Room-Based Meeting vs Bring Your Own Meeting (BYOM): A Comparison

As the world moves towards hybrid work models, companies are increasingly prioritizing which video conferencing solutions to use to ensure communication and collaboration between local and remote employees. Many people have experienced issues during video conferences, such as remote participants not being able to hear those in the conference room or those in the conference room not being able to see remote participants clearly. Upgrading conference room equipment can make collaboration smoother. In this article, we will compare two popular solutions: Room-Based Meeting (RBM) and Bring Your Own Meeting (BYOM). We hope this will help relevant decision-makers in companies choose the best solution and improve the meeting experience for both local and remote employees.

What’s a Room-Based Meeting (RBM) Solution?

Room-Based Meeting (RBM) relies on a dedicated in-room system to drive meeting technology. The in-room devices are used to initiate meetings and they define the meeting workflow. This solution typically consists of a dedicated video conferencing system, such as a Microsoft Teams Rooms, Cisco Webex Room Kit or a Zoom Rooms appliance, which is connected to a display, camera, and audio system. Users can schedule and join meetings from their laptops or mobile devices, and the RBM solution will automatically connect to the meeting room equipment, providing a seamless meeting experience. Meeting participants don’t necessarily bring their own device to the meeting room during a video call, because the meeting software runs on the RBM system in the room.

What are Benefits of RBM Solution?

• RBM can automatically connect to conference room equipment, and meetings can start immediately by clicking on the control panel or screen on the table upon entering the room.
• The software and hardware of RBM are designed to work together, ensuring better adaptation of video conference sound and image quality to the acoustic environment of the conference room.
• It is suitable for large conference rooms and does not require additional setup procedures.
• Users do not need to set up their own equipment, reducing the risk of technical problems.
• It can be easily integrated with popular online calendar tools, making it easy for attendees to schedule meetings.
• Because every conference room has the same software and hardware, a consistent meeting experience can be provided in any conference room.

One of the biggest advantages of RBM solution is its ease of use. With RBM, users don’t need a device to do video conferences. The RBM system will run video conferences. Another advantage of the RBM solution is its reliability. Since the RBM solution is installed within the meeting room, the audio and video quality is optimized for the room’s acoustics. This ensures that the meeting participants can see and hear each other clearly, without any interruptions or distractions.

What are Disadvantages of RBM Solution?

• It requires dedicated equipment and installation, resulting in higher upfront costs.
• Maintenance of multiple hardware devices can be complex and increase costs.
• RBM meetings require following specific procedures to initiate. Assuming the company uses Microsoft Teams Rooms, all team members must join Teams in order to start the meeting. If there are external guests or individuals without Teams who need to join the meeting room temporarily, someone needs to send out a meeting link for everyone to join before screen sharing can begin. The team’s workflow is relatively fixed and lacks flexibility in this case. On the other hand, Bring Your Own Meeting (BYOM) allows members to use their own devices for meetings without worrying about which software to use. Usually, there are more flexible screen sharing options available, such as using native protocols, external hardware, or specific software. The team’s workflow is relatively more flexible in this scenario.
• Some features or integrations may require additional subscription fees. For example, if a company uses MS Teams, they may need to open an additional account for the hardware in the meeting room, which increases costs.
• The RBM solution may not be easy to adapt for impromptu or extended meetings. For example, if a previously scheduled meeting has a follow-up meeting, the RBM host may need to communicate with the next meeting host and modify the schedule in the video conferencing system.
• RBM may not be compatible with all video conferencing platforms or tools, which can limit interoperability. For example, if today we need to join a Zoom meeting in Microsoft Teams Rooms, we cannot directly initiate the meeting. Instead, we need to integrate calendars and go through various detailed settings.
• RBM may not support wireless presentation, and some still require HDMI cables for screen sharing. If multiple people need to share a screen during a meeting, plugging and unplugging cables can waste a lot of time.

The main disadvantage of using RBM solution is its cost. This solution requires specialized video conferencing equipment to be installed in each meeting room, resulting in high upfront costs for implementation. Additionally, some solutions may require users to apply for video software accounts for each meeting room, and with hardware maintenance, the ongoing maintenance costs are further increased. If a company prioritizes cost when choosing meeting room equipment or solutions, RBM may not be the first choice.

What’s a Bring Your Own Meeting (BYOM) Solution?

Bring Your Own Meeting (BYOM) is that users can use their own devices to drive meetings and room technology. BYOM solution provides flexibility to users. They can bring their own device to the meeting room, start a video call as usual and connect to the room’s camera, mic and speaker wirelessly. Users won’t be restricted by the room system. Here are some BYOM solutions such as Astrogate ASTROS Conference, Barco Clickshare and Mersive Solstice.

What are Benefits of BYOM Solution?

• No special equipment is required, and users can match their own audio-visual equipment according to their budget or use the existing video conference peripherals, so the upfront cost is lower.
• Users can use their own devices for video conferencing, so the workflow can be tailored to the user’s preferences, without being restricted by a conference room system like RBM, giving users more flexibility.
• Users can use their own desired audio-visual external devices to enjoy higher quality sound and image.
• Since users are using their own devices for meetings, they can use their preferred video conferencing platform for work, without being restricted by the conference room system’s choice of video platform.
• The solution is easy to set up and use, and usually does not require special training.
• Arranging impromptu meetings does not require a special process and can be more flexible in coordinating with others.
• RBM deployments are typically done in large conference rooms. However, if video conferences need to be conducted in small meeting spaces or open non-traditional meeting areas, the BYOM solution is more cost-effective.

One of the biggest advantages of BYOM is its flexibility. With BYOM, users can use their own laptops or mobile devices to join a meeting and enjoy high audio and video quality video conference sessions. Another advantage is its cost-effectiveness. Since BYOM does not require any dedicated video conferencing equipment to be installed in each meeting room, the upfront cost of setting up a BYOM solution is significantly lower than RBM.

What are Disadvantages of BYOM Solution?

• May require users to have their own audio and video equipment, which can add to the cost.
• May result in inconsistent meeting experiences across different devices and locations due to variations in equipment and network conditions.
• May be challenging to integrate with certain room-based systems, such as room scheduling or room automation.
• May result in lower audio and video quality if users do not have high-quality equipment or a suitable meeting space.

The main disadvantage of BYOM solution is its reliance on the quality of the user’s device and internet connection. This can result in inconsistent audio and video quality.

Conclusion

Learn More about ASTROS Conference

ASTROS Conference is a BYOM solution. We eliminate the need for cables in your video conference and ensure a uniform meeting experience for both remote and in-office team members. In-office members can start a video meeting on MS Teams, Zoom, Google Meet or other services, then wirelessly connect to the room’s video conference peripherals. Remote members can have an immersive meeting experience. If you are interested in ASTROS, click here to contact our experts to learn more.