People)

Pick: Component system or dual-camera device — Logitech Rally Plus system, Poly Studio X70, or a PTZ camera with separate ceiling microphones.

At this size, a single video bar can't pick up voices from across a 20-foot table. You need separate ceiling microphones, a camera with optical zoom (not just digital crop), and separate speakers so remote voices are loud enough for the farthest seat.

Town Hall (25+ People)

Pick: Professional AV system — Q-SYS or Crestron control with distributed Shure or Sennheiser ceiling microphones, multiple PTZ cameras, and a professional speaker system.

These rooms need custom design. The camera count, microphone zones, and speaker placement all depend on the room layout, seating arrangement, and how the space is used.

Scheduling Panels — The Underrated Upgrade

A scheduling panel is a small touchscreen mounted outside the conference room door. It shows:

• Whether the room is available right now (green/red status)
• The current meeting and who booked it
• Upcoming meetings for the day
• A button to book the room on the spot

Why it matters: In offices with 3+ conference rooms, scheduling panels eliminate the "is this room free?" walk-around and the double-booking chaos.

Our picks:

• Neat Pad — Clean design, Zoom and Teams certified, mounts flush to the wall
• Logitech Tap Scheduler — Wide screen, good visibility from down the hall
• Crestron Scheduling Panel — Enterprise-grade, integrates with Crestron control systems

Panels cost $500–$1,200 each and connect to your Google Calendar or Outlook room resources.

Common Mistakes We See in NYC Offices

Buying before choosing a platform. Hardware that's Zoom-certified may not be Teams-certified. Always confirm platform certification first.

Webcam on a laptop as the "camera." Fine for 2–3 people in a huddle room. For anything larger, the angle is wrong, the quality is poor, and half the room is out of frame.

Relying on laptop speakers and mic. Remote participants can't hear people more than 4 feet from the laptop. A dedicated speakerphone or video bar fixes this overnight.

No dedicated room system. When meetings depend on whoever brings their laptop, you get 5 minutes of "can you see my screen?" at the start of every call. A dedicated system with one-touch join eliminates this.

Ignoring acoustics. Glass walls, hard tables, and bare concrete create echo that no microphone can fix. Acoustic panels on at least two walls make a dramatic difference — especially in NYC offices where glass-walled conference rooms are everywhere.

NYC-Specific Considerations

Internet and Network

Conference rooms need hardwired Cat6A ethernet — not Wi-Fi. A dropped connection during a client call costs more than running a cable. Most NYC office buildings already have structured cabling in place.

Building Constraints

• Concrete ceilings make cable routing more complex. Budget for concrete-rated conduit if running cables from display to table or to ceiling microphones.
• Glass walls can't support display mounts. Use floor stands or mount to an adjacent solid wall with a swing-arm bracket.
• Union buildings may require a union electrician for any cable work, affecting cost and scheduling.

FAQ

How much does a conference room video system cost?

Our corporate AV setups start at $10,000 — equipment and labor included. Pricing scales up based on room size, equipment complexity, and the number of rooms. Book a consultation for a custom quote.

Should I buy Zoom Rooms or Microsoft Teams Rooms hardware?

Match your platform. If your company uses Zoom, buy Zoom-certified hardware. If your company uses Teams, buy Teams-certified. Don't buy Zoom hardware expecting it to work perfectly with Teams — interop exists, but the native experience is always better.

Do I need a scheduling panel?

For offices with 3+ conference rooms, scheduling panels are a high-ROI upgrade. They eliminate double-bookings and the "is this room free?" guessing game. For a single conference room, they're nice but not essential.

What's the difference between standard and high-end brands?

Standard brands (Logitech, Poly, Neat, Yealink) are all-in-one or simple component systems that work out of the box. High-end brands (Cisco, Q-SYS, Crestron) require custom programming and are for large rooms, multi-room installations, or spaces needing automation (lights, shades, AV all controlled from one panel).

Need help choosing the right system for your office? We install and support all these brands across NYC — Financial District, Midtown, Brooklyn, and the tri-state area. Book a consultation and tell us your room count, sizes, and platform. We'll recommend the right hardware and handle the full installation.