What is the Crestron AirMedia?
Crestron is a leading manufacturer of video conferencing and room scheduling systems, but like many manufacturers in the AV industry, Crestron has also recognized a growing need for wireless presentation technology. Its AirMedia technology supplies this functionality to businesses, schools and any organizations that are looking to improve health and hygiene, without sacrificing a quality meeting experience. With AirMedia, users can quickly connect their own devices to a room conferencing system, without the need to touch any hardware or wrestle with complex connectivity protocols.
Recently, Crestron launched a new version of its AirMedia technology, dubbed AirMedia 2.0. The manufacturer has built this new AirMedia version into several of its products, including a pair of dedicated AirMedia presentation systems, its Mercury tabletop conferencing system and some of its DigitalMedia presentation systems. In short, AirMedia is quickly becoming Crestron’s primary medium for connecting people to meetings, whether those meetings involve people in the same space, or those gathering remotely.
How does the Crestron AirMedia work?
Connecting to a room conferencing system is simple with the Crestron AirMedia. Here’s how it works:
- Occupancy sensors detect when someone enters the room – The Crestron AirMedia can be tied to a room’s occupancy sensors, which detect when someone enters the space. If your system is fitted with occupancy sensors, the display will switch on and display connection instructions to the user automatically. If occupancy sensors are not present, room controls can be used to switch the display on.
- Enter a web address into your device’s browser – The room’s display will have the relevant address, and all the user needs to do is punch it into their device’s browser. If the user is interfacing with a mobile device, Crestron’s AirMedia app can be used to connect to the system.
- Enter an authentication code – Once the web address is entered into the browser, Crestron will prompt the user to input a four-digit code, which is also available on the display. Once this is done, the user will be connected to the presentation system and they can use their own device to control the technology.
Five features that help Creston’s AirMedia stand out
The Crestron AirMedia has been improved upon since its launch years ago, and its 2.0 launch has several features that enhance security, performance, usability and manageability. Five of those features include:
Expanded full-screen mirroring
The previous version of AirMedia, along with many alternative presentation solutions, are limited in what materials they can present during conferencing. Specifically, they can only present materials that are stored on the user’s device, which may not be sufficient for every meeting. AirMedia 2.0, though, can display a full range of documents from any device, including mobile devices. In addition to presentation materials, AirMedia 2.0 can also display spreadsheets, videos, and photos without trouble.
Automatic room finding using in-room beacons
In-room beacons are tiny devices that are used for wayfinding and occupancy detection purposes in buildings. They can also be tied to Crestron devices using AirMedia 2.0 to help users find an available meeting space, which can be tough in some busy conferencing spaces. Further, Crestron AirMedia 2.0 can use these beacons to quickly detect when an enabled device has been brought into the room, accelerating meeting setup and execution.
Tighter conference security
Crestron states that their AirMedia 2.0 technology is the most secure wireless presentation software on the market. That’s because AirMedia 2.0 utilizes AES-128 encryption between user devices and conference systems. AES-128 is the same encryption technology used by financial and governmental institutions. Further, AirMedia 2.0 leverages 802.1X authentication to ensure unauthorized devices are not allowed on the network.
Enhanced management functions
Crestron’s products are noteworthy for how easy they are to integrate into an organization’s workflow. This is also true of AirMedia 2.0, which is extremely easy to deploy at scale. Through Crestron’s XiO cloud, IT can centralize provisioning of all new Crestron products, so IT can configure firmware updates, as well as device and network features, before the AirMedia 2.0 products have even arrived at the facility. Further, AirMedia 2.0 products can be monitored for their usage, so IT can optimize their placement after determining where more conferencing coverage is needed.
Performance monitoring
In addition to usage monitoring, AirMedia 2.0 products can also be performance tracked remotely, so IT can spot which devices are experiencing slowdowns or reliability issues. This allows IT personnel to quickly spot and either reconfigure or replace devices when needed.
This list is not exhaustive, as AirMedia 2.0 can also access multiple UC platforms and enable integrated room solutions through remote physical and streaming inputs. In short, AirMedia 2.0 is a leap for Crestron’s wireless presentation and conferencing solutions.
What AirMedia products is Crestron offering?
Some of Crestron’s existing products, including the Crestron Mercury and some of its DigitalMedia hardware, have been updated with AirMedia 2.0. Also, there are a pair of AirMedia 2.0 presentation systems that are built around the updated technology.
Those systems are the AM-200 and AM-300, and they are nearly identical in the features they bring to a space. Those features include:
- Invisible mounting behind wall-mount display.
- Wireless and wired presentation using automatic switching.
- HDMI input and output, using HD or WUXGA resolution.
- Wireless presentations enabled through laptops, tablets or smartphones.
- Full HD video available with up to 30 fps frame rates.
- Desktop and laptop users can present content through Miracast or through an AirMedia Google Chrome extension.
- Simultaneous two-source display through AirMedia Canvas. AirMedia Canvas automatically determines which source layout is best, taking into account aspect ratios and number of sources.
- Integration with Appspace to allow for digital signage functionality.
- Whiteboarding enabled, with full functionality.
All of these features, along with the enhanced AirMedia 2.0 features, are available with the AM-200 and AM-300. The AM-300, however, also has an available input for Crestron’s DigitalMedia hardware, which enables content sharing from another room or remote location.
Crestron’s AirMedia 2.0 technology gives the manufacturer a flagship solution for modern workplaces, which are increasingly relying on remote, wireless presentation systems. With AirMedia 2.0, your teams can access all of the presentation technology they need for high-powered meetings, without having to handle any hardware or any unfamiliar device.