K R A ME R E LE CT R O N IC S L TD .
Contents 1 1.1 1.2 Introduction Applications & Features Controls and Connections 1 2 2 2 2.1 2.2 2.3 Setting Up Connecting VIA Connect PRO to a Display Downloading and Running VIA Connect PRO Software Logging In to VIA Connect PRO 4 5 6 7 3 VIA Connect PRO Functions and What They Do 8 4 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.
1 Introduction Welcome to VIA Connect PRO. VIA Connect PRO is Kramer’s unique, powerful wireless presentation and collaboration hub. It converts any display at any location into an interactive meeting point, and it works with a wide range of presentation devices from desktop and notebook computers to tablets and smartphones. Each participant in a VIA Connect PRO session can quickly view, edit, annotate, comment, and share content with other participants.
1.1 Applications & Features Present, share, chat, send and receive files, hold sidebar conversations, annotate, edit, and save copies of all your work, just as you would with a whiteboard or flip chart…except that you can do it all from your notebook computer, tablet, and smartphone. Here are just a few of the things you can do with VIA Connect PRO: Up to four different participant screens can be shown at the same time. VIA Connect PRO automatically sizes each screen to the maximum available resolution.
Figure 1: VIA Connect PRO Collaboration Hub # Feature 1 USB 3.0 Connectors Connect to up to two USB devices 2 SPDIF 3.5mm Mini Jack Connects to earphones or a speaker 3 Lock Opening Connects to a security locking cable 4 Power Connector Connects to the 19V DC power supply 5 HDMI Connector Connects to an HDMI acceptor 6 Mini DisplayPort Connector Connects to a mini DisplayPort acceptor 7 LAN RJ-45 Connector Connects to a wireless router 8 USB 3.
2 Setting Up i Always switch off the power to each device before connecting it to your VIA Connect PRO. After connecting VIA Connect PRO, connect its power and then switch on the power to each device. To connect the VIA Connect PRO as illustrated in the example in Figure 2 you need: A VIA Connect PRO Wireless Collaboration Hub A display (projector, monitor, or screen). NOTE: A touchscreen display is best for annotation A Local Area Network (LAN) cable for connection to your network.
Figure 2: Connecting the VIA Connect PRO Collaboration Hub 2.1 Connecting VIA Connect PRO to a Display VIA Connect PRO is equipped with HDMI and mini DP display output connectors. The HDMI connection can be used with any compatible projection or directview display, such as an LCD monitor.
For full functionality, VIA Connect PRO must be connected to a local area network (LAN). You must assign an IP address to the VIA Connect PRO. NOTE: Do not turn the device on before connecting the LAN port to the network. NOTE: To allow participation in a collaborative session (send and receive content), connect the VIA Connect PRO hub and all participant devices (PCs/ MACs/ smartphones/tablets) to the same network (LAN - wired/wireless).
and install. When you run the app, you see the following screen: 2.3 Logging In to VIA Connect PRO Windows and Mac OS Choose a username (nickname) for your device (it can be any mix of letters and numbers) then enter it on the login screen Next, enter the room code, seen on the lower right part of the screen. This lets you access VIA Connect PRO iOS and Android First, enter the IP address for the VIA Connect PRO.
3 VIA Connect PRO Functions and What They Do VIA Connect PRO presents two types of screens depending whether it is being used by the Admin or by a User. The following screen shots illustrate both types.
Item Icon 1 Features Allows user to see and access all available features of VIA Connect PRO Action 2 Whiteboard Opens a canvas to annotate, draw, and update document collaboratively over a live stream 3 Participants Provides a list of all participants in the session 4 Cloud Drag and drop files to the cloud to share instantly with everyone in the session 5 Shutdown Shuts down VIA Connect PRO system 6 Reboot Reboots VIA Connect PRO System 7 Settings Performs settings on the LAN, config
10 Item Icon 1 Features Allows user to see and access all available features of VIA Connect PRO Action 2 Step-In/ Step-Out Allows the user to show his device's screen on main display, or to step out 3 Participants Provides a list of all participants in the session 4 Multimedia Supports video formats: avi, vob, mp4, mov, mpx (ex. mpg).
4 Using VIA Connect PRO VIA Connect PRO is a powerful and versatile collaboration hub that gives participants a wide selection of presentation tools. In this section, we’ll look at each of those tools and discuss briefly how it works. 4.1 VIA Connect PRO Main Menu This section refers to the user's experience. The VIA Connect PRO User main menu has three tabs across the top – Features, Step-In/Out, and Participants.
Under Participants, the following icons are used: Item Icon Display Status Meaning Start a presentation at a display The user is currently presenting Chat Status Start a chat session with any available participants The participant is currently chatting with you.
Figure 6: Enable Control 4.3 Chatting with Participants The admin or user can start a chat session to exchange text messages between users. To initiate a chat session: Go to the participant list and click the chat icon for the desired participant.
Figure 7: Chat Window In the chat window, the participant’s name is at the left side of the window and your chat messages are on the right side. The user can check for active chat sessions by going to Features > Chat 4.4 Sharing Files VIA Connect PRO can transfer files between PC/Mac logged in users. To share a file: Go to the participant list and click on the file share icon for the desired participant with whom you wish to share a file.
Figure 8: Admin File Sharing The target participant needs to select a location to save the file and start the file transfer process. Once completed, the file is saved on that participant’s system. Figure 9: User File Sharing When completed, the file is saved at receiver’s system. You can check or cancel currently sharing file from Features > File Transfer.
4.5 Accessing Cloud Data The cloud is used by the admin to access all data that has been shared by participants using VIA Connect PRO hub. To access cloud data: Click on Features in the Admin main menu and then click on the cloud icon to go to the Cloud directory where all the users’ shared files were saved.
4.6 Whiteboard Collaboration The whiteboard function, used by the admin, creates a canvas on the VIA Connect PRO hub. With whiteboard, the admin can: Access a wide range of drawing and annotating tools Insert any kind of images To open Whiteboard by the admin: Go to the main menu and click on the Whiteboard icon. This starts a whiteboard session on VIA Connect PRO. Users can collaborate on a shared document using their own device.
4.6.
4.6.2 Show Desktop Show Desktop allows you to hide the whiteboard and to navigate freely on your desktop. A toolbar is available for making annotations on your desktop and capturing an object. For example, capture an area of the screen and add it as an object in your current page.
4.7 VIA Connect PRO Settings Menu The Settings menu is where you configure your VIA Connect PRO unit.
4.7.1 LAN Settings Use LAN settings to change the IP address, DNS and default gateway of VIA Connect PRO. i When changing these settings, make sure they are correct. Incorrect values can cause a loss of communication.
4.7.2 Room Name/Code Settings To activate/deactivate Room Code, Date & Time: Figure 14: Room/Name Code Screen Show Room Name on Wallpaper: This feature displays the Room Name (a standard IP address) on the VIA Connect PRO home screen. By default, it displays the current IP address, but you can change it to a Domain Name System (DNS) name if local DNS services are supported by the network. To change the Room Name, enter the new address or DNS name, then click on Apply and reboot VIA Connect PRO.
i 4.7.3 The color of the text of the room name, the room code, the date and time to show on the background of the VIA Connect PRO wallpaper can also be changed in this Settings menu.
Figure 15: Authentication Screen There are 2 default users available to login into VIA Connect PRO client in Presentation mode. Moderator: Default user name: su Default password: supass Participant: Default user name: user Default password: userpass You can create more users as needed.
At the top, login with default moderator username (supass). The moderator can create a database of participants by assigning a Username, Password and Role (Moderator or Participant) to each one of them, as shown in Figure 16 below Figure 16: Moderator Mode Now any user who was created by the moderator can get permission to join the session.
Figure 17: Login Screen When Moderator Mode is Active To start a presentation: Click on “Step-In” and VIA Connect PRO sends a request to the moderator for display permission The moderator clicks on “Allow full screen” to start the participant’s presentation on the collaboration display The presentation is now visible on the VIA Connect PRO main display Note: The moderator can "Step-In" at any time without permission. 4.7.
Click on Reboot The background image on VIA Connect PRO changes after rebooting Figure 18: Wallpaper Screen 4.7.6 System Control Settings System controls access the audio settings, display settings, system health and log files of the VIA Connect PRO unit. The log folder is only available if system logging is activated from the configurations tab of settings. The VIA Connect PRO unit is pre-activated by Kramer.
Figure 19: Web Browsing Management - Network Settings Figure 20: Web Browsing Management - Wallpaper Settings Figure 21: Web Browsing Management - Configuration Settings 28 VIA Connect PRO - Using VIA Connect PRO
Figure 22: Web Browsing Management - Authentication Settings 4.8 User Experience VIA Connect PRO enables a high level of collaboration in meetings. Participants can share files, chat, edit a common document, or stream full HD (1080p/60) video content. Following is a summary of VIA Connect PRO functions: Note: Different devices enable different features depending on the device capabilities. See the following illustrations.
Figure 23: Samsung Galaxy 30 VIA Connect PRO - Using VIA Connect PRO
Figure 24: iPad VIA Connect PRO - Using VIA Connect PRO 31
Figure 25: iPhone 32 VIA Connect PRO - Using VIA Connect PRO
Figure 26: PC VIA Connect PRO - Using VIA Connect PRO 33
5 Technical Specifications INPUTS: 4 USB 3.0, 1 LAN on an RJ−45 connector GRAPHIC OUTPUTS: 1 HDMI, 1 mini DisplayPort AUDIO OUTPUT: 1 stereo headphones on a 3.5mm mini jack PROCESSOR: 4th generation Intel® Dual core 1.4GHz MAIN MEMORY: 4GB, high speed STORAGE: 32GB, solid−state drive LAN: Gigabit LAN AUDIO: Analog or embedded HDMI, S/PDIF Realtek ALC269 POWER SUPPLY: 65W power adapter (19V, 3.
For the latest information on our products and a list of Kramer distributors, visit our Web site where updates to this user manual may be found. We welcome your questions, comments, and feedback. Web site: www.kramerelectronics.com E-mail: info@kramerel.
