Guide to Purchasing Videoconferencing Equipment

Purchasing equipment for business videoconferencing can be difficult if you don't know much about the technology. There are different types of equipment available and some may not be well suited to your needs. The following guide will serve as a primer to help you ease into the market and see what is out there.

Know Your Needs

You can't just go out and purchase the cheapest videoconferencing solutions you can find on the market.

You have to think hard about what your needs will be for this equipment. Some things to consider include:

? How often will you be using the equipment?
? What is the average size of the conferences you will typically be holding?
? What is the size of room that you may be hosting your conferences from?
? Do you need any special features or functionalities available for these conferences?

How often you will use your equipment will help you determine whether it is wise to purchase your own or just rent the equipment as needed. Many businesses start out with rentals and as their need for the technology increases they eventually make the investment to own their equipment. By this time they are familiar with the equipment types and know what works best for their needs.

There may be some other things you need to think about, but that information will be asked for by a professional when you are ready to rent or make a purchase.

Don't be Afraid to Shop Online

If you are purchasing your own videoconferencing equipment it may feel natural to shop around for the best prices online, but businesses in the market to rent often don't know to look online. You can rent conferencing solutions through the Internet and have it delivered to your office just as you would when purchasing equipment.

You can learn a lot about videoconferencing equipment, and find better rates when you shop around online before making a purchase or rental. Just make sure that you give time for the delivery if your conference is scheduled soon.

Ask Lots of Questions

You want to rent or purchase this type of equipment from a professional who knows all about this industry. You know that you are working with a pro when you can reach a real person by phone or email and have all of your questions answered. If they don't seem to know what you are talking about or you feel you know more than they do, then perhaps you aren't dealing with someone knowledgeable enough to help you.

If you are working with a company that really knows about their equipment, they should be able to help you make your final decision. They can help you determine what type of equipment is needed and maybe give some pointers on getting it all set up. Without this, it is just the blind leading the blind and you won't get the most out of your equipment.

Learn, Learn, Learn

Finally, learn about all the different types of videoconferencing equipment available today before making a purchase. You may narrow it down to a couple options then rent them both and test drive the equipment before you commit with a purchase. Just make sure that you get the equipment you need for the type of conferences you want to conduct.

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Tips for Purchasing a Wi-Fi Card for Your Computer

A network interface card (NIC) is a device that allows a computer to be connected to a network. When connected to a network, the computer can exchange files and printers with other computers, as well as browse a shared internet connection. If you wish to make use of a wireless network, you will need a device that is typically referred to as a Wi-Fi card. You may have heard about wireless hotspots, and by making use of a Wi-Fi card you will be able to connect to one. A private hotspot is usually a wireless network at a home, whereas a public hotspot is found at places like restaurants. You will be able to connect to both once you have purchased a Wi-Fi card.

By adding Wi-Fi functionality to your computer, you are also giving it the ability to communicate with other portable devices such as PDA's and Tablet PC's. Adding Wi-Fi functionality is simple, and will require you to make use of a Wi-Fi adapter card. If you have a laptop computer, you may first want to check if it has an internal Wi-Fi adapter installed. Many modern notebook computers have pre-integrated wireless hardware, saving you the hassle of purchasing an external device. To check for a wireless adapter you can take a look in the Windows Device Manager or simply contact your dealer or manufacturer. Desktop computers do not usually include any wireless hardware, and it may be necessary to purchase and install an internal wireless adapter or connect an external one.

Internal Wi-Fi adapters typically connect via a PCI slot. This requires you to open up the side panel of your computer system in order to install it, and will not work with laptops. This task should usually be performed by a computer technician, or somebody who has technical knowledge about computers. The method is cumbersome, and thankfully there is a much easier method of adding wireless functionality to any PC. This involves purchasing a USB Wi-Fi adapter. This device can be found online on websites like Amazon and eBay usually at cheaper prices than your local computer store. You will simply need to attach the device to any available USB 2.0 outlet on your computer.

When purchasing a Wi-Fi card, you will also need to consider the wireless standards of the other devices you wish to connect to. The IEEE 802.11 wireless committee developed a set of WLAN standards over the years, known as the 802.11 family. Different standards have varying data rates and encoding methods. The most popular is 802.11g and is likely to be the standard you will be making use of. If you see that the device you wish to purchase makes use of the 802.11g standard, chances are it will work with your other hardware.

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