In the sixth of the 7-part series of Enterprise Wi-Fi Myths, Senior Project Engineer and Wi-Fi specialist Mark Rigby explores the myths around where video conferencing occurs and how it can affect the wireless network.

Myth 6 of 7: Video conferencing only happens in conference rooms

The myth that “video conferencing only happens in conference rooms” is outdated and fails to reflect the modern work environment. In today’s world, video conferencing occurs in a wide range of locations, including personal workstations, home offices, and even on-the-go, not just in traditional conference rooms. This myth underestimates the changing dynamics of workspaces, the technology we use, and the way we collaborate and here’s why:

The Rise of Remote and Hybrid Work

Misconception: Video conferencing is a formal activity limited to dedicated conference rooms.

Reality: With the rise of remote work and hybrid work models, employees often participate in video meetings from a variety of locations, including home offices, personal workstations, and even coffee shops. The global shift towards flexible work environments means video conferencing has become ubiquitous and occurs from wherever the employee happens to be.

Impact: Video conferencing has become a tool for daily communication, not just formal meetings in designated rooms. Individual employees now frequently hold video calls from their desks or remote workspaces, significantly increasing the demand for reliable and high-quality Wi-Fi throughout the office and beyond.

Collaboration Happens Everywhere

Misconception: Conference rooms are the primary spaces where collaboration and video conferencing take place.

Reality: Modern collaboration tools and platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet are used not only for formal meetings but also for spontaneous conversations, team check-ins, and informal catch-ups set up ‘on the fly’. These meetings often happen at employees’ desks, in open office areas, breakout spaces, or even while walking around the office with mobile devices.

Impact: Video conferencing has become decentralised, without wires, requiring strong Wi-Fi coverage throughout the entire workspace, not just in conference rooms. Employees need seamless, reliable connectivity in every corner of the office to enable productive video meetings wherever collaboration happens.

Personal Devices and Mobile Conferencing

Misconception: Video conferencing is confined to conference rooms because it requires dedicated equipment like cameras and microphones.

Reality: Most video conferencing today happens on personal devices like laptops, smartphones, and tablets, which are equipped with built-in cameras, microphones, and speakers. These devices allow employees to join video calls from anywhere, including personal desks, huddle spaces, and even on-the-go during commutes or while traveling.

Impact: With employees relying on personal devices for video conferencing, they no longer need to be in a specific room with specialised equipment. This shift requires businesses to ensure strong, reliable network coverage in all areas where employees work, since video conferencing can happen anywhere at any time.

Home Offices and Remote Locations

Misconception: Office video conferencing mostly happens in centralised, physical locations like conference rooms.

Reality: With the rise of remote work, many employees participate in video conferences from home offices, co-working spaces, and remote locations. Video conferencing has expanded far beyond the traditional meeting room. These collaboration tools have become essential to ensure remote workers feel embedded into the team, connecting them together over wireless.

Impact: Hybrid employees rely heavily on collaboration tools to feel embedded into their team. Those in the office need to be able to support video over wireless so collaboration can still occur at their desk.

Open Office Environments

Misconception: Conference rooms are the designated areas for video conferencing due to privacy needs.

Reality: Many modern workplaces have adopted open office designs, where employees have no assigned seating and video conferencing occurs right at their workstations. Individual pods are being installed in many workspaces without a collaboration device or wired connectivity. Wi-Fi allows employees to maintain privacy and connectivity within these pods.

Impact: In open office environments, there’s a greater demand for consistent, high-quality Wi-Fi that can handle multiple video conferences happening simultaneously in close proximity. New private collaboration spaces are being installed without wired networks provisions. AP placement and network optimisation are critical to ensure that video calls are not affected by interference or congestion in these open spaces.

Cloud-Based Video Conferencing

Misconception: Video conferencing requires a dedicated setup with complex hardware that is best suited for conference rooms.

Reality: With the advent of cloud-based conferencing services, the reliance on expensive, room-specific hardware has decreased. Platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Webex run on the cloud and on end devices, meaning that users can join video calls from any device without needing specialised hardware.

Impact: Cloud-based services allow employees to participate in video conferencing from virtually anywhere. Companies must ensure that their network bandwidth and Wi-Fi performance can support video calls across all devices and locations, not just in conference rooms.

Conclusion: Video Conferencing Happens Everywhere

The idea that video conferencing is restricted to conference rooms no longer reflects the reality of modern workspaces. The ubiquity of mobile devices, remote work, open office environments, and cloud-based collaboration tools has transformed video conferencing into a daily activity that occurs anywhere and everywhere.
This debunks the myth that video conferencing is limited to conference rooms, emphasising the need for flexible, dynamic network solutions to support modern work habits.