Conference Technology
Boardroom Technology Guide
Boardrooms are judged the moment a client walks in and the first call drops or the screen will not mirror a laptop. This guide walks through the display, audio, camera and control choices that keep a Kenyan boardroom reliable for daily hybrid meetings, not just the demo.
Start with the room, not the equipment list
Every boardroom specification should begin with three measurements: room length, farthest seated viewer from the screen, and ambient light at midday. These numbers decide display size, audio coverage and camera field of view far more reliably than a vendor brochure. A 4.5m by 3.5m room seating eight people has very different needs from a 9m executive boardroom seating twenty.
In Kenya, glass-walled boardrooms are common in Nairobi high-rises and bring strong afternoon glare, which pushes the display brightness requirement up and often rules out projection in favour of a direct-view panel or LED wall.
Choosing the display
Panel size versus viewing distance
A widely used rule for detailed content such as spreadsheets is that the farthest viewer should sit no more than 1.5 times the diagonal screen size from the screen for comfortable reading. For general presentations, 4-6 times the diagonal is acceptable. This is why a 65-inch panel is comfortable for an 8-seat room but undersized for a 20-seat boardroom, where a 98-inch panel or a fine pixel pitch LED wall performs better.
Panel versus LED wall versus projector
Commercial-grade LCD panels remain the most cost-effective choice up to roughly 98 inches. Beyond that, an LED video wall at 1.5mm-1.9mm pixel pitch delivers a seamless, bright image without the bulb replacement costs of projection, though at higher upfront cost. Laser projectors still make sense for very large boardrooms with controlled lighting and budget constraints.
| Room capacity | Recommended display | Indicative KES budget |
|---|---|---|
| 6-8 people | 65-75" commercial panel | 180,000 - 420,000 |
| 10-14 people | 86-98" commercial panel | 600,000 - 1,600,000 |
| 15-25 people | 1.9mm LED wall (approx. 3m x 1.7m) | 2,800,000 - 5,500,000 |
| Executive theatre (25+) | 1.5mm-1.8mm LED wall or dual laser projection | 6,000,000+ |
Audio: the part most boardrooms get wrong
Poor audio is the number one complaint on video calls, yet it is the easiest to fix. A single laptop microphone or a soundbar mounted below the screen struggles once attendees sit more than 2m away or when air conditioning noise is present. Ceiling array microphones or boundary microphones placed at table centre give even pickup and let remote participants hear everyone clearly.
Speakers and echo cancellation
Match the microphone system to a soundbar or in-ceiling speaker pair with built-in acoustic echo cancellation. Without echo cancellation, remote participants hear their own voice looped back, and meetings quickly become unusable.
Common oversight
Boardrooms with hard floors, glass walls and no acoustic treatment produce noticeable echo even with excellent microphones. A rug, upholstered chairs and a fabric-wrapped acoustic panel behind the screen resolve most of this at modest cost.
Cameras and framing
A fixed wide-angle camera works for small rooms, but boardrooms over eight seats benefit from a PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) camera or an auto-framing camera bar that keeps active speakers centred. For rooms used for board presentations, a second camera on the presenter or whiteboard adds professionalism without much extra cost.
Control systems and one-touch meetings
The best boardroom hardware is worthless if staff cannot start a meeting without calling IT. A touch-panel controller that powers on the display, selects the video conferencing platform and mutes microphones with a single tap removes this friction. Budget an additional 60,000-250,000 KES for a control processor and touch panel depending on room complexity.
Cabling, power and connectivity
Plan HDMI or USB-C table connections with cable cubbies rather than trailing cables, and always run a dedicated, clean power circuit for AV equipment. Kenyan power fluctuations make a good UPS (uninterruptible power supply) essential for any boardroom running video conferencing hardware, protecting against both outages and voltage spikes.
Network requirements
Video conferencing needs a stable, low-latency connection. Wired Ethernet is strongly preferred over Wi-Fi for the room's video codec or conferencing PC, with a minimum of 5 Mbps symmetrical bandwidth per simultaneous HD call, doubled for 4K rooms.
Planning your installation
- Measure the room and note glare sources and seating capacity.
- Select display technology based on size and lighting conditions.
- Specify microphone coverage for the full table, not just the near end.
- Choose a camera that matches room size and use case.
- Add a control panel for one-touch meeting start.
- Confirm wired network capacity and install a UPS.
- Commission the room with a real test call before handover.
Ongoing maintenance
Boardroom systems benefit from a quarterly check of firmware updates, microphone battery replacement (for wireless units) and cable inspection. Tiffy G Supplies offers post-installation support visits to keep boardroom technology performing as intended.
Frequently asked questions
What size display do I need for a 12-seat boardroom?+
An 86-inch to 98-inch commercial panel is typically appropriate for a 12-seat boardroom, assuming the farthest viewer sits within about 4.5 metres of the screen. Beyond that distance, consider an LED wall for sharper legibility.
Do I need ceiling microphones or will a soundbar do?+
A soundbar's built-in microphone works for rooms up to about six seats with everyone close to the screen. Larger tables need ceiling array or boundary microphones to capture voices evenly across the room.
How much does a full boardroom AV upgrade cost in Kenya?+
A mid-sized boardroom (10-14 seats) with a commercial display, ceiling audio, a PTZ camera and a control panel typically ranges from 900,000 to 2,200,000 KES depending on brand tier and installation complexity.
Is a UPS really necessary for a boardroom system?+
Yes. Voltage fluctuations and outages are common enough in Kenya that a UPS protects sensitive display and conferencing hardware from damage and prevents meetings from dropping mid-call.
Can existing boardrooms be retrofitted without major construction?+
Most boardrooms can be upgraded with surface-mounted cable trunking, ceiling microphone drops and a wall-mounted display bracket, avoiding major construction in the majority of retrofit projects.
How long does a boardroom AV installation take?+
A standard boardroom installation takes two to four working days from mounting to commissioning, with more complex control system programming adding one to two additional days.