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Copyright © 2020 Wainhouse Research, LLC

Evaluation: Cisco Webex Board 55 – Q1 2020

Hands-On Review of Cisco’s Latest All-in-One UC Board

The Cisco Webex Board is an all-in-one team collaboration device combining wireless presentation, whiteboarding, and audio / video conferencing on a touch-enabled display. Three sizes are available: 55”, 70”, and 85”. Wainhouse evaluated the S Series 55”, a unit designed for huddle spaces and smaller meeting rooms. The S series is the latest generation of the original Webex Board, one that adds several updates to the previous models. Power consumption has been reduced via the addition of an idle status, and the floor stand has been redesigned for a cleaner look. The biggest change is the addition of a USB-C port that allows for a touch redirect (touchback) capability with a connected PC. We tested audio, video, sensor, and ideation capabilities of the Board and its integration with Webex Teams across PC, Mac, iOS and Android platforms. We also do a deep dive into the experience of using the Webex Assistant – an important, leading-edge voice user interface to Cisco meeting room products. Overall, our take is that the Webex Board mix of multi-purpose use cases and the underlying technologies never seem cluttered or “too much.” This evaluation covers installation and setup steps and core features, as well as methods of scheduling or holding ad hoc meetings, content and screen sharing, and our take on call quality.

Analysts - Alan Greenberg, Bryan Hellard

Categories:

WH 360 Coverage > Meeting Room Collaboration

Document Types > Evaluation Publication date: Tuesday, 28 January 2020

Licensed document release date: Tuesday, 25 February 2020

Evaluation: Cisco Webex Board 55 – Q1 2020 Executive Summary

Copyright © 2020 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 2 of 34

Table of Contents

Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................... 2

Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................ 4

Highlights ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Pricing ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 6

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 7

Specifications .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 7

Available Ports ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 8

What’s in the Box ............................................................................................................................... 9

Installation and Setup ...................................................................................................................... 10

Webex Board 55S User Interface .................................................................................................... 13

Core Features .................................................................................................................................... 15

Touch Redirect ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 15

Webex Assistant .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15

Digital Signage ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 15

UI Extensions Configuration (Web Apps) ............................................................................................................................................................ 16

Whiteboarding ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 17

Local-Only Whiteboard Workflow ................................................................................................................................................................... 18

Working within the Board Canvas ................................................................................................................................................................... 18

Annotating and Erasing ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 18

Sticky Notes ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 18

Canvas and Zoom ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 18

Stylus ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 19

Device Management .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 19

Meeting Support .............................................................................................................................. 21

Ad Hoc Meeting Workflow ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 21

Scheduled Meeting Workflow ................................................................................................................................................................................ 21

Content and Screen Sharing ................................................................................................................................................................................... 24



Via the Webex Teams App ................................................................................................................................................................................. 24

Connected Directly Via HDMI ........................................................................................................................................................................... 26

Annotating in a Screen Share ........................................................................................................................................................................... 26

Call Quality Impressions ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 26

Video Quality .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 27

Audio Quality ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 27

Analysis .............................................................................................................................................. 29

What We Like ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 30

Areas for Potential Improvement .......................................................................................................................................................................... 30

About Us ............................................................................................................................................ 33

About the Authors ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 33

About Wainhouse Research .................................................................................................................................................................................... 33

Notices ............................................................................................................................................... 34

Copyright Notice ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 34

License Notice .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 34

Limitation of Liability Notice ................................................................................................................................................................................... 34



Executive Summary The Cisco Webex Board is an all-in-one team collaboration device combining wireless presentation, whiteboarding, and audio / video conferencing on a touch-enabled display.

The Webex Board devices are the latest in an evolution of a set of products first introduced in January 2017. The initial all-in-one interactive flat displays were among the first all-in-one, Unified Communications (UC) Boards delivered by three of the larger collaboration vendors (Microsoft, Google, and Cisco). From the start Cisco placed an emphasis on touch and mobile control, simple cabling, end-to-end security, and integration initially with Spark (its first version of team collaboration software that has since evolved into Webex Teams) and Webex Meetings. Today’s platform now focuses on Webex Meetings and Webex Teams, while also leveraging Cisco Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities. The result is a hybrid meeting room endpoint that supports team collaboration and audio and video conferencing with (based on our experience) virtually frictionless meeting launch. Cisco’s goal with its Webex Boards is to break down the silos that exist between different use cases. Many vendors are happy positioning their boards for single applications: digital signage, or meetings, or brainstorming/ideation, or training only. Cisco, however, is trying to pack as much “purpose” into the Board as is possible. Thus you’re as likely to see a Webex Board sit in an executive office running streaming business news as one used in a meeting room or classroom for ideation, or a cafeteria for digital signage. Behind those scenarios is the notion that being multi-purpose, the Board won’t be a niche product even as it further promotes Webex Meetings use. Thus the company has focused on specific utilities that individually support different possible workflows and use cases. And thus far we believe this approach has proven to be successful. Our topline take on the Board is that Cisco has produced a truly remarkable user experience via the combination of the frictionless Webex Assistant, high quality video conferencing and teaming applications, a clever and simple user interface (UI), graceful touch and writing experience, whiteboarding, and the ability to add third-party apps, which Cisco calls Web Apps.

Highlights Specifics include:

• The Webex Assistant, which enables participants to use their voice in lieu of touching the screen of the board to control the system by saying “OK Webex,” followed by a command. When in a sleep state, the Webex Assistant is still listening. Saying “OK Webex” wakes up the system and approximately 20 commands are available. We find the Webex Assistant has improved steadily over time based on previous hands-on experience with the Cisco Room Kit Mini.

• Similarly, usage of the Board is tightly integrated with the Webex Teams app. Using the app, meetings can be transferred to and from the Board and a mobile device / PC. This works flawlessly every time we transfer calls. Put simply, ultrasonic pairing between a laptop / mobile device and the Board works, without fail, every time. That’s a rare pleasure when testing equipment.

• The Board’s UI is clean and simple, with the Place name (a Cisco location associated with a device) situated at the top for accessing the device settings and four basic icons: Call, Whiteboard, Share Screen and Join Webex. These four primary icons can be expanded upon at the Board level via Web Apps. The process of adding apps is easy, and we were able to set up, configure, and start using Web Apps on the Board in less than two minutes.

• The concepts of Spaces and Teams are clear and make sense to even novice users – Cisco took its time in designing and building out its teaming product. Work takes place in “Spaces” where



users can send messages, make calls, have video meetings, share files, and hold whiteboarding sessions together. If a project requires a more persistent set of work products and goals, users can create a team (and move a space into a team). Teams let users stay organized by putting multiple spaces under a common theme. We find the teaming elements of Cisco Webex Teams to be far less cluttered than some other products.

• The entire touch experience is a cut above some other boards we have used and written on. For one, touch on the board has little latency and writing is graceful and responsive. Touch redirect, known elsewhere in the industry as touchback, allows for touching the screen and manipulating a USB-C- and HDMI-connected PC. We find this feature to work well also.

• For whiteboarding, the Webex Board has a lightweight set of ideation tools. These include sticky notes, multiple pen sizes and colors, and an infinite canvas. These tools are designed more for ad hoc ideation sessions, and while the toolset lacks process templates, flip charts, and some other higher order ideation software features, those included should be sufficient for many use cases.

• The Speaker Tracking and “Best Overview” framing technology contribute to a superior experience for remote meeting attendees. Put simply, the combination of these two features creates less of a down-facing camera experience for remote meeting attendees.

• Finally, we really like the digital signage capability. When the Board is idle, it can automatically present content from a website on its screen. Even better, if interactivity is enabled, the website content becomes interactive, scrollable, and navigable.

In summary, this mix of multi-purpose use cases and the underlying technologies never seem cluttered or “too much.” The following evaluation covers installation and setup steps and core features, as well as methods of scheduling or holding ad hoc meetings, content and screen sharing, and our take on call quality. We conclude with final analysis.



Cisco Webex Board 55 Highlights

Source: Wainhouse 01/2020

Pricing Cisco has moved away from MSRP pricing, which involved lower priced Boards but higher subscription and service prices, to integrating with its traditional Global Price List to work better via its channels. Actual street prices are lower than what you see below, but GPL pricing are as follows:

• 55-inch Board (55S): $25,900 • 70-inch Board (70S): $47,900 • 85-inch Board: (85S): $79,900

Device registration to the Cisco Webex Cloud costs $29 per Board (a decrease from the initial Board cost of $199 per month when first announced). Cisco also makes the Boards available via three-year Hardware-as-a-Service subscription programs.

Evaluation: Cisco Webex Board 55 – Q1 2020 Introduction


Introduction The Cisco Webex Board is an all-in-one team collaboration device combining wireless presentation, whiteboarding, and audio / video conferencing on a touch-enabled display. Three sizes are available: 55”, 70”, and 85”.

The model we received for evaluation is the S Series 55”, a unit designed for smaller huddle spaces. The S series is the latest generation of the Webex Board with a few differences from the previous model. Power consumption has been reduced and the floor stand has been redesigned for a cleaner look. The biggest change is the addition of a USB-C port that allows for a touch redirect (touchback) capability with a connected PC. We tested the capabilities of the Board and its integration with Webex Teams across PC, Mac, iOS and Android platforms.

Cisco Webex Board 55 with Floor Stand

Source: Cisco 01/2020

Specifications • 55” 4K Edge LED LCD display • Capacitive touch screen • Protective glass with optical bonding • Multi-touch • 4K / 60 Camera w/ 83-degree horizontal field of view (FOV)

Evaluation: Cisco Webex Board 55 – Q1 2020 Introduction


• Speaker Tracking and Best Overview framing technology • 12-element microphone array • Acoustic echo cancellation • Automatic noise reduction • Active lip synchronization • Main video up to 1080p / 30 frames per second (fps) • Presentation sharing up to 1080p / 30 (up to 4Kp / 5 fps – for presentation sharing in point-to-

point calls) • SIP / H.323 interoperability • 87.7 lb. without stand

Available Ports • HDMI input • Ethernet (RJ-45) • USB-C • 3.5mm Audio • Micro USB

Evaluation: Cisco Webex Board 55 – Q1 2020 What’s in the Box


What’s in the Box The system used in our evaluation included a floor stand. Both the floor stand and the Webex Board are packaged individually, then combined into a single shipping box. The Board and Stand combo ships with the following:

• Webex Board 55 • Two passive styluses with six replacement tips • HDMI cable for wired content and screen sharing • Ethernet cable for network connectivity • Power cable • Cable management system • Screen cleaning cloth • Five-piece floor stand • Hardware and tool package • Floor stand installation guide

Everything needed to complete the physical installation is included in the packaging, including tools, hardware and an installation guide. An option is to add a Cisco Touch 10 control unit and attach it to the Webex Board to allow for control from a meeting room table (allowing users to control the Board from a table). This eliminates the need to approach the Board to dial calls, adjust volume, mute the mic, etc.). And it creates a “palette” for establishing room consistency in organizations using both Webex Room and Webex Board systems.

Evaluation: Cisco Webex Board 55 – Q1 2020 Installation and Setup


Installation and Setup The overall physical installation requires setting up the floor stand base, attaching mounting rails on the back of the Board, then mounting the Board to the base. This process requires two people based on the weight of the board, but it only takes a few minutes to complete.

For cable management, Cisco provides three features. A white, cloth-like sleeve is provided that’s large enough to place the power and Ethernet cables into. Built onto the stand but hidden behind the Board are plastic channels where the sleeve containing the cables clip into. Lastly, the system ships with four magnetic clips that adhere to the rear leg of the stand where the sleeve can be inserted to have cables running down the back of the stand, out of view from participants facing the front of the Board. The combination of these three features keeps what might be considered unsightly cables relatively hidden from view and is a thoughtful touch that contributes to the overall sleek look of the installed system.

Floor Stand Wire Management


When installed using the floor stand and placed against a wall, the face of the Board is situated 18.5 inches from the wall. If the system is intended to be used in a small huddle space, we recommend wall mounting the Board because otherwise valuable real estate is consumed by the floor stand.

The only cables needed for setup are power and Ethernet, though the Webex Board can utilize a Wi-Fi connection, eliminating the need for the Ethernet cable. After plugging in power, on first boot up



the system launches a welcome screen for setup. We note that there is no power switch on the Board and plugging it in immediately initiates the boot up process.

After selection of language and network parameters, the system presents the registration screen, requiring a 16-digit code attained from the Webex Management Control Hub. This is the same registration process utilized when setting up the Cisco Webex Room Kit Mini.

An option is available to also register Webex Board on-premise to Cisco’s Unified Communications Manager or Cisco Expressway firewall traversal solution by loading Cisco Expressway software onto the Board.

Via the cloud-based Control Hub, an administrator with the necessary privileges does the following steps to add a device:

• Navigates to Devices. • Selects Add Device. • Selects Place, select Next. • Assigns as Existing or New Place. We chose existing, retaining the same place and calendaring as

in our previous evaluation of the Room Kit Mini.

The activation code is presented in the Control Hub for input into the Board, and the administrator types the code onto the Board to finish registration.

Cisco Webex Board Activation Code


For a new installation, the administrator selects New Place and then does the following steps:



• Selects the type of device. • Selects calling service and optional calendar integration. • Sets up the hybrid calendar service adding the email address to be used.

After the code is entered, the UI displays the time and date setup screen. After that is set, the process is completed. The Board used in our evaluation went immediately to a software update page. Updates can be performed immediately, or they may be postponed for six hours. We chose immediate. The software update took only a couple of minutes and the Board booted into its “Screen Saver” view. Touching the screen with stylus or finger presents the primary user interface.

Evaluation: Cisco Webex Board 55 – Q1 2020 Webex Board 55S User Interface


Webex Board 55S User Interface The Board’s UI is clean and simple, with the Place (device assignment) name situated at the top for accessing the device settings and only four icons to choose from: Call, Whiteboard, Share Screen and Join Webex.

Before diving into the UI, it’s worth introducing some Webex terminology. In the Cisco Webex Teams app, work takes place in “Spaces” where users can send messages, make calls, have video meetings, share files, and hold whiteboarding sessions together. Spaces are designed for a group of people collaborating on a specific topic or single project – where the focus is somewhat narrow.

If a project requires a more persistent set of work products and goals, users can create a team (and move a space into a team). Teams let users stay organized by putting multiple spaces under a common theme – again, designed to support a consistent group of people who are going to be working on a topic or project for an extended period of time, which could be days, weeks, months or longer.

Cisco Webex Board Primary User Interface


The four primary icons available for launching collaborative sessions work as follows:

• The Call icon presents a screen for calling other meeting participants, via name (contacts, in or out of organization), SIP / H.323 address, or a phone number if phone dialing is enabled for the organization. An onscreen keyboard is presented for input. As names or addresses are entered, the system populates contacts and updates the list of previously dialed addresses.

Evaluation: Cisco Webex Board 55 – Q1 2020 Webex Board 55S User Interface


• The Whiteboard icon presents a blank whiteboard canvas. If a user is connected to the board with the Webex Teams app on a laptop or a mobile device and opens a Space in the app, however, any whiteboard within the space will be available for selection by selecting the Whiteboard icon.

• The Share Screen icon will share HDMI-connected content if selected. If no HDMI cable is connected, a help screen is shown to guide users in how to connect an HDMI cable or use the Webex Teams app to share content.

• The Join Webex icon presents a screen to enter a Webex Meeting number from a calendar invitation.

Evaluation: Cisco Webex Board 55 – Q1 2020 Core Features


Core Features Usage of the Board is tightly integrated with the Webex Teams app. Put differently, enterprises get full advantage of the Board functionality when they integrate it with the use of the Webex Teams app and Spaces / workflow integration. For meetings, enterprises may use either the Webex Teams or Meetings app or any SIP or H.323 meeting service. Using the Teams app, meetings can be transferred to and from the Board and a mobile device / PC. Additionally, mobile devices / PCs can be used as a form of remote control with the ability to start and end calls.

Touch Redirect The S series of Webex Boards have an integrated USB-C input that, combined with the HDMI input, allows for touchback capabilities with a PC (Cisco calls this touch redirect). This feature works well on the board using the stylus or a finger with no latency as you manipulate PC content. Some touch displays we have evaluated create the feeling that a gap exists between where you touch and where the annotation appears, as if a thin piece of glass sits between user at the board and the annotation on the board. In Cisco’s implementation of touch redirect, the onscreen image from the connected PC feels as if it is right where one is touching. There is no perception of distance or a gap between the end of the stylus or finger and the elements on the PC screen. We especially commend Cisco’s implementation as this has frustrated us on other boards when we are working with a sensitive application that needs high accuracy.

Webex Assistant The Webex Assistant enables participants to use their voice in lieu of touching the screen of the board to control the system by saying “OK Webex” followed by a command. Webex Assistant currently supports approximately 20 commands. The Webex Assistant can be individually enabled or disabled locally on the Board or globally from the Control Hub. When in a sleep state, the Meeting Assistant is still listening. Saying “OK Webex” wakes the system up.

In our previous testing of the Room Kit Mini, we found that for the Webex Assistant to work best, we needed to slightly hesitate after saying “OK Webex” before saying the command. The recognition of someone saying “OK Webex” didn’t seem to register with the system fast enough to then say the command desired. We find now that the usability has been improved significantly, and the quality of the Webex Assistant has eliminated that need. Users can speak commands more naturally, and without any hesitation. Cisco has engineered the Webex Assistant to avoid inappropriate activation between devices. If a call includes participants who each have devices with the Webex Assistant enabled, the commands fortunately are not recognized by the far site.

Digital Signage The Board can be used for digital signage while the system is idle. An administrator can activate this feature from the Control Hub by selecting Devices and selecting the appropriate device. After device selection, a menu appears with options for that device. Selecting Digital Signage presents options for use including source website location and degree of interactivity.



Cisco Webex Board Digital Signage


Enabling digital signage will present content from a website onscreen when the Board is idle. Any changes made to the digital signage configuration are immediately reflected on the Board. If Interactivity is enabled, the website content becomes interactive, scrollable, and navigable. If interactivity is disabled, any touch on the screen of the Board presents the main Board UI, halting the display of the digital signage content.

By default, audio for digital signage is disabled. This setting can be modified in the device’s web portal or in the Control Hub’s advanced configurations menu.

UI Extensions Configuration (Web Apps) Web Apps can be added to the Board UI using an Extensions Configuration control. Access and control of the UI Extension is in the web portal of an individual device, and not set up through the online Control Hub. From the device’s web portal, an administrator selects Integration, then selects the UI Extensions Editor.

Cisco Webex Board Web App Integration




With so many possible options to choose from, we opted to test installing Trello as a Web App to gauge the experience on the Board. Setup was quick and straightforward; the steps include naming the Web App and providing a URL. Selecting the export button in the Editor completes the process and the icon is immediately presented on the Board’s home screen.

Cisco Webex Board UI with Web App Configured


A specific Web App’s icon can consist of a custom graphic or can be automatically added by the Web App. This is pulled from the browser tab icon associated with the website.

When selected, the web-based application displays full-screen on the Board with full touch capability. If the Web App requires logging into an account or other text entries, an onscreen keyboard launches for entering information. Overall the process is easy, and we were able to set up, configure, and start using the web app on the Board in less than two minutes.

Whiteboarding The Webex Board has a lightweight set of ideation tools. The toolbar for selecting whiteboarding functions is located along the bottom of the whiteboard screen.

Cisco Webex Board Tools




Local-Only Whiteboard Workflow Like the Webex Room Kit Mini we previously evaluated, the Webex Board uses its ultrasonic sensor to chime when a recognized user enters the room. This awakens the system from sleep mode and turns on the display. The system can also be awakened by touching the Home button on the display or, with Webex Assistant enabled, saying “OK Webex.”

In addition, the Board can recognize an individual user under the following conditions:

• The user has the Webex Teams app on a mobile device / laptop in the room. • The Teams app is set to automatically connect to the Board when the user enters the room.

Selecting the Whiteboard icon launches a blank canvas and a user can begin to draw or work with ideation tools immediately.

The whiteboard function cannot be started with the Webex Assistant. Of course, if one desires to use the whiteboard, she is most likely going to be close enough to the display to select the Whiteboard icon. But we wonder why the Webex Assistant would not be enabled already to launch the whiteboard functionality.

Working within the Board Canvas All the features within the whiteboard app work equally well with a finger or the included stylus.

Annotating and Erasing Three pen sizes are available with six available colors. The inking size remains consistent regardless of the level of zoom – unlike how some other annotation software tools work. This makes the experience of annotating natural; other products result in what appears as a “crazy quilt” of line thicknesses. We experienced next to no latency when annotating on the board, with similar results attained using either finger or stylus, even when drawing quickly. We find this makes for accurate drawing or writing. The erase function works equally as well as the annotation function, with three eraser sizes available. No discernible latency appears while erasing. When one uses the erasing function, the Eraser icon can be selected to present an option to clear the screen.

Our testing found better accuracy the faster we annotate; typically the opposite is true on competing systems. In essence, the Webex Board beats some of the other boards we have tested in terms of accuracy and precision.

Sticky Notes The Sticky Note icon, which is located on the far right of the tool bar, presents a blank note and an onscreen keyboard for text entry to the note. Five colors are available for notes.

Sticky notes only allow for text; they are not for free form annotation. Once created, the text can be edited by selecting an individual note and selecting the pen icon. The color is editable as well. Sticky notes are moved by touching them with one finger or stylus and dragging them to a new location. Sticky notes cannot be scaled, however. To view sticky notes larger or smaller on the display requires zooming the entire canvas in or out.

Canvas and Zoom The Board utilizes a multi-finger, pinch-to-zoom technique. Zooming in or out can be performed with two or more fingers on one hand, two hands, or with a stylus and finger. While the Board has an



infinite canvas, there is a limit to the zoom capability. As shown in the image below, the green box represents the view when starting a new whiteboard. The frame can be zoomed out to approximately 200%, as represented by the purple-hashed area. Once any annotation is entered outside this limit, users are unable to see the entire canvas, but can pan up, down or side-to-side to see the whiteboard content.

Cisco Webex Board Zoom


Stylus The passive stylus has a soft tip, but no pressure is required to annotate.

The Board’s stylus is magnetic and attaches near the bottom right of the display on the bezel. There is an outline on the board where the stylus is meant to be placed.

Device Management The web-based Control Hub is where device settings can be changed.



Cisco Webex Control Hub


To change the configuration of a Webex Board from the Hub:

• Select Devices. • Select the device to be managed. • Scroll to Advanced Configurations. • Select Access Configurations.

This presents a dialog for searching settings. Those who desire the traditional Cisco device web portal view can select the Launch Web Portal option shown below the Advanced Configuration selector.

In true Cisco form, an abundance of settings is available that can be configured / modified, such as default volume, camera resolution, and Speaker Tracking, but out of the box the system does not require any special settings to be up and running quickly.

Evaluation: Cisco Webex Board 55 – Q1 2020 Meeting Support


Meeting Support Ad Hoc Meeting Workflow The ad hoc meeting workflow is similar to that provided by the Room Kit Mini, as it should be. We find a consistent user experience that is remarkably effective. This is refreshing because based on our work using other solutions, some products are inconsistent in overall user experience and connecting touch features with UI and software features.

There are multiple approaches to making calls.

From the Board:

• Select the Call icon. • Begin typing the name of person to call. • Select the name. • Select Call.

Or, with the Webex Assistant enabled,

• Say “OK Webex, call (far end participant’s name).” This assumes there is a Webex Teams connection or corporate directory listing.

• Say “Yes” when the Webex Assistant audibly verifies the name asking “Call (far end participant)?”

If the remote meeting participant is using the Webex Teams app on a Windows PC, he receives a notification dialog to answer and join the call. From the Webex Teams app for Windows – if the laptop is in a meeting room and paired to the Board:

• Open Teams app and verify connection to the Board. • Select Phone icon. • Type contact name in the Search or Dial box located above the dial pad.

From the Webex Teams app – on a mobile device in a meeting room and paired to the Board:

• Open the Teams App and verify connection to the Board. • Select the Call icon. • Select the People icon. • Select the Phone icon next to name of person wishing to call. • Select start with video –the remote party is called from the Board.

Scheduled Meeting Workflow Like the ad hoc workflow, the scheduled workflow is also similar to that provided by the Room Kit Mini. To schedule meetings using the Board and Webex service with an Office 365-based Outlook / Exchange service in the way Cisco recommends, two configuration steps need to be completed:

• The Office 365 administrator creates a “room resource” mailbox that is associated with the Webex Board. During the creation of this mailbox, the administrator sets scheduling policies such as who can schedule the room.

• The cloud-based “Cisco Webex Calendar Service” needs permission to access the Office 365 email accounts of the users who will be using the Webex scheduling service. An Office 365 administrator does this by logging into the Webex service Admin pages and going through a



setup procedure that requires admin access to the Office 365 account. The process is straightforward and took us about 10 minutes.

Once configured, users enter “@Webex” references when creating meeting invitations and these are processed by the Webex scheduling service. To Schedule a Meeting Using Outlook:

• Select New Meeting. • In the “To” field, type the email address for the Office 365 resource associated with the Webex

Board and add any other participants. Alternatively, a user can select Rooms and add the resource in the “Location” field.

• Add @Webex in the “Location”. • Add any other participants. • Select Send.

Invited participants receive an invitation email with call details. Once the call is scheduled, the Webex Board displays the upcoming meeting on the Board itself. Like any PC / Mac / Teams-based meeting, five minutes prior, the meeting can be joined from the Board by pressing the Join icon.

To Schedule a Meeting using the Webex Teams Desktop App:

• Select the Name of individuals and / or a Space for team members to meet with. • Select the ellipsis icon on top right. • Select Schedule. • Select Schedule Meeting.

Outlook automatically opens a meeting invitation with the message body populated with call details and participants (which can be further modified before sending). The invitation also contains “@WebEx: space” as the location – which creates a Webex space as well as schedules the meeting. Also of note: if the invitation is to include a Webex compatible room-based video conferencing system, the email address associated with the room should be added to the location as well.

• If the Webex Teams app is paired to a Board, the meeting can be joined on the system by selecting the Join With Video icon in the app. The meeting is then handed off to the Board without any other user input.



Cisco Webex Team Call Join


Some Observations About the Scheduling Processes

• In practice we have found that schedule changes made in Outlook that involve the “@Webex” reference could take several minutes to be viewable in a space or on the Board.

• The advantage of using the “Cisco Webex Hybrid Calendar Service” and the @Webex email reference is that it requires no email client add-ins to schedule and include the meeting details in a meeting invitation. These details are added to the invitation after it is sent by the Webex Hybrid Calendar Service.

• Meetings cannot be scheduled from a Webex Board itself.



Webex Assistant controls the setting for Proactive Meeting Join. With this setting enabled, the Webex Assistant “asks” if the user wants to join a scheduled call at the time of the meeting. This requires a few pieces to be in place:

• Webex Assistant needs to be enabled for the board. • Proactive Meeting Join needs to be enabled in the Board’s Web Portal. • A mobile device or laptop of the user in the scheduled call needs to be paired with the Board.

The Webex Assistant on the Board asks at the time of the meeting, “Hi, would you like to join this meeting now?” Users only need to reply, “Yes” or “No.” Using the key phrase “OK Webex” is not necessary.

Content and Screen Sharing Screen sharing is performed in one of two ways: Using the Webex Teams app for wireless sharing or using the traditional HDMI connection from a PC to the Board. Actual content sharing wirelessly takes place via the network and Webex Cloud.

Via the Webex Teams App The Webex Teams app, both mobile and PC versions, use ultrasonic pairing to connect to the Board (essentially the Board and mobile devices exchange tokens to verify continued proximity). This is accomplished by selecting Connect to a device within the app. Any boards within range of the app are shown and can be selected. The proximity volume (range) is configurable on the Board under Advanced Settings. The lower the volume setting, the shorter the range a mobile device can be connected via ultrasonic pairing. As soon as a user leaves the meeting room, the ultrasonic connection is disabled.

Cisco Webex Board Wireless Connection


While testing we could not connect one of our Lab PCs because it had a Bluetooth headset. We received the error message shown below, which led to discovering a workaround.



Cisco Webex Board Wireless Connection


Cisco’s workaround is located within the app. When selecting the Connect to a device command, then Search for a device within the app, the name of the Place (as shown on its display) can be typed into a search box. A dialog appears on the app to enter a four-digit code. The Board will then display a pairing code on the Board for a manual connection.

We note that our PC does have several Bluetooth headsets as audio options, but none were actively connected when trying to connect to the board. This may cause some issues with users who bring their own devices if they also utilize Bluetooth headsets, though we found the manual connection to work as well as the ultrasonic method. The manual connection does sever automatically with inactivity. This is by design as in theory, if connected via the manual pairing method, users could stay connected continuously even when away from the Board, which presents a meeting security challenge.

Once connected, sharing content requires selecting the name of the connected Board from the app and selecting Share Screen. From here, the choice can be made to share an individual app or an entire display. Options also are provided for sharing computer audio and optimizing video. With these options selected, videos play smoothly with good audio-video sync but with some minimal sacrifice of image quality. If Optimize for video is not selected, the image quality is excellent, but videos will not play as smoothly.



Cisco Webex Board Sharing


Connected Directly Via HDMI If a PC or laptop connects via an HDMI cable wired to the Board, the content automatically begins to be shared onscreen within a few seconds. If the room contains a collaboration desktop PC, screen sharing is initiated by selecting the Screen share icon and then selecting the PC screen thumbnail under HDMI. The Webex Assistant also can be utilized to stop or start HDMI-connected screen sharing by simply saying “OK Webex, start (or stop) screen share.” Webex Assistant cannot be used for starting or stopping a wireless screen sharing session.

Annotating in a Screen Share Annotation over a wired or wireless screen share is possible by selecting the Pen icon that is displayed onscreen after initiating the screen share. This icon disappears after a couple of seconds but reappears if the screen is touched.

While Webex Assistant can be used to launch a screen share, other steps on the Board must be used to close the screen share if anyone has used the annotation tools during the meeting. A user selects a Save icon to save the annotation(s), a Save to Webex Teams notification appears, and the content may be saved to an existing or new Space.

Call Quality Impressions The call quality in point-to-point meetings using the Webex Board is exceptional. We experienced no audio-video synchronization issues during our testing and at no point did the video lag or pixelate. We also conducted a few multipoint tests and had no issues. Calls connected relatively quickly, and it was easy to add others to a call.



Video Quality The image quality provided by the integrated camera is excellent, without any distortion that we could perceive. Thanks to the 83-degree FOV lens, the camera avoids creating the unfortunate fisheye view prevalent in many ultra-wide-angle lenses used in video meetings. To aid in the capture of participants sitting close up, the camera is angled down at 25 degrees. This does create an “angling-in” effect on vertical elements being captured at the periphery, because the camera is not level. This is a common issue we have seen on other all-in-one boards. However, this is not too distracting when speaker tracking is enabled – which is a differentiator for Cisco over some of the other all-in-one boards.

Camera Framing Technology Cisco devices have two forms of camera tracking: Speaker Tracking and Best Overview. Best Overview detects and frames all participants in the room using facial detection without singling out an individual speaker. Speaker Tracking combines facial detection and audio triangulation to identify a speaker and then frame him or her appropriately. Both approaches to framing are supported on the Board, but the zoom for Speaker Tracking is intentionally limited to maintain a native 1080p resolution when the image is framed.

The Board does an excellent job framing participants. While a meeting participant walks around a conference room, the camera does not need to over-correct inaccurate framing, a problem we have seen in other tracking systems, as the framing is precise each time it adjusts. (This technology is enabled by default. The setting for the framing technology can be found under the Speaker Track configuration in the web portal of the device. It can be disabled from the Board via the Advanced Settings menu or with the Webex Assistant.)

Audio Quality Our audio evaluation consists of several tests to determine not only the capabilities of the onboard microphones and speakers but also the experience for remote participants. Included in our evaluation are tests to determine how the system handles various noises, including computer-generated white / brown noise, ambient voices, and impact of distance from the Board.

Microphone Capture The microphone array, located along the top bezel of the Board, does an excellent job of capturing voices in the room. Participant audio is captured effectively up to the distance limit of our lab space. Our remote meeting participants commented on the superior reach of the microphone array.

When a meeting participant is speaking even at a low volume, the Webex Assistant is able to understand commands.

White Noise The Board controls white and brown noise effectively, which we tested using a noise generator, one of our standard tests. While the Board is not as aggressive at cancelling noise as other, non-Cisco systems, it sacrifices no voice quality when suppressing white noise.

Speakers The Board contains two integrated down-firing stereo speakers. The quality is surprisingly excellent. Voices are heard clearly to the volume limit of the system. We tested various audio sources, both voice-based and several music styles through the speakers to over 100 dB with no distortion, meaning the Webex Board can be deployed in rooms larger than a huddle space if necessary. (We note that the 85-inch Board includes a total of four onboard speakers, not two.)



Using the Webex Assistant, the speaker volume can be adjusted with the command “OK Webex, turn the volume to XX percent.” The command works well, but it must be stated with the percent change desired; you cannot just say “OK Webex, turn the volume down.”

Evaluation: Cisco Webex Board 55 – Q1 2020 Analysis


Analysis The Cisco Webex Board is designed to be an all-in-one platform for video and audio conferencing with a touch of ideation, in contrast to other platforms that are designed to be used specifically for ideation or digital signage, with video conferencing as a secondary element. It extends the Webex and Webex Teams experience into the meeting room, and the Board and software experience combined offer WH’s Layers 1, 2, and 3 ideation functionality. Based on its design and intent, our analysis focuses on its currency as an all-in-one UC Board while we hold its feet to the fire regarding ideation capabilities – while recognizing that it may not have the ideation software features of a Layer 3 software product. Still, with all-in-one UC Boards in their relative infancy, and recent survey data telling us IT and AV decision makers increasingly are drawn to all-in-one UC boards with integrated cameras and audio, we find a lot that is compelling about the latest Webex Boards.

First, a major issue within any vendor’s product line can be a lack of consistency – be it the basic workflow, the user interface, or back end management. Cisco addresses these by creating hardware products utilizing the Webex platform as the audio and video delivery system. The result is a consistent experience from setup to management to use. Our experience evaluating the Webex Board was similar to our experience with the Webex Room Kit Mini, even though the products are highly differentiated in terms of use case and form factor. This says a lot about building a cohesive product ecosystem. Second, the ideation features are just enough for organizations that want to lead with meeting quality and follow with basic ideation. Of course the Board is aided and abetted by Cisco’s AI tools, the Cognitive Collaboration functions and all that its AI back end happen to include. Those functions add to the user experience of the Board – making what might be an awkward video meeting into a substantive, effective meeting where people get things done. Cisco has done just the right amount of balancing ideation features with video conferencing features based on its goals for the Board: get it into a variety of workspaces.

There are several features not available on the Webex Board that some competitors have included in their products. Perhaps the one area most noticeable is the inability to import images into a session. This might be our single largest complaint. You may attach a PC to the Board and share images but compared to ideation software products designed to let users work on content, this limits the likelihood that focused content work using outside material will take place. This limitation is intentional on Cisco’s part, as their desire is to have the Board used without concern about image storage or security. Having said that, Cisco seems to be focused on the sticky note and basic drawing / annotation features. It has a limited toolset, for a reason: keep it easy and graceful.

As with the Room Kit Mini, the Webex Assistant is not only fun to use, it’s useful. We have found the more we use it, the more we want to use it. Cisco is getting it right, elevating “OK Webex” to the “OK Siri” and “Alexa, do xyz” level of nomenclature.

A few Webex Assistant commands might enhance the workflow and we’d like to see these added eventually:

• OK Webex, go to sleep – immediately putting the Board into sleep mode. • OK Webex, open / start whiteboard – this should be a basic feature on this Board. • OK Webex, mute camera – in a security conscious environment, being able to turn off the

camera and with indication it is off would be beneficial. • One other valuable feature would be to be able to combine the Webex Assistant with the UI

Extension tool to create a custom voice command. In our example, being able to say “OK Webex, open Trello” could be very useful by attaching a custom voice command to the extension.

https://insight.wainhouse.com/reports/MR-RN19-IDTN-VS



What We Like • The physical setup is straightforward via simple instructions provided for installation. We were

up and running in less than 20 minutes. In fact, the setup and general operations are similar to the experience of the Room Kit Mini we previously evaluated. This consistent approach is excellent for IT administration continuity.

• The classic Cisco design with significant attention paid to the industrial design of the board and the mount.

• The styluses are what we would classify as medium sized. They fit well in the hand and have a nice weight to them. Included in the packaging are six additional stylus tips.

• The Webex Assistant – have we raved enough? • Ultrasonic pairing between a device and the board works, without fail, every time. • The ease in which meetings can be passed from mobile device or laptop to the Board. • The clean interface. We find Webex Teams to be easier to “get” and navigate than some other

brand name teaming applications. It is intuitive and not “over-crowded” by too many options.

Areas for Potential Improvement We believe that the UI extensions might benefit from offering an option to retain login information. As designed now, not retaining such information is both a plus and minus. On the plus side, it maintains security in a multi-user environment. On the minus side, in our Trello test, we needed to re-login often. In a single user or small team environment with shared logins, the ability to save login information might greatly increase usage.

We also note that having multiple people annotating at the same time causes issues with zooming the canvas. Inappropriate zooming challenged us throughout our multi-user testing. One way this could be addressed would be if the method to zoom was performed only via multi-finger pinching. This would significantly cut down the awkward zooms. Two fingered (or stylus) zooming works well, except when trying to annotate and not zoom.

A few other minor observations are:

• The Webex Board cannot be installed using a standard mount as the hole spacing is not VESA standard.

• The floor mount is not height adjustable and occupies a fair amount of room real estate. • The Board and mount are shipped in separate boxes, which is great, but those two boxes are

packaged inside another box that contains no handholds. With a 195-pound box, it would be helpful to have a way to move it easily. It must be “unboxed” to the sub-boxes on a dock or installers will need a cart to move it.

• Two passive styluses are included, but there is only one area on the Board to magnetically mount one of them.

• Random Chirping / wake up. Several times per day while in sleep mode, the Board would randomly chime and wake up and we found no method to correct this.

• Besides the inability to import images to the whiteboard, a few other “typical” whiteboarding tools are not available, such as object manipulation, highlighter, or text boxes. And exporting content is limited to the ability to email a .PDF file to others. So overall, the ideation elements of the Webex Board could be more valuable to users if it had a bit more functionality.

• Similarly, there is no ability to resize sticky notes or other canvas content. This may present a “spec sheet” challenge for Cisco if and when the free Microsoft Whiteboard platform achieves greater adoption via its Microsoft Teams integration.



• We would like the ability to enable audio for digital signage in the same location in the Control Hub where we turn on digital signage itself, vs. the web portal or advanced configuration menu. This is a minor note on our part but seems like this change would make sense.

The following charts represent our take on the Cisco Webex Board. Fully black Harvey ball = 4, highest rating. Empty Harvey ball = 0, lowest rating.

Cisco Webex Board 55 Rating


Additional capabilities not tested by WH include some of the Cognitive Collaboration features that leverage Cisco’s AI back end, such as facial recognition and name tags, as well as Companion Mode. The latter supports large rooms where an organization might want to have two Boards for consistent



full screen video at all times combined with a Board for content creation. Cisco touts these features as value-add for its customers.

All-in-all, however, we find the Webex Board to be a compelling all-in-one device.

Evaluation: Cisco Webex Board 55 – Q1 2020 About Us


About Us About the Authors Alan D. Greenberg, Senior Analyst & Partner. Located in Austin, TX, Alan is an expert in collaboration and conferencing applications for meeting rooms and classrooms. He specializes in ideation technologies, video conferencing, web conferencing, and video-centric products and services. He has consulted extensively to end user organizations, vendors, and service providers and has published white papers/research notes and conducted webinars on an array of topics. Alan is a Burke Institute-trained focus group moderator and winner of the 2010 U.S. Distance Learning Association Outstanding Leadership Award. Alan holds an M.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and a B.A. from Hampshire College, Amherst MA. Bryan Hellard is a Researcher at Wainhouse Research where his primary focus is product evaluation and testing. He has 20 years’ experience in the industry across several roles including product engineering and management, R&D, and end user consulting. Prior to Wainhouse Research, he was President of True View Video where he developed video conferencing related products and consulted with end users on best practices for collaboration. Bryan has also been a consultant to video collaboration vendors providing product design services. He lives in the Cincinnati, Ohio area.

About Wainhouse Research Wainhouse Research is an independent analyst firm that focuses on critical issues in the unified communications and collaboration market. The company provides end-to-end coverage of the UC&C industry, with areas of focus covering unified communications, enterprise video, meeting room collaboration, personal & web-based collaboration, and audio conferencing market segments. The company acts as a trusted advisor providing strategic advice and direction for both the UC&C industry and its enterprise users. For further details contact [email protected] or see http://www.wainhouse.com.

About Cisco

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide technology leader that has been making the Internet work since 1984. Our people, products, and partners help society securely connect and seize tomorrow's digital opportunity today.

mailto:[email protected]

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Evaluation: Cisco Webex Board 55 – Q1 2020 Notices


Notices Copyright Notice Copyright ©2020 by Wainhouse Research, LLC. All rights, including that of translation into other languages are specifically reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any method or means, electrical, mechanical, photographic, or otherwise, without the express written permission of Wainhouse Research, 34 Duck Hill Terrace, Duxbury, MA 02332 (Tel 781.312.6015) www.wainhouse.com. This publication is protected by United States copyright laws and international treaties. Unauthorized distribution or reproduction of this publication, or any portion of it, may result in severe civil and criminal penalties, and will be prosecuted to the maximum extent necessary to protect the rights of the publisher.

License Notice Copyright ©2020 by Wainhouse Research, LLC. All rights, including that of translation into other languages are specifically reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any method or means, electrical, mechanical, photographic, or otherwise, without the express written permission of Wainhouse Research, 34 Duck Hill Terrace, Duxbury, MA 02332 (tel +1 781.312.6015).

This document is licensed by Cisco for public distribution. This publication is protected by United States copyright laws and international treaties. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. Wainhouse Research shall have no liability for errors, omissions or inadequacies in the information contained herein or for interpretations thereof. The reader assumes sole responsibility for the selection of these materials to achieve its intended results. The opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice.

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