LNK Conference Room Audio/Video Instructions

This page is a guide for employees utilizing the LNK conference rooms with the updated audio/video systems (Neat Boards). There are two primary methods for utilizing the A/V systems in these rooms:

  • Using Your Laptop to Join or Host a Meeting (Recommended Method) - This is the primary way most users will connect to a digital meeting. Your computer is plugged into the system via a single USB-C cable. The meeting is run from your computer but uses the room's display, camera, speakers, and mics. The Neat Board serves as a conference room dock for your computer. This scenario is ideal if you plan to share an application or presentation materials from your laptop.

    ⬇️ Scroll down and expand the section for detailed instructions on connecting your computer. ⬇️ 

  • Using the Neat Board to Join or Host a Meeting - You can join or host a meeting without needing to bring or connect your computer. In this scenario, you will use the room's display, camera, speaker, and microphones. This scenario is ideal when you don't need to share an application or present any materials.

    ⬇️ Scroll down and expand the section for detailed instructions on joining or hosting a meeting from the Neat Board. ⬇️ 

It is recommended that you add the LNK conference room, where the meeting will take place, to the Outlook calendar invite when you set up the meeting. This ensures that the room is reserved for your meeting.

Example: If you plan to meet in Integrity, when you create the meeting invite in Outlook, be sure to add "LNK-Conf-5thFloor-Integrity" as the location for that meeting. Each room has a dedicated calendar, so Outlook shows you in real time whether the room is available or booked during your desired meeting time. Below is a list of the conference rooms with the Neat Board system.

  • LNK-Conf-4thFloor-Compassion
  • LNK-Conf-4thFloor-Honor
  • LNK-Conf-4thFloor-Relationships
  • LNK-Conf-5thFloor-Integrity
  • LNK-Conf-5thFloor-Serve
  • LNK-Conf-5thFloor-Teamwork

At this time, you can use either Teams or Zoom for your online meetings. You can add Teams online meeting details within Outlook. However, you do need to create a Zoom meeting and copy or import the meeting details into your Outlook calendar event from Zoom.

As you walk up to a LNK conference room, you'll notice that your meeting should show up on the room's exterior doorway notification screen (if you didn't add the room location to your meeting in Outlook, it might not appear here).

You'll also see that your meeting appears in the calendar view on the control tablet (Neat Pad) on the table in this room. Depending on when the room was last used, the primary display on the wall may be on or in sleep mode (black screen). If it's in sleep mode, tap anywhere on the Neat Pad, and the Neat Board will instantly turn on to the home screen view. 

This is the recommended way to join meetings. Each room has a single USB-C cable for connecting your laptop to the Neat Board system. There is no HDMI cable; the USB-C cable handles video, data, and charging for your device all in one cable.  

Open your laptop and ensure you are logged in. Then connect the USB-C cable that is near the Neat Pad to an open USB-C port on your computer. There may be a 3-5 second delay where a message appears on the Neat Board that the USB-C cable is not transmitting. This will resolve once the laptop and the Neat Board sync up. It is recommended that you relaunch Citrix after connecting the USB-C cable to your computer. 

The Neat Board can either mirror your laptop display or be a second (extended) display. To adjust this, minimize Citrix, right-click your desktop, and click "Display Settings." "Extend" is the option you'll want to select if you don't want your laptop screen applications shown on the Neat Board. You can then rearrange Screen 2 (the Neat Board) to align with where you are sitting in the room relative to our laptop (Screen 1).

You can then start the meeting as you normally would from within Citrix on your computer: either by launching it via Outlook, Teams, or Zoom. 

You'll want to verify that the correct camera, microphone, and speaker are being used. You can use the meeting audio and video controls within Teams/Zoom to choose which speaker, microphone, or camera you prefer.

The names of the devices are:

  • Camera: Neat Camera
  • Mic: Echo Cancelling Speakerphone (Neat)
  • Speaker: Echo Cancelling Speakerphone (Neat)

If you have a Teams/Zoom meeting already in progress on your laptop when you plug in the neat board, Teams/Zoom will attempt to switch to the neat board for sound/mic/camera, but you may need to select these manually. It is recommended to join a meeting after you have connected to the Neat Board and relaunched Citrix. 

If you previously set a video background in Teams/Zoom, you may need to disable it in the video settings for that app. 

To adjust the volume of the speakers, click the down arrow next to the "Mic" button in the Teams/Zoom call, or use the Neat Pad to control volume. 

If you don't need to share applications or documents during a meeting, you can use the Neat Board to join a Teams/Zoom meeting or to host a Teams meeting without a computer. 

If you correctly added the conference room to your Outlook meeting, your meeting should appear in the calendar section of the Neat Board home screen. You can click the "Join" button on the Neat Board tablet in the conference room to start this meeting.

If you haven't set the conference room for your Outlook meeting, you can still join the meeting (provided the conference room is available at that time). On the Neat Pad, there is an option to manually enter a Teams/Zoom meeting using the meeting ID.

The meeting will use the Neat Boards camera, microphone, and display. A computer is not needed. Please note that this method of joining a meeting currently does not allow you to share applications or files from the Neat Board during the meeting.

You can manually invite users from a Team meeting that you've started by tapping in the "Invite someone" area in the top right of the Neat Pad. Then type the attendee's name and tap on it to add them.

You can adjust the volume of the speakers using the on-screen controls of the Neat Pad.

Zoom Issues

There are a couple of known issues and limitations when using Zoom on the Neat Boards. We are working on solutions to better support this system going forward.

At this time, you must use a computer to host a Zoom meeting. You can join a Zoom meeting directly from the Neat Board without a computer.

When you connect to Zoom on a computer, the Neat Board web camera is currently unavailable. You will need to use your laptop's camera or turn off the webcam.

FAQs

Below are some common questions and issues we've received about this A/V system.

The option to extend or mirror your display, along with the arrangement of your displays, is handled locally on your computer outside of Citrix. 

To adjust this, minimize the Citrix app, then right-click the desktop and select "Display Settings". In this menu, you can choose to extend your display (two separate displays) or mirror your laptop's display on the Neat Board. 

If you want any windows on your laptop to be hidden from other attendees, select "Extended Display."

You can then rearrange Screen 2 (the Neat Board) to align with where you are sitting in the room relative to our laptop (Screen 1).

The volume of the Neat Board speakers is controlled using the Neat Pad. The volume keys on your computer do not work to adjust the Neat Board speaker. 

No, the USB-C cable that you'll plug your computer into will provide power. Once you've plugged your computer in, you can check the battery icon to confirm it's receiving power. 

The neat board serves as a dock for your computer. There is no longer a separate computer in the conference room.

You'll use your computer's keyboard and trackpad for control.

If you are joining a meeting directly from the Neat Board, you'll use the Neat Pad for control. 

  • Neat Board: The large display/TV attached to the wall or on a movable stand. Some, but not all, of the Neat Boards support touch input.
  • Neat Pad: The control tablet that sits on the conference room table. This device is used to control the Neat Board.
  • Neat Camera: A wide-angle camera is located in the center of the speaker bar on or near the Neat Board. This camera uses software to show the whole room or individual participants. You can choose the video framing using the Neat Pad.
  • Neat Speakers: The speaker bar is located on or below the Neat Board. Volume controls for this are located on the Neat Pad or can be controlled using your computer's volume controls.
  • Neat Microphone: The system uses echo-canceling microphones located on the speaker bar of the Neat Board system.
  • Neat Pen: A stylus pen is attached to the bottom center of the neat board with a magnet. This stylus is for use in drawing applications such as Microsoft Whiteboard. Please return the pen when you are done.