DIY Meeting Room (Space) for Less than $5000
Looking to update your meeting spaces, but you’re on a budget and want to do it yourself? Look no further. Here is a guide to everything you’ll need do this yourself and virtually anyone that knows anything about technology can do this. We’ll breakdown the display, mount, furniture, camera, and connectivity.
Table of Contents
1. Display $600-700
Keeping it simple, start with a display that is big enough for multiple size rooms, but not so big that someone has to move their head to see different parts of the presentation. Something that may surprise you is, you don’t need a 4K Display for your meetings, but the other end of this is there are not many displays for sale that are less than 4K. While most people won’t notice, I prefer a higher refresh rate so that mouse movements look seamless. This 55” Samsung display will work comfortably well up to 14 feet away
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079NH4VHR/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdb_t1_RHmABb0C0F7B4
2. Display Mount $80
To avoid drilling holes, I’d stay with a cart or floor stand. A cart will also allow for max flexibility. The trick here is going to be easy assembly. I found one of the highest rated cart on Amazon that is the easiest to install. I own this cart myself. Here that item is.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GQLLCTA
3. Furniture
I am no interior designer, but I will have a couple of suggestions for furniture that will function well for technology integration.
A. Table $777 - $1205
You could spend hours on selecting the right table and contacting local companies for pricing and availability. RF-AV.com is all about speed and ease, so I have done a bunch of research for you and here is what I ended up with:
Wayfair has a barrel shaped table that comes in several sizes and most importantly has grommets that you can use to pass cable through. As a guide 4 person - 6 ft, 6 person - 8 ft, and so on.
b. Chairs $50 ea
To swivel or not to swivel, that is the question. Saying you don't have a problem with the swivel, you just need something that is rated for the number of hours a meeting could go for. This mid back chair should work.
c. Lighting Considerations
Often over looked, lighting is very important if you are hosting video conferencing. Lighting can change the persons on the other end perception from warm welcoming to fearful. I would buy 3 or 4 of lamps of whatever style you want as long as it takes a regular light bulk. 1 to the left of the tv/webcam, 1 to the right and 1 to the rear on the opposite side of the natural light. If no natural light then 2 to the rear.
Consider color temperature changing bulb so that you can match the color temp of any natural lighting. Philips makes the "Hue" and here is a link to the starter kit. $150
4. Conference Webcam $800 - 1200
Here we are looking for a good wide field of view camera and mic. The Logitech Meetup is a good choice as it has a good field of view, an excellent mic, and as an added bonus, good output sound. You can simple place it on one of the 2 trays on the cart or purchase the TV mount for extra security. Another added option is the extension mic which would be handy for bigger rooms.
https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-MeetUp-Expansion-Conferencing-Meeting/dp/B072Q88NZC
5. Connectivity
Finally getting to products RF-AV.com offers. The main thing we are trying to accomplish is the ability of anyone walking into the room to be able to connect and present. We'll do that with a hardwired and wireless solution in the same room. We'll finish it off with some cable management.
Hardwired Connectivity
We'll need video and USB connections and we will route through the cart, table legs, and table grommet to get to your computer.
The Logitech Meetup cam is 16 ft long. If that is not long enough, then get the USB extension cable: 16 ft USB Extension Cable Part # U026-016 (https://rf-av.com/products/u026-016). $40
HDMI VGA and 3.5 Audio Cable $ 75-115 Part# E-HDVAM-M-15 or E-HDVAM-M-19
15 or 19 ft lengths available. This will work for anyone walking in with old technology that still uses VGA. The HDMI is 4K rated.
HDMI Adapter Ring $150
Attach this ring to the HDMI part of the cable. I am recommending the part # DL-AR4074 as it covers most scenarios, but if you need other adapters follow the "Customize Your Adapter Ring" button to build your own custom option. If you're not sure what to get call us.
Wireless $600
This unit comes in at a fraction of the cost of some of the other popular options on the market (Crestron AirMedia, Barco, Kramer VIA). The best thing is you will not need to download an app. You either set it up on as a peer2peer device or configure it to your office network. Simply connect your device to the network and then screen mirror.
AutoSwitcher to Tie It All Together Part # DL-AS31-2H1V $360
The item features CEC control which will essentially wake up the display if you plug in a cable. It also auto-switches to the last thing plugged into it.
You'll need 2 HDMI cables to plug in the AirPoint to the AutoSwitcher and from the AutoSwitcher to the TV. You can pick up the E2 or M2 Series HDMI cables the have high retention HDMI connections to keep the cables in place. Here is a link to all the lengths for the M2 series HDMI https://rf-av.com/search?q=m2-hdsem $20
You can either zip tie the AirPoint and the AutoSwitcher to the back of the cart or mount them under the table. Where you place these will determine how long of cables you should get.
Cable Management $20-30
Take a look at Amazon's Best Sellers in Electrical Cord Management
Definitely get a Sleeve or floor runner and some cable ties.
Now you have a fully functional meeting room or space at a fraction of the cost of hiring a pro to do everything. The total cost for a room the supports up to 6 should be less than $5500 for the display with cart, all furniture, and all technology. Let's go back over the Bill of Material.
Meeting Room For 6 |
|||
| Description | Price Per Unit | Units | Total |
| Samsung Display | 600 | 1 | 600 |
| Display mount | 80 | 1 | 80 |
| Table | 1088 | 1 | 1088 |
| Chairs | 50 | 6 | 300 |
| Beautiful Lamps | 100 | 4 | 400 |
| Philips Light Bulb Kit | 150 | 1 | 150 |
| ConferenceCam with extra mic | 1009 | 1 | 1009 |
| Connectivity | 0 | ||
| ^USB extension | 40 | 1 | 40 |
| ^HDMI/VGA Cable | 114 | 1 | 114 |
| ^HDMI Adapter Ring | 150 | 1 | 150 |
| ^Wireless Media Connection | 600 | 1 | 600 |
| ^AutoSwitcher | 360 | 1 | 360 |
| ^HDMI Cables 5' | 10.5 | 2 | 21 |
| ^Cable Management | 30 | 1 | 30 |
| Total Cost to your company | $4942 | ||