INOGENI’s TOGGLE USB 3.0 Switcher wins at the 2021 AV Awards

INOGENI is thrilled to announced that our TOGGLE USB 3.0 Switcher has won in the “Processing and Distribution Technology of the Year” category at the 2021 AV Awards, which were held on November 5, in London, England.

Why is this 2021 AV Award distinction so important?

This distinction is a testament to the growing need for more seamless interoperability between user devices and on-site equipment in hybrid and activity-based workspaces as well as HyFlex learning environments.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and Bring Your Own Meeting (BYOM) have become the new norm in a post-lockdown world. While workers and educators have developed new skills for videoconferencing, presenting and collaborating with their own devices, a simpler solution had to be developed to effectively connect all devices and peripherals in conference rooms.

What problem does INOGENI’s TOGGLE USB 3.0 Switcher solves?

INOGENI’s TOGGLE USB 3.0 Switcher solves an extremely frequent problem by meeting participants in conference rooms by enabling them to access high-quality equipment in place (cameras, microphones, speakers, etc.) in mere seconds.

Too often, screens that freeze or pixelate, or equipment that takes too long to install can create a major disappointment and undermine both the meeting rhythm and creativity. Quick connections and a high-quality AV experience enhance understanding, engagement and interaction. The TOGGLE USB 3.0 Switcher thereby eliminates the frustration and time wasted trying to get all the technology to work together—and elevates the attendee experience for better post-meeting outcomes.

How does the TOGGLE USB 3.0 Switcher work?

Generally speaking, an organization will establish the IT and audiovisual infrastructure for all conference rooms across the organization. For example, a business may have a Zoom-PC configuration with USB camera, USB microphone and monitors connected to a room PC and Zoom. But what happens when a guest shows up and wants to use their laptop (Mac or PC) and connect with soft codec like Teams? The guest won’t be able to use the conference room camera and microphone, which will limit the quality of the video and audio experience.

This is where INOGENI's TOGGLE comes in. The USB host switch can support multiple UC (unified communication) platforms in the same room. By using the auto switch feature , the host switch button or or remote control, users can use the Room PC or their laptop with the room equipment to ensure a optimal collaboration without any technology glitches.

What are the TOGGLE USB 3.0 Switcher’s features?

The TOGGLE’s technology is based on the USB 3.0 format (identical to USB 3.1 Gen 1) SuperSpeed at 5 Gbps and backward compatible with USB 2.0 without drivers. USB 3.0 is currently widely supported by laptops, workstations, iPads and many other devices requiring fast data throughput.

The TOGGLE is a low power-consumption technology that provides high-quality transmission of uncompressed video data. With USB 3 protocol data finally flowing simultaneously in both directions, this leading-edge technology equipped with our INOGENI processor card allows for SuperSpeed transmission up to 60 fps of full HD to 4K as well as camera control.

The switcher is fully compatible with all cameras, including professional-caliber equipment, such as Vaddio, Huddly, HuddleCAMHD, Aver, Jabra, Logitech, , Marshall and cameras, and web cameras.

The TOGGLE provides a best-in-class quality video collaboration experience with three USB 3.0 Type A device ports to accommodate the most common device format for USB 3.0 or 2.0. The USB 3.0 host port is Type B, which is more robust and durable for the thousands of inbound and outbound connections made over the years by many users in the conference room.

What do other AV experts have to say about INOGENI’s TOGGLE USB 3.0 Switcher?

INOGENI’s TOGGLE USB 3.0 Switcher initially hit the market in April 2021; however, it has already garnered rave reviews from AV specialists from around the globe. Here are a few of them.

The genius of TOGGLE is that it solves the very specific but universal problem of connecting with a guest who arrives with their own portable device. Other solutions on the market are expensive and include numerous codec functionalities not needed for this task.

INOGENI’s TOGGLE is a cost-effective solution that’s reliable, robust and simple to install and connect. It makes switching hosts easy; it is simple to use for guests who aren’t necessarily computer savvy. In the days of collaborative meetings, organizations need to be agile. INOGENI TOGGLE can bring you into the new BYOM paradigm.

Often the simplest solutions are the best, and we have found that this is a great tool for corporate and education AV installations, as it not only supports two PC hosts, but remote switching too.

Because it supports GPI triggering and RS-232 control, any meeting room using a Crestron/AMX Room Control System can be configured so that the Toggle can be switched remotely. This is extremely useful for systems integrators that have the in-house programming skills to do this, as it helps us to provide an elegant solution to the problem of incorporating Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) into corporate and education AV infrastructure.

Easy and versatile to configure, this is a great product to incorporate into multi-function meeting rooms. INOGENI has have also done a great job of getting its solution tested with leading products from Barco or Poly, so it can supply more features for their products.

The big trend these days is Bring Your Own Meeting, where it’s normal to see several MAC computers or PCs that need to be connected in a collaborative room, conference room or auditorium. Users has to be able to access the room equipment smoothly and seamlessly, using their favourite communication platform (BlueJeans, Teams, Cisco, Zoom, etc.).

The INOGENI TOGGLE makes the transfer happen instantaneously. You absolutely need the TOGGLE in every conference room and auditorium. Experts in AV device design for two decades, the INOGENI team has built this innovation with robust and reliable engineering. I highly recommend it!

The INOGENI TOGGLE does a simple thing and does it extremely efficiently. The low threshold accessibility, coupled with its compatibility with audio and video devices, is what is most exciting about the TOGGLE. This makes it a useful tool in numerous use cases.