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In 2018, Chromebooks continued to grow in popularity among a broad audience of education, consumers, and businesses customers. According to NPD, 21% of all notebooks sold in the US were Chromebooks in Q4 2018, which represents year-over-year growth of 23% versus 2017. The transition of these devices from a niche student computer to a mainstream device is attracting developers for corporate applications, enhancing the likelihood that the OS will continue to be a factor in the tech environment.
In August of 2019, Google announced that it would be bringing its Chrome OS to the enterprise level. Google is partnering with Dell to launch its first Chromebook Enterprise devices, the Dell Latitude 5400 and Dell Latitude 5300 2-in-1, in an effort to make Chrome OS accessible to more businesses.
So what if you want to use a Chromebook with a wireless presentation system? We will take a look at some popular wireless presentation systems used in corporate and education markets to outline how they stack up on setup, ease of use, and content protection to see what is the right one for your huddle space or meeting room.
The BenQ InstaShow is specifically designed for non-Windows devices such as Chromebooks. The system uses a transmitter button that connects to the display output of your Chromebook, and wirelessly encrypts and transmits the presentation (and audio) to your projector or display. The InstaShow simply plugs into your Chromebooks HDMI port (and USB for power) and is ready to present in just seconds. In addition, for newer Chromebooks such as the Asus Chromebook Flip C434TA, you can use the USB-C Thunderbolt 3 button to display your content. To change presenters, the new presenter simply taps their button to present.
The InstaShow enables high quality 1080p video output and features a special mode that enables smooth video without impacting your local network. It can be set up in less than ten minutes without any IT support, and according to Projector Central, “InstaShow's combination of video quality with ease of set up and use is nothing short of amazing.”
As of August 2019, the Barco ClickShare platform does not support Chromebooks.
As of August 2019, the Mersive Solstice platform does not support Chromebooks.
The AirTame 2 platform supports Chromebooks using a downloadable app that is loaded onto the notebook to enable it to wirelessly connect to the receiver. Because the AirTame platform is typically connected to the corporate or campus network to improve performance, these devices may require IT support to properly integrate into the network. AirTame has specific bandwidth requirements, and will require specific port access, as well as other setting configurations to ensure performance. In addition, the AirTame system does not encrypt their transmissions, potentially increasing the risk that the presentation may be copied or viewed by someone other than the intended audience.
In addition, the model and feature set of the Chromebook can impact the performance. For example, according to Airtame, if the Chromebook does not have a dedicated chip for streaming, the user will “experience a poor video streaming performance." Furthermore, Airtame also warns users that “the Chrome OS firewall extension IBoss blocks the ability to stream to Airtame on Chrome OS. This is likely true for other firewall extensions.” These limitations could impact the ability for Chromebooks to use the system if the IT department chooses to protect their networks using these tools. For more information on how the AirTame compares with the BenQ InstaShow, you can click here.
So how do these systems stack up – and which system is the best at supporting Chromebooks in a corporate meeting room, huddle space, or classroom environment?
| BenQ InstaShow WDC-10 | Barco CS-100 | Marsive Solstice Pod | AirTame 2 | |
Chromebook Support | BenQ InstaShow WDC-10 Yes | Barco CS-100 No | Marsive Solstice Pod No | AirTame 2 Via app |
Maximum Number of Presenters | BenQ InstaShow WDC-10 16 | Barco CS-100 N/A | Marsive Solstice Pod N/A | AirTame 2 Controlled by app |
Wireless Encryption | BenQ InstaShow WDC-10 AES 128-bit | Barco CS-100 N/A | Marsive Solstice Pod N/A | AirTame 2 None |
Setup | BenQ InstaShow WDC-10 Easy - Network connection is optional | Barco CS-100 N/A | Marsive Solstice Pod N/A | AirTame 2 Firewall may block streaming Requires network configuration |
Video Performance | BenQ InstaShow WDC-10 Smooth video at the touch of a button | Barco CS-100 N/A | Marsive Solstice Pod N/A | AirTame 2 Requires network configuration and dedicated chip on Chromebook |
Connection Type | BenQ InstaShow WDC-10 HDMI / USB USB-C (ThundeBolt 3) | Barco CS-100 USB / USB-C | Marsive Solstice Pod WiFi | AirTame 2 WiFi |
