Meeting room display tablets are all the rage in the new workplace. A meeting room display tablet is a digital device that is mounted outside the meeting room to indicate the status of the room and provide an easy and intuitive way to book meeting rooms instantly.
In today’s dynamic world where collaboration is of utmost importance, a meeting room tablet can provide a quick avenue for you to reserve the meeting room for that discussion that you want to have with a colleague. There are many benefits of having a meeting room digital display tablet.
While the thought of having a meeting room display tablet is great, some challenges accompany mounting the tablet. Here we discuss how one can mount the tablet outside the meeting room for different scenarios.
Factors to consider
Firstly, it is cheaper to mount a tablet when you are renovating your office space. The interior designer can plan for these digital devices in their design architecture. A few things need to be considered. The first thing is aesthetics. Companies would like to maintain an image and branding that is reflected in the office. So, the tablets need to align with that. If the office needs to be a smooth and flush design, then the design should cater to spaces where the tablet runs smoothly along the wall.
If the design requires a certain color, then the tablet’s casing should match the colors of the office. In most cases, the tablet’s casing colors are either black, white, or silver. In such cases, elements of these colors need to be added as part of the office design.
Running cables is an essential component for tablets as they need power to function. In most cases, cables are drawn from the ceiling but in some cases, the cables are drawn from the floor. In this case, the false ceiling or flooring and the required height have to be catered for.
Mounting Height
Typically, the mounting of the tablet should be at a height that can be accessed by everyone. This includes people with disability who are wheelchair-bound. Typically, this will be about 2.5 meters above the floor.
Mounting Location
The tablet should be mounted on the side of the wall opposite the hinges of the door. This allows easy accessibility and ergonomics. Users can simply tab the device and pull on the hinges easily.
Mounting Surface
Most tablets can be mounted on any type of surface. This is because the tablets come with a faceplate and a double-sided industrial sticker that can stick to any surface. The sticker can be used on concrete, wood, plaster, glass, or partition material. In most meeting rooms, the walls facing the alley or walkway are made of glass.
Cabling
One way or another the display devices require cables that need to power it. Depending on the device chosen, they either require a power cable or power-over-ethernet (PoE). Power cables are generally thinner and can be easily concealed. However, PoE cables are CAT 5/6 cables that are thicker, especially the heads. So, need to cater for this size. There are flat CAT 6 cables available in the market but are more expensive than the normal round cables.
Drilling
Drilling needs to be done carefully depending on the surface of the wall. If it is a partition or plaster, then drilling is easier to perform. However, if it is glass, then drilling has to be done very carefully as that can cause cracks on the glass.
Below we showcase several case studies of how the cables are laid out on different walls and mounting types.
Read more about Factors To Consider When Mounting Room Display Panel.
Case Studies
Below are various scenarios where cables are mounted under different circumstances and surfaces.
Plaster Surface
Here the cable comes directly out of the plaster.
In the below image, the cables are running on the side. However, the tablet is to be placed in the center of the wall between the two adjacent meeting rooms. So, the plaster is removed and the cable is concealed within the plaster from the exit point.
This was a situation where the wall was already completed and the customer decided to have a meeting room display tablet there. As a result, some re-work was required on that wall.
Once the location of the tablet is identified, the cable positions are set and plaster is applied. The result is a smooth finish as shown below.
Another scenario is when there is a switch panel inside the meeting room and the power is drawn from that section. In this case, it was easy to draw the cable using a casing as shown below.
When the tablets are mounted, the cables are not visible at all as shown in the pictures below.
The above picture shows the section of the wall where the plaster was removed and cabling was done. Once filled and the tablet is mounted, there is no visible evidence of tampering with the wall as was expected by the management.
Wood & Partition Surfaces
In the pictures below, cabling on wood and partition is shown. In most situations, it is relatively easy to perform any cabling and mounting on this surface. Since the meeting room tablet runs on a power plug, a socket is placed on top of the false ceiling above the meeting room and the cable is drawn within the partition to the exit point. The exit point is then covered with a protective ring to prevent damage to the cable and the wooden partition.
Again, once mounted, the result is a concealed cable that fits nicely behind the meeting room display tablet.
Metal Surfaces
Metal surfaces are similar to wood and partitions. General metal portions are the frames of the meeting room. In some cases, the frames are quite thick to accommodate a meeting room display tablet as shown in the image below:
In this case, the cables run within the frame and the exit point is in the middle. Once mounted, the table completely obscures the exit and the cable.
Glass Surface
This is one of the most complex of mounting where there is glass mounting. It is also most commonly requested because most meeting rooms have floor-to-ceiling glass panels in one full piece. Damaging even a small section of the glass will result in the whole panel being discarded. In most cases, the side frame acts as a conduit for the cable as shown in the picture below. The side frame should be thick enough for the head of the cable to be drawn through.
The result is a mounting where the tablet resides close to the frame and conceals the cabling as shown below.
If the frame is too thin, then a hole must be drilled in the glass as shown below:
This requires precision cutting of the glass.
In conclusion, mounting the meeting room tablets can be quite tricky. Careful advance planning is required to ensure that cabling, exits, and mounting techniques are considered well in advance. Below we provide some best practices and things to look out for when considering mounting the meeting room display tablets to your new workplace.
Best Practices
Here are some best practices to follow when mounting a meeting room display tablet.
- Decide on the hardware device that you are going to purchase for the meeting room display tablet. Different hardware will have different types of mounting.
- Understand the hardware dimensions and specifications.
- Provide the details to your interior designer if you are renovating your office. They will be able to include these devices in the design.
- Engage the mechanical and electrical guys up front to perform a site visit. Show them around the office and highlight the areas where the tablet will be mounted.
- Engage the mechanical and electrical team with the IT department if in case you are planning to go with the PoE option. The PoE option requires that the cables run from switches and there is an optimal length of the cables for the power and data to be stable and effective without attenuation.
- Work with us on when the hardware will be mounted so that we can help guide you on the setup and configuration (if overseas). We can also engage our local partners, if available.
- When laying the cables ensure that the cable heads are covered and paint jobs do not damage the head.
- If you have purchased the hardware in advance, make sure that they are stored in a safe and secure place. Having devices when renovation is going on could damage them.
