Cisco Room Devices can join Zoom, Webex, Microsoft Teams, or Google meetings. They have one or more cameras, microphones, and speakers, and use a TV or projector to display meeting content. Room Devices are controlled by a Cisco Navigator, which is a 10" tablet that is placed on a table or mounted on a wall. The Navigator is used to join meetings and adjust camera, audio, and content settings. No computer is needed to join online meetings, though meeting attendees can use a computer to share content, monitor meeting chat, or record meetings.

Room devices can be used to display laptop screens wirelessly or via an HDMI cable, with or without joining an online meeting.

Most hybrid rooms are set up so that the display (TV or projector) turns on automatically when you tap the Navigator, plug a laptop into the HDMI cable, or start a wireless sharing session. In some rooms with older equipment, a remote control may be needed to turn on the display. The Cisco equipment is always on, and will remain in standby mode when not in use. The system may also wake up when motion is detected in the room.

Once the display is on, you may show your laptop screen on the display, join an online meeting, or both.

Hybrid Room Training Videos

Many of the steps described in the sections below are also covered in a series of training videos, which are a good way to get started with using Cisco Room Devices.

Scheduling an Online Meeting

Many hybrid meeting rooms have an O365 calendar and can be reserved in Outlook. The Cisco systems in these rooms will detect meetings that contain Zoom, Webex, or MS Teams join information, and show a green "Join" button on the Navigator 5 minutes before the meeting start time. When scheduling in Outlook, use the "Teams Meeting," "Add a Zoom Meeting," or "Add Webex Meeting" buttons to add the meeting ID and join links. Click the "Location" button to add one of the hybrid rooms from the Global Address Book. Meetings scheduled in this way will provide a one-touch-join experience in the room. A voice command can also be used to start meetings  

If the meeting room does not have an O365 calendar, or if the room's calendar is controlled by a department admin, you may still join online meetings by tapping the appropriate button on the Navigator end entering the Meeting/Conference ID (as well as the passcode for Zoom meetings).

Joining a Scheduled Meeting

If a meeting is scheduled as described above, simply tap the green "Join" button on the Navigator when it appears. Once the button appears, you may also say "OK Webex, join the meeting. Since voice commands are enabled by Webex Assistant, they start with "OK Webex" - even if the meeting is in Zoom or Teams. 30 seconds before the meeting, Webex Assistant may also ask if you would like to join. All you have to say is “Yes” and the device is connected to the meeting.

Rooms with 0365 calendars will show a "Calendar" button on the Navigator. Tapping the button will show the meetings scheduled for the day. On some systems, "early join" has been enabled, and "Join" buttons will appear next to any online meetings so they can be easily joined at any time during the day. 

Manually Joining a Meeting

In cases where a "Join" button does not appear, tap the appropriate button (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, etc.) on the Navigator. Note the Meeting/Conference ID in your meeting invitation or app, and tap to enter the ID. After entering the ID, tap "Join" to join the meeting. For Zoom, enter the meeting passcode as well.

Microsoft Teams note: UW Teams meeting invitations contain both a Meeting ID and a Video ID. Use the Video ID to join from the room system. The "Join Microsoft Teams" screen also has an address field. That field should be pre-filled. However, if it's blank, enter the following: wisc@m.webex.com 

Zoom notes: Depending on the meeting settings, a host may need to start the meeting from a computer before the room system can join. If you are the meeting host and know your host key, you may tap "I'm the host" on the Navigator when joining, and then enter the key. That will allow you to start the meeting from the device and provide additional meeting controls.

Since the default setting for Zoom meetings is to mute attendees on entry, you may need to unmute the system after joining a Zoom meeting. After joining, tap "More" on the Navigator to open the Zoom menu, then tap "Unmute Zoom microphone." This is different than muting the system microphone, which only mutes or unmutes the mic in the room, not in Zoom. A meeting host may also use the Zoom app to ask the room to unmute. 

Placing a Call from the Directory

Webex calls can be made to UW faculty, staff, and other hybrid rooms. Tap "Call" on the Navigator to find a contact and place a call. Note that the person you are calling will need to have their Webex or Jabber app open or have a Cisco desk phone to receive these Webex calls.

Some hybrid rooms have telephone numbers assigned to them. These rooms will show a phone number after the room name on the Navigator and TV or projector screen. If a phone number is present, the "Call" button can be used to place regular phone calls, and the system will also be able to receive phone calls. 

There are several ways to share a computer to a hybrid room's TV or projector, whether or not you are joining an online meeting. Tap the "Share" or "Share Screen" button on the Navigator to see the available connections and switch between them. 

HDMI

The HDMI input may be shown on the tablet as "HDMI," "PC (HDMI)," or similar. Some rooms have more than one HDMI input. Plug the HDMI cable into your laptop using an appropriate adapter. If your screen doesn’t automatically appear on the display, tap "Share Screen" on the Navigator to switch sources. If you are in an online meeting, tap the "Share in Call" button to enable remote attendees to see the content.

Miracast

Miracast is the built-in wireless display technology on Windows computers. From a Windows laptop, press the Windows key K to turn on wireless mirroring and view nearby display devices. Click the name of your room system, then look for the 4-digit code that appears in the top right of the room's display. Enter the code on your laptop and click "Connect" to start sharing your screen.

AirPlay

AirPlay is the wireless display technology on macOS and iOS devices. From a Mac, click the Control Center icon in the menu bar, then click Screen Mirroring. Find and click the name of your room system, then look for the 4-digit code that appears in the top right of the room's display. Enter the code on your laptop and choose Mirror Built-in Display.

Webex Share

Webex Share allows wireless screen sharing from a web browser or the Webex app. On your laptop, browse to share.webex.com. On the Navigator, tap "Share Screen" and look for the code shown beneath the Webex Share input. Enter the code in your web browser and follow the onscreen instructions to display your screen.

Meeting Apps

You may also join the online meeting on your laptop and share your screen as you normally would in your meeting app. Your screen will then appear on the room display. 

Note: If you are joining the meeting from your laptop as well, choose “don’t use audio” or mute your laptop microphone and speakers to avoid echoes and feedback in the room.

Google Meet note: Google does not have the same type of integration with Cisco systems as the other platforms do, and functionality is comparatively limited. The content sharing methods described above do not work in Google meetings. Instead, you may tap the "Sharing options" button on the Navigator to see instructions for sharing from Google URL in a a web browser. 

After joining an online meeting, a meeting controls screen will appear on the Navigator. This screen has several buttons that allow you to customize the meeting experience. The meeting controls screen will disappear when you leave the meeting.

Adjusting Audio

Volume buttons are in the lower right corner of the Navigator, and are always visible. Tap these to adjust the volume for remote participants or audio being shared in the meeting. Outgoing sound levels are adjusted automatically, so there are no controls for microphone volume.

In a online meeting, tap "Mute" to mute all of the room microphones in a call. You may also tap "Stop Video" to turn off the room's cameras.

Adjusting the Camera

Tap "Camera" to choose the mode for sharing the room’s camera in a meeting. Most rooms will have "Group," "Frames," and "Speaker" modes that determine how the camera is presented to remote attendees. Some larger rooms with only PTZ cameras may not have these modes. 

All rooms will have "manual" mode, which has onscreen controls for pan, tilt, and zoom. If the room has more than one camera, Manual mode is where you may choose which camera to present. Manual mode also has a button for advanced controls. In Advanced mode, you will see options for saving and editing camera presets. 

If the room is not in an online meeting, you may access the camera settings by tapping the Control Panel icon in the top right corner of the Navigator.

By default, the room's camera is not visible on the TV or projector screen. Tap "Selfview" to see options for showing adding a picture-in-picture view of the room camera if you would like to see what the remote participants are seeing.  

Adjusting the Layout

A "Layout" button will appear on the meeting controls screen once at attendee (remote or in the room) starts sharing meeting content. Tap "Layout" to choose the desired camera/content layout to be shown on the TV. By default, attendee cameras (the "video" window) will be displayed above the shared content. The video window can also be shown on top of the content, on the side, or hidden.

These layout settings only determine what is shown on the room's display. They do not affect what remote attendees see.

Additional Controls

Some rooms with advanced functionality may have additional buttons on the Navigator. These buttons may control volume for presentation microphones, manage audio for a divisible room, or control room lighting or window shades. See the room's individual instruction sheet for more information.

The video conferencing equipment in our hybrid rooms has accessibility features designed to assist people with disabilities. Cisco maintains Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) documents for their products. These documents contain lists of requirements needed to conform to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. For accessibility details for the Room Kit and Room Bar products, see the Cisco VPAT documents page at https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/about/accessibility/voluntary-product-accessibility-templates.html. 

Vision

For people without vision or with limited vision, Cisco's Webex Assistant technology provides voice interaction with Room Devices People may use their voice to initiate tasks without the need to see the Navigator or TV screen. Start using Webex Assistant by saying the wake-word “OK Webex...” and your command. To close Webex Assistant, say "Dismiss".

Here are some things you can do with Webex Assistant:

• Check the room name
• Check when the room is available for that day
• Call someone in the directory (or another hybrid room) by name
• Join scheduled meetings
• Answer or reject an incoming call
• Start and stop wired screen sharing
• Adjust volume
• Check the time or date
• End a call or meeting

Proactive Join is another feature of Webex Assistant. When you walk into the room where your meeting is scheduled, 30 seconds before the meeting the device asks if you would like to join. All you have to say is “Yes” and the device is connected to the meeting. 

Note: Webex Assistant doesn't respond when the device is muted. To continue using it, the device would need to be unmuted from the Navigator. 

Hearing

In Webex and Zoom meetings, closed captioning can be displayed on the TV or projector screen. In a Webex meeting, tap the "Captions" button on the meeting controls screen to enable closed captioning and choose a language. In a Zoom meeting, tap the "More" button to show captions. Note that a Zoom host must enable captions first.    

Closed captioning is not yet available for Teams meetings on Cisco Room Devices, though it may be added in the future.

Some rooms also have assisted listening systems that can send meeting audio to earbuds or hearing aids. See individual instruction sheets and signage in rooms for instructions on using assisted listening equipment.

Other Features

Webex Assistant allows for hands free operation of Room Devices. Ask “OK Webex, what can you do?” to see a scrolling list of commands. When you find a task you want to do, start your voice command with "OK Webex...". If you want to close the help menu, say "Dismiss."

This section is coming soon.

Many meeting rooms on the UW Madison campus contain Cisco Room Devices for video conferencing. For a list of the rooms, see "Hybrid Video Conferencing General Information." Some rooms are directly supported by DoIT, while others are supported by departmental IT staff. Almost all devices are managed by DoIT via the UW Madison Webex Control Hub. 

Depending on the size and requirements of a room, different Room Device models (Room Kit, Room Kit Mini, Room Kit Plus, Room Bar, etc.) may be used. Larger rooms may have additional cameras, speakers, or microphones. See "DoIT Hybrid Conference Rooms" to learn about the various hardware configurations.