eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.
Zoom, Webex and Skype video conferences are certainly all the rage right now as the alternatives to in-person business and team meetings, but there is a previously embedded culture out there that is set up for private room screenings for the same purposes. This method of private video conferencing is a corporate value for a number of enterprises and shouldn’t be overlooked.
Yet there are times and circumstances when someone from the outside needs to join and/or run a private meeting in a corporate huddle room. To solve this problem, Logitech on Aug. 4 introduced Logitech Swytch, an enhancement to Logitech room solutions that enables a lot more options when it comes to private-room screenings.
This now incorporates Microsoft Teams Rooms and Zoom Rooms and enables users to join meetings for other video conferencing systems from a laptop.
Using a single USB connection, users can switch control of the camera, audio devices and display in meeting rooms to your laptop.
Plug and play to run any video conference platform
Swytch, a compact, one-cable laptop link, enables users to deploy a laptop to run meetings with any video conferencing platform, webinar or streaming software. Using Swytch, joining video services is seamless, the company said, especially if users are transitioning to modern platforms like Zoom or Teams from legacy services. All a user has to do is plug in the Swytch USB connector to a laptop to get high quality, native support of almost any external video meeting service, regardless of what the room standard is, Logitech said.
Once the meeting is finished, users then unplug Swytch from the laptop to leave the room ready for the next video meeting.
Logitech said Swytch offers a number of user-friendly features, such as:
- Bring your own meeting (BYOM) to any room: Use Swytch in a room with Microsoft Teams Rooms or Zoom Rooms to connect a laptop to the room’s display, camera and audio devices for meetings hosted on other services.
- One cable, one connection: Swytch consolidates HDMI and USB into one cable to project a screen from a laptop on the room’s display at resolutions up to 4K with crisp, clear audio. Uers no longer need to rely on dongles, splitters or HDMI adaptors.
- Universal compatibility: Swytch works with laptops using USB 3.0 or higher with Type A or Type C and DisplayLink drivers, including Windows 10 laptop, MacBook or Chromebook.
- Laptop charging: Battery power is strong, the company said. Swytch provides up to 60W of power for laptops that charge via USB-C.
- Device management: Compatibility with Logitech Sync makes it easy for IT staff to monitor and manage Swytch together with other meeting room devices, including Logitech MeetUp, Rally and Tap. Plus, the Sync software is free.
- Clean Install: Swytch integrates with existing meeting rooms via a magnetic mount, which keeps the tabletop clean and organized, with no cords or extraneous accessories exposed.
Pricing and Availability
Logitech Swytch will be available for purchase globally starting later in August. Pricing starts at $999 and varies by country. For more information, go here.
