Experience with Cisco

What is Cisco? How does it work? Is it necessary for better communication? These were some of the questions that came to mind when our class was experimenting with this ‘wireless performance’. Specifically, Cisco is similar to Skype with the voice and video streaming that operates through a WLAN delivery, wireless network as mentioned on Cisco’s webpage. This technology works by hooking up the Cisco telephone to a monitor/television screen where signals are transmitted to a box above, near the camera. Answering my other questions about whether it’s easier or recommended for communication. I would say indeed. There should be other options and choices in communication where companies can develop useful and create innovative ideas.

While experimenting Cisco in class, we had a few students stay at the Cyber Café in Steinhardt and the rest of us went over to the Tisch Café nearby (approx. two streets and blocks difference). We discussed about several things: one of the huge issues was latency besides the others being lighting, volume control, and microphone placement. With latency, we discussed how there was some delay with the video imagery to speaking. One example that was used was having the people in the Cyber Café clap while the other people in the Tisch Café reacted with the claps by counting back. Since, I was in the Tisch Café we counted the claps. The people in the Cyber Café said our counting was slightly off when they were clapping. With that observed, we discussed whether we should start counting earlier and/or later even though it would create a distracting or odd experience for us. We didn’t try these ideas but I wonder if we should have. The other issues were volume control and microphone placement. What seemed to be the problem with the microphone placement was that the microphone couldn’t pick up our voices from where we were sitting and that some of us were not speaking loud enough. With lighting, the room needed to be well illuminated. As for pros, the video image was very clear and the colors were evident.