Questions You Should Know about all in one touch screen for edu

Mar. 10, 2025

All you need to know about interactive whiteboards - Collaboard

This article answers all questions you need to know when you plan to get an interactive whiteboard. We provide you with an overview of use cases and scenarios on how to use an interactive whiteboard at the office or in the classroom.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit IRTOUCH.

What is an interactive whiteboard?

An interactive whiteboard is a monitor where you can interact with the content displayed on this monitor. Interaction is possible with touch gestures (fingers and hands) and with physical pens to annotate content.

There are various synonyms for interactive whiteboards like; touch display, interactive flat panel, digital whiteboard, interactive display, etc.

Why should you start using an interactive whiteboard?

An interactive whiteboard serves you various purposes. It allows you to use it for digital whiteboarding or as a blackboard replacement in the classroom. You can use it to present content, and it is a good replacement for beamers, dependent on the room size. In hybrid scenarios, the interactive display shows the virtual attendees of the meeting life-sized and supports the audio and videoconference.

In workshop scenarios, you can create digital sticky notes directly on one or multiple interactive displays and completely digitize all content you create during your session.

There is a multitude of use cases you can implement with an interactive whiteboard, and for almost any organization and industry, they help digitize work and implement a modern workplace strategy. Some use cases for interactive whiteboards are:

Creative activities like brainstorming and generating ideas
Hybrid Desing Thinking workshops
Interactive presentations
Stand-Up-meetings / Retro meetings (Agile working)
Hybrid meetings
Audio- and videoconferencing paired with whiteboard collaboration
Training

What are the main differences between the interactive whiteboards available on the market?

When you think about purchasing an interactive whiteboard, you want to make sure you get the best device for the best price for your organization.

As there are so many different brands and options available it is important to define which criteria are relevant to you. We summarized the main aspects in which the interactive flat panels differ:

Display quality and technology

At its core, the device is a monitor. When talking about monitors, there are several criteria for how they differ, and you need to consider what&#;s important to you. For example, if you have a room with many windows where the sun shines in, you need a screen with high brightness. If you want to move the display between rooms, it should not be too heavy. Here is a list of hardware-specific factors that differentiate the touch displays on the market:

Screen Size (Standard Screen sizes are 55&#;&#;, 65&#;&#;, 75&#;&#;, 85&#;&#;)
Dimensions
Brightness (cd/m2)
Available ports to connect devices
Weight

Touch technology

The quality of the user experience when interacting with the display depends on the touch technology. The different technologies available differ mainly in how they recognize the touch gesture and how fast and precise this input can be processed.

An indicator for the quality of the touch is often the number of touch points a display recognizes simultaneously. Some technologies recognize your palm, which is a great advantage when you write with a pen on that display, as when you touch the display with your palm, you don&#;t interact with the content while writing. Sometimes, you can use your flat hand to erase content that's pretty cool.

Touch technology has evolved a lot in the last few years, and good quality touch is already available for a low price. A fun fact is that the first touch screen was invented in the 60s, and nowadays, we all interact with our smartphones with touch gestures.

There are four main different types of touchscreen technology available:

Resistive Touch
Infrared Touch
Optical Imagining Touch
Projected Capacitive Touch

On this website from ViewSonic you find a great comparison of the different touch technologies: 4 Touch Panel Types - Explained - ViewSonic Library

Pen technology

Almost all interactive displays for conference rooms and classrooms support input with one or more pens. Being able to write with a pen on the content displayed on the monitor is what turns them into interactive whiteboards.

There is a big variety of pens available, and they are often proprietary and work only with a specific display. The more features a pen supports; the more code is necessary to make it work. Therefore, some pens need special drivers.

Some interactive screens can&#;t make a difference between the input of a finger and of a pen, while others recognize pens with different colors and process the pressure and speed of the pen input.

There is a difference between an active and a passive pen. The passive pen (stylus) is not connected to the device itself and does not need power. An active pen (active stylus) contains internal electronics and has more features than a passive pen, like input buttons, memory, electronic erasers, etc. An active pen always needs a battery and power to work.

What pen do you need for your interactive display? Which pen is the best?

These questions are difficult to answer as there are good active and passive pen technologies available on the market. Here are some thoughts that will help you decide which technology will be the best for you:

Do you want a pen with a sophisticated experience and additional buttons to be faster when working with your interactive whiteboard?
Do you want a pen that you need to charge or replace the battery from time to time?
Is it ok for you to pair the pen from time to time with your device and update drivers if needed?
Do you want a pen that provides a natural writing experience and recognizes the pressure you put on?

If you answer all these questions with a &#;Yes&#; you should go for a solution with an active pen.

Please see here two good articles with more information about active and passive pens:

What is a Stylus? Types of Stylus & Stylus Pens Explained - National Pen

Active pen - Wikipedia

Embedded PC

When you purchase an interactive whiteboard, you need to be aware of the use cases you want to cover with it. Dependent on the use cases, you can decide if and what embedded PC is needed.

There is one main difference between embedded computers; the installed operating system. There are Windows and Android devices available.

Many display manufacturers customize a version of Android for their devices. Some even created their own app shops. The embedded Android computers are usually not very powerful and not thought of for high-end applications. We have tested devices where the built-in Android PC could not provide a 4K image on the screen, although the screens support this resolution.

In most cases, the Android PC is implemented in the device anyway, and you can&#;t remove it easily. The question you must answer is if you need an additional, more powerful embedded windows PC for your device or if your people just connect their personal devices with the interactive display.

Most interactive flat panel displays have a slot for a so-called OPS computing module (OPS = Open Pluggable Specification). With an OPS, you can embed a Windows PC to your interactive whiteboard and decide for yourself what CPU, RAM, etc. the PC needs for your use cases.

This video shows you what the OPS modules usually look like and how to connect it to your device: OPS On Board Computer Overview - YouTube

Connection options

In many scenarios, the touch screen replaces the beamer. People need an option to connect their devices to the touch screen to show content they want to work with on their devices. Some connection options allow to use of the touch screen not just to display content but also to interact with the connected device (touch-back, ink-back).

If the touch screen has embedded video conference hardware like a camera, speakers, and microphones, some connection options make it possible to use them when starting or joining a video conference on your personal device.

In general, there are two ways how to connect your device with the big monitor; cable or wireless.

The wireless connection often uses the Miracast protocol. Some interactive whiteboard has Miracast embedded in the OS, while on others, additional apps need to be installed. On this website, you can find some Miracast alternatives: Best Miracast Alternative for Wireless Screen Mirroring? (benq.com)

For cable, the standard has been to use two cables, one for the video signal (HDMI) and one for the touch and other signals (USB-B). Since the rise of USB-C, several devices offer to connect just by a USB-C cable that allows transmitting audio, video, and touch and charges the laptop while connected to the large touchscreen.

With USB-C, some interactive whiteboards offer a one-cable-for-all solution that is very handy and simple to use.

You should always count the number of ports available to connect your devices to the interactive display and think what the ways will be how people work on content on the display.

Other embedded hardware (All-in-one systems)

Some interactive displays come along as all-in-one audio- and videoconferencing systems, while others are just monitors, and the user can decide himself what other hardware he might want to connect.

The big advantage of the all-in-one systems is that everything will work together properly, and you don&#;t need to take care of the individual parts, like updating or re-connecting them in case they stop working.

Here is a short list of two all-in-one devices we tested ourselves and that provide excellent audio and video conference features combined with the interactive whiteboard.

Webex Board Series - Cisco

Surface Hub 2S: Interactive Whiteboard for Remote Work | Microsoft Surface for Business

Why get a mobile stand for your interactive display?

An interactive display on a mobile stand is the most flexible solution. You can move the display from one room to another, and you can also combine multiple devices in the same room.

A mobile stand usually increases costs, as the stands are significantly more expensive than the wall mount option.

Which software to use on an interactive display?

Besides presenting interactive displays are meant to facilitate and digitize collaboration and whiteboarding.

With the rise of hybrid working, interactive displays are more relevant than ever. They allow onsite teams to connect and collaborate easily with remote attendees.

The key to making this collaboration successful is software. But what software is supported on the interactive displays? You will have access to different applications depending on whether you use the onboard Android PC or an OPS module.

Some interactive display manufacturers developed their own applications, which are often industry-specific. For example, there is a variety of software for education from K-12 up to the university level.

When you are using an OPS module you can access any software have on your PC via the interactive display. It is important to notice that most of the applications are designed to work with a mouse and keyboard and do not provide a very good user experience on a large touch monitor. Buttons are too small or too far away.

In many cases, there is no need to install software on the device itself, as the software is browser-based. This simplifies maintenance as the browser-based apps are always up-to-date, and users can work with the applications they are used to.

When discussing browser-based applications on an interactive display it is worth mentioning that not all pre-installed browsers provide the best experience. The main reason is that onboard browsers do not provide the performance needed to run web applications in the best way. As so many different browsers are available, you should test this beforehand to ensure your main applications work well.

If you are using an OPS module you won&#;t have this problem, as you can install any browser you like.

Online Whiteboard Software for interactive displays

As one main purpose of the interactive display is to serve as a digital whiteboard, we recommend using digital whiteboard software.

Several touch screen manufacturers created specific whiteboard apps for their devices. These apps are often very simple and limited in functionality. For simple whiteboarding, these apps work well but don&#;t support more complex scenarios like hybrid workshops, agile working, or project-based activities.

Collaboard is a browser-based online whiteboard software that goes beyond the simple whiteboarding experience and allows you to implement many different use cases.

Collaboard is optimized to work on a large interactive display, and provides an advanced drawing tool, and an elegant minimal interface that is self-explanatory. Learn more

What does an interactive display cost?

The cheapest interactive displays cost less than 2.000 EUR. The most expensive interactive displays cost more than 90.000 EUR (list price).

The truth of what an interactive display shall cost is somewhere in between. From our experience, an interactive display (55&#;&#;) with a mobile stand shall cost not more than 10K EUR. Bigger displays like 85&#;&#; can cost up to 25K EUR.

As prices change a lot and depend on the number of devices you purchase and the discounts you get from the vendor, we don&#;t list any prices here.

Which interactive display is the best?

The best interactive display is the one that fulfills your use cases, and your users are happy with it. As there are so many different aspects and decision criteria, it is difficult to state which is the best touch monitor.

We recommend you try different models with different touch technologies, so you get a feeling of what you like the best.

See here a list of all touchscreen manufacturers as a starting point for your evaluation:

Interactive Displays for Education and Business | Clear Touch (getcleartouch.com)

Clevertouch Technologies // Interactive Screens, smart screens whiteboards and displays - Clevertouch Technologies USA

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit all in one touch screen for edu.

ViewBoard Interactive Display | ViewSonic

Interactive Screens | Interactive Display Screens | Avocor

Everything for the safe digital school - Prowise

BenQ 65&#; All-In-One Collaboration Solution

Tap into Productivity with IdeaHub | Huawei Enterprise

Surface Hub 2S: Interactive Whiteboard for Remote Work | Microsoft Surface for Business

Surface Hub 3 for Business

https://www.smarttech.com/en-gb/education

55&#; 4K UHD Flip 2 Interactive Whiteboard (WMR Series) | Smart Sigange | Samsung Display Solutions

Philips interactive touchscreen displays for work and school | PPDS

Meetboard® in Workplaces - AG Neovo Solutions

Dell 75 4K Interactive Touch Monitor - CQT | Dell USA

LG Touch Screen Displays: Interactive Screens | LG USA Business

Interactive Displays | Sharp

Newline - Global Leader in Interactive Displays (newline-interactive.com)

Interactive Displays - Sharp NEC Display Solutions

Interactive, Touch Screen - Digital Displays | Panasonic

Promethean | Interactive Displays & Software for Education (prometheanworld.com)

Interactive Whiteboards | Global | Ricoh

7 key things to know about interactive touchscreen experiences

Are you thinking of investing in an interactive touchscreen display for your business? Perhaps for a sales event or tradeshow? Or maybe for your customer sales centre or marketing suite?

We&#;re often approached by businesses who are initially attracted to the idea of having something informative, immersive and innovative to help showcase their products or services, bring their brand to life and keep customers engaged for longer.

However, they don&#;t always know what they need to be thinking about in terms of developing their own touchscreen experiences &#; luckily, that&#;s where we come in.

With that in mind, we thought we&#;d put together this blog post telling you seven important things to know before choosing an interactive touchscreen display of your own.

1. There are two main parts to interactive touchscreens

A touchscreen is made up of to two parts; the visual experience (the content, images and video etc. that you interact with) and the hardware (the screen itself).

Think of it like looking at a website &#; the website itself is the visual experience and you need hardware (like a PC or Mac) to view it.

As you may have guessed, the visual experience is the most important part as it needs to keep your audience engaged, and help them find the information they want in an engaging, informative and visually enticing way.

If they find the experience difficult to use or can&#;t find what they want, then they&#;ll walk away.

2. There are a LOT of different options

When it comes to looking at the type of features and functionality you can achieve with an interactive touchscreen solution, the only limit is your imagination!

You can help users explore your content in immersive and innovative ways, reinforce important messages and tell a compelling story. You can do this with videos, quizzes, speech recognition, gesture control, facial and demographic recognition, and so much more!

For instance, object recognition is a great way of connecting the physical world to the digital, and you can create a memorable experience by making the touchscreen recognise an object you place on it, before bringing up specific content or information related to that object.

Depending on your goals, you can capture user details by letting them to content to themselves in return for entering contact details.

So, how do you decide on the options you choose? Well, the most important thing you have to remember is&#;

3. Your audience always comes first

Regardless of the goals and objectives you&#;re looking to achieve with an interactive touchscreen display, you have to carefully consider how these will align with the goals of your target audience.

After all, they&#;re the ones who are going to be using it. If they don&#;t find your experience appealing, then they&#;ll probably just walk away, and your investment will potentially be lost.

Think about who your audience is, what they&#;ll be looking for, and the type of features they&#;re going to find useful and engaging. For instance, if you&#;re looking for them to fill out a lead capture form, what can you provide them with that&#;ll persuade them to take that vital next step?

Interactive touchscreen experiences can be unique, engaging, immersive and memorable.

But above all else, you have to make it fun!

4. Choosing an experienced touchscreen specialist is vital

By &#;touchscreen specialist&#;, we mean an interactive agency or developer who has experience of creating interactive touchscreen solutions with the audience front of mind. This is opposed to, say, someone who specialises in providing just hardware &#; or even a software or web developer.

Believe us, this can make a big difference. A touchscreen experience is completely different from creating a website, or even a smartphone app. The screens tend to be much bigger and this impacts on the whole look and feel and how navigation and content needs to be displayed. As well as the way people interact with large screens which is different to smartphones.

Getting these elements right help to create a truly memorable and unique experience that is unique to you and your audience &#; rather than a one-size-fits-all template, or an experience that&#;s similar to just browsing a website (which can be a bit dull).

The best thing to do is to speak to two or three touchscreen specialists, and ask to see examples of their previous work (but more about that below).

5. Interactive touchscreens typically take 8 &#; 12 weeks to develop

And for the most complex touchscreen solutions, maybe even longer.

How long it takes to develop your interactive touchscreen display will really depend on how complex you want it to be, and the type of features and functionality you want to include.

If you&#;re unsure of exactly what you&#;re looking to achieve, or how long it might take, it&#;s always a good idea to approach a touchscreen specialist well ahead of time (up to six months!) to get a better idea of timeframes, along with some advice and guidance.

TIP: For a better idea of timescales and a more detailed idea of what&#;s involved when developing your touchscreen solution, check out our recent blog: How Long Will an Interactive Touchscreen Solution Take to Develop?

6. Your touchscreen solution can be futureproofed / editable

Well, only if you&#;d like it to be. Many of our clients find the idea of being able to update their touchscreen experience and keeping their content fresh, quite appealing &#; as it can mean you&#;ll be getting more out of your investment in the long-term.

This is something you should ask your touchscreen specialist about, as being able to update your interactive touchscreen yourself is usually preferable to having to rely on an agency to keep coming back and updating it for you.

If you&#;re looking to adapt and modify your solution for future use, a touchscreen specialist will be able to advise you on how this can be achieved, and what your options are.

7. A touchscreen experience can cost around £15,000

However, the cost could be considerably more if you want some very specialised interactivity or complex videowall interactives &#; and that&#;s not including the hardware!

Just like the time it takes to develop a touchscreen solution, the cost you pay will really depend on the types of features and functionality you want to include &#; as well as how complex you want to make your experience.

If you have a specific budget in mind, an interactive touchscreen specialist should be able to help talk you through your options and find ways to make it work.

Advice on developing an interactive touchscreen display

As we mentioned above, if you&#;re looking to develop an interactive touchscreen solution &#; or even just find out more about what&#;s possible first &#; you should speak to two or three different touchscreen specialists.

They should be able to show you previous examples of their work and speak to you in-depth about what you&#;re ultimately looking to achieve. Not only should they listen to your needs, but they&#;ll also be able to ask all the right questions to help you find the best option.

We find this is one of the most vital stages we go through with our clients, as many of them simply aren&#;t aware of some of the amazing possibilities that can really shape their solution, and how those features can be implemented into an innovative and enjoyable experience.

Last but not least, if there&#;s a feature you&#;d absolutely love to have, but you&#;re just not sure if it&#;s going to be possible &#; don&#;t be afraid to ask! Dreaming big never hurt anyone.

Find out more about touchscreen solutions

Thanks for reading, and we hope this article has helped shed a bit more light on some of the most important things to consider before choosing an interactive touchscreen solution for your business.

If you&#;d like to find out more about what&#;s possible when developing your own touchscreen solution, we&#;d recommend seeking out a touchscreen specialist &#; or even two or three &#; to help talk you through your options.

Are you interested in learning more about touch screen display manufacturer? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!

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