Controlling your Crestron with an iPad
Crestron Control with iPads
Want to Use an Apple iPad to Control Your Conference Room? Here are a few things to consider when installing a new iPad.
crestron ipadShould the iPad to be secure in the room?
Having an iPad control all of the technology in your conference room is a desired feature. More and more people want this option. Often times, the concern is that employees or visitors may walk away with this new toy that has a lot more functions besides room control. As they probably wouldn’t take a touch panel made specifically for this use (lets say a Crestron or Extron touch panel). If this is a concern, be sure you have a plan to secure the iPad in the room. There are a few ways to do this. Permanently mount the iPad in an enclosure in the wall or tie it to the room with something like Maclocks. Here are few links to products I like: iPad E Enclosures: http://www.ipadenclosures.com/ipad_kiosk_enclosure/ipad_enclosures/ipad_kiosk Maclocks: http://www.maclocks.com/i-pad-lock/ipad-platelock.html Enclosures: http://www.ipadenclosures.com/ipad_kiosk_enclosure/ipad_enclosures/ipad_kiosk Maclocks: http://www.maclocks.com/i-pad-lock/ipad-platelock.html
Should the iPad mount to the wall, sit on the table, or have flexibility for both?
Mounting your iPad on the wall gives a sleek look. It also leaves the conference table clutter free. But what about when you have an audio or video conference and want to control the meeting from your seat? There are wall mounts with keys that allow you to simply lock the iPad in and take it out when needed. Others can be removed with the case and you bring iPad and the enclosure to the table. Both of these options give you the most flexibility but a little less security. Maybe you want the iPad on the table and not on the wall at all. Here you’ll find a nice secure table mount: http://www.tryten.com/ipad-locks/ipad-kiosk.html?gclid=CPOh_YLzqLwCFW1nOgodVUUAIg
How will I charge the iPad?
Mounts like the iPad Enclosure (link shown above) provide certain mounting brackets that have room for an outlet to be hidden behind the iPad. It also leaves enough room in the back to plug in the Apple power cord: iPad Enclosures - Wedge Wall Mount. Another way to charge is a docking station. For example, Crestron has a sleek wall recessed docking station: Crestron iPad In-Wall Docking Station. Be sure to take this into consideration when picking a mount for your iPad.
