Build your own video conferencing solution easy and affordablyLooking to setup a dedicated audio and video conferencing solution to simplify your online meetings? Scanning for a state-of-the-art teleconferencing solution available in the market today, you quickly realize that they:

  • Are difficult/tricky to setup and use,
  • Require specialized and costly hardware / software,
  • Face interruptions and delays due to technical issues (hardware & software connectivity, network, video & audio bandwidth & connectivity), resulting in bad communication between participants.

Or go the 3CX way and skip these costly and cumbersome products! Let's see how to base a video conferencing solution on your trusted PBX, with limited requirements and resources.

Step 1 - Choose Components

First, we need to select a device to setup and connect to the 3CX Web Client. This can be a budget PC or laptop (~$300) or even a chromebook / chromebox (~$250). If you are more advanced and feel more experimental, you can setup a Mini PC (~$100) or even a Raspberry Pi (~$45). When choosing a device for this purpose, look for:

  • a built-in HDMI port if you need output to a big screen, e.g. a 32in TV is ~$130.
  • good network performance, key for this use, so check the device specs. A dedicated gigabit or fast ethernet is recommended, as wireless connectivity may prove to be erratic for stable teleconferencing use.
  • available audio in & out ports, USB ports and cabling to connect an external microphone and speakers, if these are not available on the device or TV screen.
  • a keyboard and mouse (~$20), preferably wireless for maximum flexibility.

Depending on your actual component choices, the approximate cost table for our 3CX-based teleconferencing solution looks like this:

Component ~Cost ($)
Chromebox Device for Web Client 250
32” TV w/ speakers 130
Wireless keyboard and mouse 20
External USB webcam 70
Conference USB microphone 30
~Total ($): 500

Step 2 - Setup Video & Audio

The old saying is true: “Garbage in, garbage out”. If you want a high quality virtual conference experience, you need to consider your choice of video and audio input devices:

  • A good quality external USB webcam (~$70) is recommended. While not that expensive, it enables more flexibility and control on your broadcasted video feed, in contrast to a device's built-in video camera, e.g. a laptop webcam.
  • If you plan for multi-person conferences, a good quality conference microphone (~$30) is a must for providing good quality voice audio.

After completing the audio and video setup on your video conferencing device, it’s time to install the latest Chrome or Firefox browser and properly test your audio and video feed on the 3CX Web Client. That’s simple enough, as you just need to login to your Web Client, open WebMeeting, approve any required microphone and camera permissions and create a quick meeting to test.

Step 3 - Start Your Conference

Now that we have our 3CX-based video conference setup in place using generic cost-effective hardware, we can start using it. 3CX enables you to setup a dedicated 3CX extension for your online meeting room or have the organizer login to the Web Client with their credentials on the video conference device. Now you can create a new conference on your new video conference setup and invite people to join. Point first-time users to this simple guide to quickly learn the basics and join your meeting.

In Conclusion

Μeetings are an integrated part of a business person’s everyday life. Recent US stats indicate that on average 37% of employee time is spent in meetings, with busy professionals attending over 60 meetings per month. And the demand for virtual meetings is increasing for a good reason: a five-person meeting conducted in-person involving travel, is much more expensive than a meeting conducted by audio or video conference.
3CX with built-in WebMeeting, is the ideal teleconferencing solution for video and audio meetings:

  • Simple to setup and use.
  • No dedicated and costly hardware / software required - runs on generic low-cost hardware and platform-agnostic browsers.
  • Can handle network bandwidth degradation on both ends, enabling you to optimize it for advanced usage and provide dial-in ability for people on the move.

Add to these, a cost of ~$500 or less for a decent video conference setup and you know you’re on the right track.