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What is a Meeting Owl?
The Meeting Owl is essentially a portable speaker/microphone/webcam that can be connected to your PC/laptop.
Meeting Owl first setup
Within the Meeting Owl box, we are presented with the device itself along with a power brick/cable and a USB cable to be used with your PC/laptop.
It’s as simple as plugging it into a power source and connecting the USB. Its simplistic nature makes it plug&play and requires little configuration on the user’s end.
Once it’s plugged in, it will ask you to download an application named “Meeting Owl” via on the Apple App store or Google Play store. If it’s not already configured, it will ask you to input an email address and connect to a Wi-Fi network of your choosing to install updates.
The app itself is mainly used to connect to the Owl itself to perform updates and control the webcam to some extent.
Using the Owl for Zoom/Teams
When joining a meeting, it should default to the Owl as the primary source. It usually takes a few seconds for the Owl to initialize its webcam.
The Owl’s webcam has a 360° panoramic feature that can be disabled within the app if the user doesn’t want that feature. (Note this can only be disabled during a meeting)
The Owl also has two mute buttons on the bottom for easy use. The sound has to be configured on the PC/laptop side, the same way where we would lower or raise the volume.
The webcam is designed to lock on to the user’s face. For example, if the user is moving from left to right or vice versa, the Owl will follow the movement. (Note erratic movement might throw off the tracking). This can also be disabled within the app
Getting Started
Faculty and Staff may submit a request to borrow this device for up to one week at a time.