Six Questions IT Evaluators Should Ask Before Choosing a Room Kit 

Key Takeaways

• Choose a room kit certified for your collaboration platform and designed to provide the right audio and video coverage for the size of the meeting space.
• Consider the complete meeting experience, from what’s included in the room kit and how easily it can be installed, to whether it captures clear audio and video for AI-powered tools.
• Make sure IT can efficiently manage and support room kits over time with remote management, software and firmware updates, warranty coverage, and manufacturer support.

A meeting room kit combines the core technology needed for a meeting space, including audio and video devices, a compute, touch panel, mounting hardware, and cabling. Bringing these components together in one solution can simplify deployment and help organizations standardize meeting spaces.

The right room kit should work for the meeting space and the people who use and support it. IT evaluators should consider six key criteria: platform certification, room fit, included components, installation, audio and video capture for AI-powered tools, and long-term management and support. The following questions can help guide the evaluation process.

1. Is the Room Kit Certified for Your Collaboration Platform?

Choose a room kit certified for the collaboration platform your organization uses every day, whether that is Microsoft Teams or Zoom. Certification indicates that the solution has been tested and validated for the platform, helping provide a familiar user experience while giving IT greater confidence that the components are designed to work together.

2. What Room Size Is the Kit Designed For?

Select a room kit designed for the size and layout of the meeting space so that participants can be clearly seen and heard throughout the room. A small meeting room may only need close-range audio and video coverage, while a larger space may require broader microphone pickup and multiple cameras that can clearly capture participants seated farther away.

For example, the IntelliMix™ Room Kits are available in four sizes to support several different meeting room spaces: Room Kit 30 for small to medium rooms, Room Kit 50 for medium to large rooms, Room Kit 70 for large rooms, and Room Kit 80 for large rooms that need multiple cameras. Choosing the right room kit size helps provide the appropriate audio and video coverage needed to keep participants included and engaged without adding unnecessary equipment.

3. What Is Actually Included in the Room Kit?

Confirm that the room kit includes the components required for the planned installation and identify any additional hardware that must be purchased separately. Depending on the solution, a room kit may include audio and video devices, a compute, touch panel, mounting hardware and cabling, so reviewing the components upfront can help IT plan for installation and any additional hardware needed.

IntelliMix Room Kits provide the core components required for a complete room system, bringing together a certified Microsoft Teams Rooms or Zoom Rooms Windows compute with built-in IntelliMix Room DSP, an intuitive touch panel, an MXA902 Ceiling Array Microphone and Loudspeaker, a Huddly camera, and the necessary cabling and mounting accessories. The specific cameras and number of MXA902s vary by kit size, allowing the system to provide coverage appropriate for different meeting spaces.

4. How Easy Is the Room Kit to Install and Set Up?

Look for a room kit that reduces the time and complexity required to get each space operational. Consider the entire process of getting a room up and running, from mounting and cabling to system configuration and signing in with the appropriate credentials for your collaboration platform.  

IntelliMix Room Kits help streamline this process with zero-touch provisioning, reducing the amount of hands-on configuration required and making the setup process easier to repeat as organizations deploy systems across more rooms and locations.

5. Will the Room Kit Capture Audio and Video Well Enough for AI Tools?

Evaluate whether the room kit can consistently capture clear speech and high-quality video throughout the entire meeting space. Audio and video quality affect more than the live meeting, since Microsoft Copilot, Zoom AI, transcription, translation, meeting summaries, and other AI-powered tools depend on what is captured in the room.  

When comparing room kits, consider microphone coverage, speech clarity, background noise reduction, and camera framing. High-quality AV capture is the key input for AI-powered meeting features, but performance can vary by room, platform, feature, and configuration. IT teams should test the specific AI functions they plan to use under realistic meeting conditions before standardizing on a solution.

6. How Will IT Manage and Support Room Kits Over Time?

Choose a room kit supported by centralized management tools, regular software and firmware updates, warranty coverage, and accessible manufacturer support. Once room kits are deployed, IT teams need an efficient way to monitor devices, push updates, and address issues across rooms and locations.

Centralized remote management of IntelliMix Room Kits via ShureCloud can provide that visibility, while warranty coverage and manufacturer support give IT additional resources to help keep rooms running smoothly as deployments grow.

Choosing the Right Room Kit for Your Meeting Space

When comparing shortlisted room kits, use these six questions as a framework for evaluating how well each option meets your organization’s requirements. Consider platform certification, audio and video needs, included components, installation, AI-supported meeting features, and ongoing management.  

Before making a final selection, verify that the room kit meets your organization’s requirements by seeing a product demonstration or testing it in your own environment. This approach can help IT teams move beyond feature lists and select a room kit that can be effectively deployed, used, managed, and supported across the organization. 

Find the best Shure IntelliMix Room Kit for your space or test it in your environment free for 30 days.