One of the biggest trends in technology is the “huddle room” space where small teams can collaborate through video and audio conferencing in small or open space floor plans. It is projected that huddle rooms are to replace close to 70% of all meeting spaces by 2022.

What is a huddle room?

A huddle room is generally defined as a small private meeting space for teams of 3-6 people designed for collaboration and usually equipped with teleconferencing equipment. Huddle rooms allow for teams to gather spontaneously or quickly schedule meetings without the hassles of reserving larger spaces.

What are the benefits of a huddle room?

  1. Huddle rooms save money. They are much less expensive to equip versus larger conference rooms. Additionally, there are portable options that allow you to take your huddle room just about anywhere.
  2. Huddle rooms usually do not require reservations – if it is available, teams can use it! This allows larger conference rooms to be saved for larger meetings.
  3. Huddle rooms tend to limit the number of attendees so individuals can concentrate on the task efficiently
  4. Huddle rooms are ideal for remote workers to connecting face-to-face for any meetings around the globe with ease

Our current list of favorite huddle room video and audio conferencing equipment solutions include:

Huddly Go and Huddly IQ Cameras

Huddly Go and Huddly IQ are among our top favorites for huddle space video collaboration cameras. Both cameras are small and travel friendly, but include a 150 degree wide angle camera to capture your entire team. The Huddly IQ adds AI features for detecting people, framing and a beam-forming microphone array.

When we tested this device, we were amazed at how wide of an area the 150 degree camera captured. Imagine from a 180 degree flat wall, and being able to see 150 degrees wide!

Pros

  • Small form factor allows Huddly cameras to be travel friendly
  • Wide-angle image is de-warped and perspective corrected in real time, rendering a natural, true-to-life 150 degree view
  • The Huddly camera is designed to get even better over time with quality improvements and software enhancements
  • USB-powered and compatible with any platform

Cons

  • Does not include audio speakers

Our favorite audio conferencing speakerphones to pair with the Huddly cameras include: Jabra Speak 510, Jabra Speak 710, Jabra Speak 810, Yamaha YVC-200, Yamaha YVC-300, Yamaha YVC-1000, and Yamaha FLXUC500.

Yamaha CS-700AV and CS-700SP All-in-One Huddle System

Yamaha is synonymous with quality sound and the Yamaha CS-700AV and Yamaha CS-700SP do not disappoint. The Yamaha CS-700 Series are all-in-one video conferencing systems that include a beam-forming microphone array, 4 speaker element, and a ultra-wide angle 120 degree camera. The Yamaha CS-700SP adds an integrated SIP interface for call manager integration

When testing this device, we walked about 15 feet away and the microphone still picked up our voice like we were in the same room!

Pros

  • CS-700 Series are all-in-one video conferencing systems
  • Include a beam-forming microphone array
  • Best in class 4 speaker element
  • Ultra-wide angle HD camera with 120 degree field of view
  • Works with your chosen UC application
  • USB audio and video support
  • Connect calls with Bluetooth & NFC (SIP on the CS-700SP Model only)
  • Includes wall mount kit

Cons

  • Not travel friendly as this solution is usually mounted on the wall or on a desktop

Poly (Polycom) Studio Video USB Soundbar

When you think of conference rooms, Polycom is probably one of the first names to come up. Polycom started in the conferencing space with their iconic triangle conference phone that many have imitated. Polycom brings their long time expertise to their huddle room solution, the all-in-one Polycom Studio video USB soundbar.

Pros

  • Polycom Studio includes a 4K UHD 120 degree FOV camera that adds crisp lifelike video to your meetings
  • Speaker tracking automatically finds and zooms in on the active speaker so that everyone knows who is talking
  • Automatic group framing focuses on participants and will adjust the view automatically as team member enter and leave the conference
  • Business-class video features via USB
  • Stereo speakers: 100Hz–20KHz frequency response
  • Polycom Studio includes features like Polycom Acoustic Fence and NoiseBlock — automatically mutes and removes distracting background noises and other unwanted sounds
  • Works with most collaboration platforms—including Microsoft Teams, Skype for Business, Zoom, GoToMeeting, Cisco Webex and more

Cons

  • Not travel friendly as this solution is usually mounted on the wall or on a desktop

Logitech Meetup Conference Camera System

The Logitech Meetup is an all-in-one huddle conference solution with a wide field of view camera and integrated audio all from a name you trust.

Pros

  • 4K UHD 120 degree camera with an extra wide field of view and motorized lens
  • RightSight automatically moves the camera and adjusts the zoom so no one gets left out of the picture
  • RightSound optimizes the human voice and enhances conversational clarity
  • RightSense proactive technologies make better video meetings easy and automatic
  • 3-microphone sound capture
  • Motorized pan/tilt
  • Built-in Speakerphone allows for Bluetooth audio connectivity; Anti-vibration enclosure improves voice clarity while limiting sound transmission to adjacent spaces
  • Optional expansion microphones
  • Plug-and-play USB connectivity

Cons

  • Not travel friendly as this solution is typically mounted on the wall or on a desktop.

We may update this list as more new and innovative video conferencing solutions for huddle rooms come out. If you have any questions or would like recommendations for your specific use-case scenario, please email one of our helpful rep via sales@thetelecomspot.com or call 866-369-3394. We will be happy to assist!