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Last Updated on October 24, 2022 by GrahamWalsh
Welcome to the summary of episode 31 of MTDAMA for October. A bumper month of news due to the Cisco announcement on bring Microsoft Teams devices based on Android. I’ve also added in news of DTENs announcement too.
Slides from Episode 31
Q&A from Episode 31
Q. Does that mean Cisco will make certified MTR equipment?
A. Yes, all based on MTRoA devices. Users will have an option to boot to Cisco OS or MTRoA
Q. Any idea what “mode/OS” Android or Windows?
A. All Cisco hardware will be Android flavour. MTRoA, Teams Displays and Teams Panels.
Q. Do you know which nVidia chip it is? Is there a way to check if the device has that chip?
A. No idea which chipset it is. Basically, the devices that were released in the last 18 months and listed on the blog. A small/medium room Bar, a large room system/codec, 27″ AIO Teams Display and the Cisco Navigator for Teams Panel.
Q. Will Cisco charge anything for this feature?
A. It’s Cisco, what do you think 😂
Q. I assume these will be managed by Cisco management software and TAC? Trying to identify the benefits of buying Cisco.
A. TAC will be managed via the Pro license. Cisco will license Cisco Control Hub management. If you don’t have then, then use TAC.
Q. Is it just these devices that are certified or the entire room kit line?
A. Just the devices listed that will be certified. Nothing older.
Q. Is all MTRoA certified devices running android 8 version. Or could it be different Android versions from different vendors?
A. Each OEM is responsible for the Android version. No idea what version Cisco will run
Q. Intelliframe from non-intelligent cameras with AI in the cloud will be fantastic. Do we know how many individually framed people it will support?
A. No idea on this yet. More to come next year I guess when it is launched.
Q. Any other manufactures other than Creston that make panels and their own OS? Would like to deploy panels to rooms without MTR but don’t want to pay a license just for a panel?
A. Yealink RoomPanel supports third party platforms via open API, SDK or APK side load option
Q. What happened to the certification of native Bluetooth headsets, is it still Surface headphones only?
A. Surface Headphones 2+ were announced. I thought more devices were supported as Bluetooth only devices.
Q. Does this mean you no longer need a USB Dongle?
A. Correct, just connect over Bluetooth.
Q. Off topic but quest regarding Android device, my understanding is that Google controls what version of Android OS can be upgraded. E.g., if a device is 5 years old and the chipset is too old Google won’t allow that device to be upgraded. On that same note, MS will control what version of Android will work with Teams, for example if a device is running Android 5 it won’t meet the certification for MTR. The question is, are their concerns with Android MTR lifecycle. E.g., if Google is releasing new O/S every year will the lifecycle of Android device only be 3-5 years/once MS stops support older MTR devices that are running an older version of Android?
A. It is not just Google, it is also the chipset OEM that is able to run the Google Android OS. Microsoft, OEM and Chipset OEM must be in alignment on what to run on the hardware and what the Teams client supports. Organisations must not treat MTRs like mobile phones in terms of release cycles. There is a new security whitepaper for Android available here now.
Q. Is Neat Pad now certified with the Neat Board?
A. No, not yet work in progress
Q. Is SIP Gateway available in GCC tenants yet?
A. No, not yet.
Q. Iis Cisco releasing a Teams Certified phone.
A. No announcements yet
Q. Any idea when Android based devices will support TLS 1.2 or 1.3 like MTRoA and Teams Panels? Windows already supports TLS 1.2
A. Microsoft Teams Rooms on Android devices use encrypted communications and endpoint authentication on the internet. Teams Android devices use TLS 1.2+. As per the new guide here
Q. Is the Cisco Webex and MTRoA doing App Switching?
A. Apparently not. Cisco has found a way to make them work. If you do not have a service agreement with Cisco for control hub etc, then you will use the regular Direct Guest Join, browser based.
Q. Is there a known issue with HDMI sound ingest into the MTR that people are experiencing?
A. Not heard of any reports. Best to escalate via your OEM.
Also published on Medium.