Jabra Speak 510 Portable Bluetooth Conference Speaker

Remote work is more popular than ever, and fortunately, there are many tools now available to help people communicate from a distance. For decades, businesses have relied heavily on audioconferencing to host meetings with participants all over the world. But when you have a large conference room full of people, putting a standard telephone in speaker mode doesn’t quite suffice.

Over the years, a top tool has emerged for team audio-conferencing. That tool is an advanced speaker with high-quality microphones built-in. As technology has advanced, these speakers have advanced along with it, with features like noise cancellation and high-definition audio.

But not all conference speakers are alike. Before you get started on your search, take a moment to assess your situation. Will you ever be meeting as a large group, with 100 or more people? Or will your conference room only have a few people at a time? If it’s the former, you’ll definitely need to narrow your search to a speakerphone that is specifically designed for grabbing audio from a large room full of people.

It can be easy during your search to focus specifically on the sound output of a conference speaker. But the microphones are even more important. The meeting participants at the other end of the line will need to be able to hear what you’re saying, as well as what others will be saying who aren’t necessarily seated in front of the speaker. In some cases, you can link multiple speakers together to pick up audio from an even larger group, setting each speaker in a different area of the room.

Many professionals set the conference speaker on a table and rely on it to pick up voices from all directions. For this reason, you’ll want to look for a speaker that provides 360-degree audio coverage. This will ensure you aren’t all huddled around the center of the table, shouting to be heard.

• Ambient noise can be a problem with more advanced speakerphones. A high-quality microphone might pick up the sound of the air conditioning running, for instance, or construction going on outside your conference room window. Look for a speaker with technology to reduce background noise for best results.
• Since most modern conference speakers are built to pair with devices via Wi-Fi, you’ll want to make sure your building’s wireless is strong enough to hold a steady connection. If your speaker doesn’t stay in one location, you might want to invest in a USB cable to make a wired connection to your device if you’re ever in a situation where Wi-Fi is weak or unavailable.
• Device compatibility is also a must. If your speaker doesn’t have a phone built-in, you’ll need it to connect to a device that can accept calls or dial out. Look for smartphone compatibility, as well as the ability to connect with devices like laptops, especially if you’ll be using your speakerphone to provide audio for your video calls.
• If your speaker runs on battery power, make sure you’ll have enough life to get you through calls. Some are built with rechargeable batteries that can run for 15 hours in wireless mode. But when you’re using the speaker for meetings over multiple days, you’ll need to make sure you charge the battery between uses.
• You don’t have to limit your speaker to your own building. Most speakers are highly portable, allowing you to take them on the road with you. Make sure you have a way to safely transport the speaker, though. Some come with carrying cases for this very purpose.
• If your business regularly engages in video calls, look for a speaker designed for that purpose. Some even have built-in 360-degree video cameras that can capture multiple meeting participants, rather than forcing everyone to sit in front of a camera to be seen.