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Airtame 2 vs. BenQ InstaShow Wireless Presentation System
- BenQ
- 2022-11-11
If you are looking for a wireless presentation system to improve your ability to social distance in a meeting room, then you are probably looking at either the Airtame 2 or the BenQ InstaShow. While products like Chromecast and Apple TV are popular home devices, they are not designed for use in a meeting room. So how do the InstaShow and Airtame 2 stack up for use by multiple presenters in a corporate or educational environment? This article will look at the key factors related to this question.
These two systems use different methods to create a wireless collaboration environment. BenQ InstaShow uses a physical transmitter button that plugs into your notebook’s HDMI or USB-C port to send video to a receiver that is connected to a projector or flat panel display. Airtame 2 uses a special software application that is loaded onto the presenter’s notebook and sends the signal through Wi-Fi to the Airtame 2 device connected to the display.
To compare these systems, let’s look at three major areas important to both IT staff and meeting room users.
Airtame 2
How to use Airtame 2? The system utilizes both an application on the notebook and typically uses enterprise Wi-Fi networks to transmit video to the Airtame 2 device. Airtame recommends extra bandwidth or making Quality of Service (QoS) adjustments to handle the increased traffic load during meetings. There are multiple network configurations that can be used, but Airtame advises that the most secure installation method is using a VLAN network. This approach can add additional time and costs to installation at smaller firms.
Airtame 2 also has other specific networking and performance requirements for enterprise networks, including:
- "Client Isolation” or “NAT Mode” must be disabled
- Multicast must be allowed
- An NTP server must be accessible for time synchronization
- RSSI performance of less than 60dBm
- Stable Peak Hour Ping Time performance of less than 10ms
Additionally, Airtame suggests presenters run the streaming application while optimizing their notebooks by:
Using inly necessary apps in the background of your PC- Wi-Fi signal > -60dBm
- Avoid running network heavy tasks such as downloads and uploads while streaming
BenQ InstaShow
InstaShow is designed to work right out of the box in less than 10 minutes without IT support. The user only needs to:
- attach the antenna to the receiver
connect the receiver to a projector or display, and then
plug in the button adapter to their notebook HDMI or USB-C port to start presenting.
This video review by tech expert Dave Taylor shows installation and how it works the first time you use it.
To speed up installation, InstaShow comes with two buttons that are already paired to the receiver, and the host can be powered directly from a USB type A jack commonly found on projectors and flat panels.
Because BenQ InstaShow does not need any software applications or special network configuration, it is easier and faster to install without IT support. With BenQ InstaShow, there is no required connection to the corporate network, nor any software application to install and manage on the presenter’s notebook. In addition, the InstaShow HDMI button can also be used with any HDMI device such as a Blu-Ray player, game console, or television to share videos or other content in a meeting.
Huddle spaces and smaller meeting rooms often host vendors, consultants, and other outside visitors where ideas need to flow quickly to keep collaborative processes flowing. So how is Airtame vs. InstaShow in terms of ease of use? Which of these two wireless systems is easier for visitors to use with their notebooks?
Airtame 2
For a visitor to use Airtame 2, they first need to load and run the Airtame app on their notebook. Many organizations “lock down” their notebooks to third party software to protect from malware, and require IT support and approval for any application to be installed. This could impact the flow of the meeting.
Visitors must also log onto the same network that Airtame 2 is using. Because of security risks to enterprise networks, IT administrators need to ensure that their network is protected from tunneling apps or other potential security risks associated with visitors on the network. The company also recommends that presenters turn off cloud such as Dropbox to increase performance when using Airtame 2.
BenQ InstaShow
For a visitor to use InstaShow in a huddle space or meeting room, they simply plug in an InstaShow transmitter button to their notebook using an HDMI or a USB-C port. No software needs to be installed on the visitor’s notebook. The button creates an encrypted transmission to the receiver host in about 10-15 seconds, and once it is safe to transmit, the button light turns green and presenters simply click their respective button adapters to present.
The best wireless presentation systems enable multiple presenters to share their screen at the same time. It makes comparing spreadsheets, looking at alternative layouts, and other common tasks much easier when all the alternatives are on the screen at the same time. Which of these two wireless systems supports having multiple presenters splitting the screen?
Airtame 2
Airtame 2 is limited to only one presenter at a time. The highest resolution on the unit is 1080p, but the manual also includes instructions for lowering the resolution to save bandwidth.
BenQ InstaShow
InstaShow WDC20 and WDC30 wireless presentation systems enable you to split the screen into four different 1080p sections for more effective collaboration on a 4K interactive display or flat panel.
With interactive displays becoming more common in huddle spaces and collaboration rooms, the ability to annotate on your files and interact with your notebook is a key factor in the effectiveness of a wireless presentation system as part of the meeting room experience.
Airtame 2
The Airtame 2 system does not support any touchback or ability to support wireless interaction from an interactive display and a presenter’s notebook.
BenQ InstaShow
InstaShow WDC20 and WDC30 support wireless touchback, enabling a presenter to annotate on the display and control the presentation from the board.
Physical and cyber security is a key concern for any enterprise. There are a number of security issues that are commonly asked about in the context of wireless presentations both for visitors as well as for the company hosting the meeting, especially regarding confidentiality-sensitive meetings. What are these risks and how do these two systems address them?
Airtame 2
Visitors must use the Airtame 2 app to use the system. Visitors with “locked down” notebooks may not be able to use the system.
According to the security page on the Airtame 2 website, the system DOES NOT encrypt transmissions from the computer to the Airtame 2 receiver to ensure that each presentation transmission cannot be captured or recorded by unauthorized external or internal users on the network.
Airtame uses cloud and third party services such as Amazon to send account details and other information over the internet. According to Airtame 2, user account and password information is stored on an AWS server hosted in Germany.
BenQ InstaShow
None. InstaShow does not require any software to be installed onto the laptop or an external network to work, enabling locked down computers to use the system as they would a standard cable.
The InstaShow transmitter and host use advanced 128-bit encryption to ensure that each presentation transmission cannot be captured or recorded by unauthorized external or internal users. WDC30 even has WPA3 authentication. The LAN port on the host is for configuration only and does not transmit any presentation information over the internet.
None. BenQ InstaShow does not send any account or other information over the internet via the cloud or third party services such as Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Washington D.C. cybersecurity expert Kenneth Buckler produced a detailed evaluation of the security protections built into BenQ InstaShow. He said: “InstaShow is security done right and keeps the user experience simple, while still keeping your sensitive data secure.”
Product |
Encrypted Transmissions |
App Free Connection to the screen |
ISO 27001 Certificate |
Third Party Security Certifications |
Product BenQ InstaShow | Encrypted Transmissions Yes, 128-bit encryption on all models | App Free Connection to the screen Yes | ISO 27001 Certificate Yes | Third Party Security Certifications Yes |
Product Airtame 2 | Encrypted Transmissions No | App Free Connection to the screen No | ISO 27001 Certificate No | Third Party Security Certifications No |
While InstaShow has a higher MSRP than Airtame 2, it does have a number of advantages. BenQ InstaShow delivers a wireless presentation system that is easy to install and setup without IT support and enables visitors to start presenting in just seconds without any software hassles. This plug & play solution can save hours on network installation time and costs, as well as the overhead of deploying and maintaining the software on each user notebook.
While Airtame 2 does not encrypt its transmissions over networks, BenQ InstaShow’s advanced encryption and other security features protect both visitors and companies from unauthorized internal or external recording of sensitive presentations. In addition, InstaShow buttons and tabletop holders have won both iF Design and Good Design awards for elegance and functionality, demonstrating that they not only work well, but also add style and class to your meeting spaces.
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