Jabra Reach is a new BYOD extension solution via a single cable, designed to help businesses deploy and scale video meeting room installations more efficiently and consistently, regardless of size. This news comes with the announcement of new firmware capabilities for the Jabra PanaCast portfolio, aimed at increasing customization, control, and management capabilities of video bars.
BYOD Model: Scale Without Adding Complexity
As organizations extend video collaboration in Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) mode to more spaces to support hybrid work, delivering the same user experience from room to room is becoming increasingly complex.
The variety of cables, adapters and configurations can lead to inconsistent installations, raise the risk of connectivity issues, and add management load for IT and AV teams. Into this context comes Jabra Reach, a solution that addresses these challenges by replacing fragmented configurations based on multiple cables with a single connection for video, audio, USB, and, optionally, power. Now, users only need to plug their laptop in via USB-C to access the room’s display, camera, microphones, and speakers.
Based on HDBaseT technology, Jabra Reach extends this connection up to 100 meters, enabling consistent experiences in rooms of different sizes. This allows installation teams to deploy more quickly and neatly, with fewer potential failure points, and simplifies large-scale replication of installations.
“Walking into a room and plugging in your own laptop should be the simplest thing in the world, but more often than not it isn’t. You have the wrong cable, the wrong connector, a signal loss, or a desk full of adapters,” says Holger Reisinger, Senior Vice President of Jabra’s Video Business Unit. “Jabra Reach solves this problem at the infrastructure level. Users have a single cable to connect, compatible with any video bar or room system, without altering how the existing configuration works. That way, the connection is reliable and easy to replicate in all rooms.”
Flexible mounting options enable discreet and neat installations, both on the desk and behind the display. In addition, hidden ports and fixed cables create a setup protected against tampering. The optional USB-C power delivery, up to 100 W, also allows keeping the laptop charged through the same connection.
Jabra Reach can be managed through Jabra Plus Management, providing centralized visibility and control so IT teams can configure, monitor, and support meeting rooms from a single platform. Designed to work with all Jabra room video solutions, Jabra Reach helps organizations maximize the value of their existing conference room investments.
New Capabilities for the Jabra PanaCast Portfolio
Alongside Jabra Reach, the company is expanding the Jabra PanaCast portfolio through firmware updates. These bring new functionalities to Jabra’s current video solutions, offering greater visibility, customization options, and large-scale device management.
The firmware updates include four enhancements:
- People Count: provides organizations with greater visibility into room occupancy and usage.
- Custom Wallpaper: allows branding and company information to be displayed on meeting room screens.
- Web UI over USB: enables device configuration and management from the browser via USB.
- CLI functionality: enables IT teams and AV integrators to deploy and manage devices more efficiently and at scale.
The firmware updates will be available for the entire Jabra PanaCast portfolio before year-end.
Key features of Jabra Reach:
- BYOD extension via a single cable: a USB-C connection provides access to video, audio, and room peripherals, without the need for multiple cables and adapters.
- Designed for scalable deployments: enables flexible installations in rooms of varying sizes and meeting environments.
- Plug-and-play experience with no drivers: users can start using the video bar simply by connecting their laptop, without installing additional drivers.
- Designed for professional AV environments: HDBaseT technology delivers reliable performance and consistent experiences across different rooms and locations.
- Centralized management: Jabra Plus provides visibility, monitoring, and control of devices in Jabra’s compatible video deployments.
- Optional laptop charging: supports USB-C power delivery up to 100 W.
- Clean installation: flexible mounting options, hidden ports, and fixed cables help create professional, clutter-free configurations.
Key firmware enhancements for the Jabra PanaCast portfolio:
- People Count: insight into room usage.
- Custom Wallpaper: branded wallpapers for meeting rooms
- Web UI over USB: device configuration and management from the browser.
- CLI functionality: deployment, integration, and management of devices at scale.
