How Smart Wireless Projectors for Work Reinvent Meetings

In a previous article, we discussed the emergence of hybrid meetings and virtual events. While not new, meetings that combine in person and virtual attendance have gained in popularity due to the COVID-19 pandemic and increase in work from home. They’re also supported by the continued evolution of smart, portable, and accessible technology that’s available to businesses and organizations.

Smart projectors serve as central and versatile display systems, and work together with high speed internet, video conferencing apps, and cloud services to enable a new generation of hybrid meetings.

Projectors provide big displays that are much easier to look at than tiny windows on a laptop. With clarity of display, you’ll be able to better judge people’s facial expressions and even body language, removing a lot of the guesswork that contributes to Zoom fatigue. No more passing tiny screens around the meeting desk, and no more errors due to small numbers that half the team can’t see clearly.

In the realm of smart display systems, businesses may opt for a range of solutions, with interactive flat panels offering plenty of utility but at a higher cost. For SMBs, a smart wireless projector acts as a more viable, affordable, and efficient solution.

What are smart wireless projectors for the workplace?

Several steps up from traditional projectors, a smart wireless projector offers an all-in-one approach. The device has smart capabilities similar to those of a smartphone, tablet, or even laptop, meaning it can be used as a standalone solution. Video apps, web browser, and cloud access are all available directly from the smart projector.

The wireless aspect means neither your IT staff nor team members need to waste time puzzling over numerous connectors. All that’s needed is a power cable and one button press, and everyone’s good to go. The best smart projectors have integrated, ready-made Wi-Fi that doesn’t require any additional accessories. However, you can add a Wi-Fi module via USB to many projector models and by that increase their versatility.

Smart wireless projectors designed primarily for workplace use, like the BenQ EH600, serve as a platform for business and productivity. Running Android, the EH600 offers compatibility with popular business apps and support for most file formats. Nothing needs to be pre-installed or tinkered with, as the projector’s ready for work out of the box.

Usage proves very familiar to team members, as Android is immensely popular and smart projectors that use the operating system feel like an Android phone or tablet.

The key features to look for in a smart wireless projector for work are the ability to launch video conferencing apps like Zoom or Skype, support for file formats such as PowerPoint/Word/Excel, and access to cloud services.

Right from the projector, your teams can display, share, modify, and access content from cloud storage or from their personal devices, with the projector acting as a productivity hub.

Hybrid meeting tips and best practices

With a smart wireless projector, setting up for a hybrid meeting takes a minute or so. That’s a big departure from the complex arrangements needed for a large traditional meeting. All software drivers are built-in, so users can just press power and the projector’s ready to work. All that’s needed then is to get online, which just means connecting to your Wi-Fi – this takes less than a second with a smart projector.

Log in to your preferred video conferencing app and then wait for people attending remotely to sign in.

During meetings, working on projects together is much easier than before smart projectors became available. For example, a proposal or product brief needs feedback from management and product planners.

The files are in Dropbox or OneDrive. Opening them is a breeze right from the projector, and every stakeholder can effortlessly discuss or make changes

Post-meeting procedures that in the past seemed daunting now take seconds.

With files auto-syncing on cloud storage and online video conferencing apps offering a record function, there’s not much to do but get back to work once the meeting is done.

Even taking meeting minutes seems redundant, as attendees can access recorded streams on demand. This is why hybrid meetings are faster than traditional gatherings. There’s less need to consolidate, go over things time and again, and make sure everyone has taken notes.

To sum up: prep takes less than a minute, just make sure the projector is powered on. It’s that simple. Make sure you have good, reliable Wi-Fi and valid video app and cloud storage accounts. A good screen to project onto helps, but even a wall or whiteboard will do just fine. And we do recommend recording meetings when possible, that makes future reference super simple and could prove useful for training purposes.

If you haven’t yet, it’s high time you consider investing in a smart wireless projector, especially since the cost of entry is very appealing and offers superb value for money.