Zoom is again partnering with manufacturers to provide a hardware solution, but this time the company is offering a device to help remote workers use Zoom from their home.
The company’s first hardware solution is Zoom for Home — DTEN ME, a partnership with videoconferencing solutions manufacturer DTEN. The device is essentially a 27-inch display with three built-in cameras, eight microphones and a touch display for screen sharing, whiteboarding, annotating and ideation.
It’s easy to use right out of the box and can connect for Zoom license holder.
AV integrators, meeting room experts, are now faced with the challenge of adjusting to help their customers support their employees who are working from home.
Those use cases don’t require complex installations, but they do call for a bit more than just a laptop and it’s built-in camera and microphones.
According to Zoom, Zoom for Home devices will be compatible with Zoom Rooms hardware and solutions from manufacturers like Neat and Poly.
Per a Zoom press release, here are the main features:
- Enhances the Zoom Experience – Log in to a Zoom for Home compatible device with a Zoom user account to create immersive office experiences without additional licenses (Zoom for Home is available with all Zoom Meeting licenses, including Basic.)
- Always Ready – Easily start ad-hoc or scheduled meetings, take and receive phone calls, and virtually collaborate with content sharing and annotation.
- Personalization – Syncs with the user’s calendar, status, meeting settings and phone for an integrated video-first unified communications experience.
- Flexible Management Options – Zoom for Home devices can be set up to be IT-managed remotely through the Admin Portal or self-managed by the end-user.
- Zoom for Home Design – Ensures hardware is a purpose-built solution and is accessibly priced for a home office setup.
In an interview with TechCrunch, Jeff Smith, head of Zoom Rooms, says the new offering is designed for the home office and is ready to use out of the box.
He says this is designed with simplicity in mind, so that you pull it out of the box and launch the interface by entering a pairing code on a website on your laptop or mobile phone. Once the interface appears, you simply touch the function you want such as making a phone call or starting a meeting and it connects automatically.
The device can be linked to a user’s calendar so all meetings appear in a sidebar for easy access. It can pair with a user’s computer or smartphone, similar to Bluetooth.
Smith said Zoom will launch Zoom for Home with more partners, including the Neat Bar and the Poly Studio X Series.
This offering comes about a week after Zoom announced Zoom Hardware-as-a-Service, a new offering that helps smaller end user customers deploy Zoom Rooms without a large up-front cost.
