Zoom has introduced a service called “Zoom Room” which combines hardware and software to provide organizations with new conferencing abilities. Despite the familiar name, it works differently from the traditional Zoom interface.

Zoom Room is a way to bring more functionality to your meetings. With features such as the ability to connect another camera and set the room itself as the host, there are a lot more options available. However, these features cannot be used if they are not connected to the approved hardware. Thus, there is less flexibility for where the Zoom Room can be hosted. The key differences between Zoom and Zoom Room are listed below.

Differences between Zoom and Zoom Room

Zoom Personal Conferencing	Zoom Room Conferencing
Features: Ideal for individuals. Runs remotely on any laptop or desktop with access to the internet. The creator of the meeting is the host. Create a traditional virtual meeting space for one or more people. Share content from your screen. Create breakout rooms within a large meeting. Meetings and scheduling are controlled by you.	Features: Ideal for conferencing with in-person and remote participants at the same time Connected to hardware installed in a conference room. (e.g., tablets, TVs, or monitors) Set the Room as the host of the meeting. Customizable settings that stay set each time the Room is used. Ability to broadcast a physical board with an additional camera. Smart Gallery - Multiple displays to see participants and a shared screen all at once. Controlled by a network administrator (device acts as a controller).
Ideal for: Staff meetings, office hours, and personal conferences	Ideal for: Classroom instruction and hybrid conference meetings

 

An important new aspect is that Zoom Room allows you to set the room as the host of the meeting. This allows you to customize the interactions between participants. When the meeting is over, these settings will remain in place until changed. This streamlines the meeting process as you don’t have to adjust permissions and features every time a new meeting is started.

In the end, the decision to use Zoom or Zoom Room depends on your intention. If you need a platform to easily hold virtual meetings to talk and discuss ideas, then Zoom may be the choice for you. If you need a platform with increased functionality and abilities like sharing external presentations, then Zoom Room may be the choice for you.