I hear it all of the time. What's the wireless password so I can share my screen? Do you have a wireless solution? Is there a separate guest network to share? No, I'm not just saying this because I'm old school. I'm saying this because I've observed it and it's always the same result. Halfway through the presentation of the person that requested wireless asks where they can plug in their laptop. Since they were still working on the presentation last night and before they came in the meeting still functioning on last weeks charge, they now need to plugin! And that's where wireless falls apart. The moment you plugin your laptop for power, you are no longer wireless!
“The moment you plug in your laptop for power, you are no longer wireless!”--Brad DePasse
With the scenario above and the advent of USB C, we are headed for an amazing movement back to the cable. But this time it's going to be game-changing different. Yes, there are advancements happening with HDBaseT for connections from your table input hub to your display with the arrival HDBaseT 3.0 (HDBaseT Spec 3.0 article) , but nothing like what USB C is going to eventually offer for connections above the table. For those of you who aren't familiar, USB C will eventually be, with the help of further developed alternate modes, a Dual-link display connection (the ability to drive two full display streams from one connector), USB 3.1 (backwards compatible and bi-directional path for video conferencing cameras, audio devices and control peripherals like touch screens), a full wired high-speed network connection as well as up to 100 watts of power in the same cable!
Since I have done a lot of presentations in conference rooms and have designed and implemented countless variations of inputs into a plethora of hardware codecs, I can tell you I'd rather plug in one cable and have it all. No interruptions to get power, no waiting for IT to share the wireless password, (yes, I know many new devices have QR codes and splash screens on their sharing platforms but many companies still do not), no need to look for the separate USB cable to connect to the touch screen or in room camera and full access to all peripherals in the room from one connection. Not to mention - Performance!
Have we forgotten about performance? Showing a video to your colleagues over wireless can be like watching a bad Kung Fu video. And even though your wireless network may be robust and fast, often times the gap in performance is due to the users device or laptop speed and capabilities, not your network. I leave you with this thought… with the drive toward higher resolutions, more displays and the need to connect to more peripherals with more simultaneous capabilities, are you holding out for wireless or can you see where this needs to go? There are certainly more developments coming down the road for both wireless and USB C but I can tell you this, USB C will soon change the way we function in the conference room and beyond and we'll be there to help you take full advantage of it.
More to come…