MS Teams video meeting

MS Teams and Zoom in a traditional (Cisco) video conference enabled room

The question often arises whether you can conduct a MS Teams or Zoom video meeting in a video conference enabled room?

Zoom

All the video conference enabled rooms at JCU are Zoom compatible which means the room camera, microphone and speakers are used. If a laptop is used for a presentation and the laptop is also used to control the Zoom participants, be mindful to mute the laptop microphone as it otherwise will interfere with the room audio.

MS Teams

The simple answer is no due to the MS Teams environment not being compatible with traditional video conference hardware.

However, should your only meeting option be MS Teams, connect a laptop to MS Teams and share the laptop to the display system as you would any presentation. Bear in mind the meeting does not use the room camera nor the room microphone, as the inbuilt devices (camera and microphone) are used.

The coverage of the laptop's inbuilt devices (camera and microphone) contra the in room equipment, is illustrated below. 

The remote participants' experience will be limited by the laptop camera angle (marked in blue limits on the image) and what the laptop microphone picks up. If you are the only participant in the room, this will be of no consequence however if you and your team are meeting in the room connecting to remote participants, there will be limitations as to who in the room will be visible and who can be clearly heard.

MS Teams Room Update

The Digital Space team installed two MS Teams Room in Townsville (027-322 and 027-323) in September 2024 followed by Cairns (D003-103 and D003-104) in March 2025, each with a Cisco Room Bar Pro and dual wall mounted TV/monitors, conveniently controlled by a touch pad on the meeting room table.