Cisco Webex Desk Camera
Q. What is the Cisco Webex
® Desk Camera?
A. The Webex Desk Camera is a new desk camera that provides high-quality video and audio for video conferencing, video streaming, and video recording. It is a premium 4K USB web camera that can be connected to a personal computer over USB and mounted onto an external monitor, laptop, tripod, or desk stand. It is compatible with any popular meeting or video applications on Windows and MacOS PC. Powered by the Cisco Webex
® platform, the Webex Desk Camera is a fully managed IT asset with centralized analytics and insights.
Q. How is the Webex Desk Camera different from other webcams in the market?
A. First, it is a premium web camera with 4K Ultra HD video, sleek aluminum housing, and a compact size. It has a built-in video privacy shutter that can completely turn off the video stream and physically block the camera lens —unique in the market today.
Second, unlike other webcams, the Webex Desk Camera is an intelligent camera. It supports occupancy detection via its built-in IR sensor using human detection and face detection. An IT admin can leverage its occupancy metrics for mass deployment. It also provides secure facial recognition login via the Windows Hello feature, certified by Microsoft for compliance to Windows Hello requirements.
Third, it is a camera that offers exceptional integration with meeting applications. When using Cisco Webex Teams, Webex Meetings, or the Cisco Jabber
® client, firmware upgrade
* and device management are built into the soft clients.
Similar to Cisco headsets, firmware upgrade and log collection also supported from our web-based Cisco Accessory Hub.
Finally, powered by the Cisco Webex platform, the Webex Desk Camera supports device management through Webex Control Hub, which makes deploying, configuring, and supporting much simpler.
* Firmware upgrade and camera settings on Cisco Webex apps, device analytics on Webex Control Hub will be available via SW upgrades after FCS.
Pricing and availability
Q. What is the expected price point for the Webex Desk Camera?
A. The Cisco Global Price List (GPL) for Webex Desk Camera is $449 USD.
Q. In what regions is the Webex Desk Camera available?
A. The Webex Desk Camera is available in the U.S., Canada, Europe and the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Japan beginning January 2021. It is estimated to be available in Mexico and Brazil in April 2021, and available in Korea, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Argentina, India, Indonesia, China, and the Ukraine in July 2021.
Deployment
Q. What is included in the purchase?
A. Included in the box are:
● One Webex Desk Camera unit
● One 1.5-meter USB-C to USB-A cable
● One 1.5-meter USB-C to USB-C cable
Q. What ports does the Webex Desk Camera have?
A. The Webex Desk Camera has one USB 3.0 type-C port. It supports USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 connections via USB C-to-A or USB C-to-C cables.
Q. What deployment options are available?
A. The Webex Desk Camera is a plug-and-play device. It doesn’t require any registration for the end users. In order for IT administrators to manage the device, two deployment options are available:
● Cloud – the Webex Desk Camera can be managed in Webex Control Hub via the Webex Meetings or the Webex Teams™ app.
● On-premises – the Webex Desk Camera can also be managed in Cisco Unified Communications Manager (UCM) via the Cisco Jabber client. This feature will be available at a later phase via SW upgrade”
Features
Q. What resolutions and frame rates are available on the Webex Desk Camera?
A. The Webex Desk Camera provides multiple resolutions and frame rates, including:
● 4K up to 30fps
● 1080p up to 60fps
● 720p up to 60fps, and more
For video recording, the resolutions and frame rates can go as high as 4K at 30fps. For video conferencing, the actual resolution and frame rate depend on the network bandwidth and the calling negotiation between the soft client and the remote endpoints.
Q. What video formats are supported on the Webex Desk Camera?
A. The Webex Desk Camera supports MJPEG format for 4K video. For other lower resolutions, it supports either MJPEG format or YUY2/ NV12 raw data.
Q. What is the Field of View (FoV) of the Webex Desk Camera?
A. The Webex Desk Camera has an 81-degree diagonal field of view. The camera FoV is also adjustable from the Webex Desk Camera app.
Q. How does the Webex Desk Camera perform in low light conditions?
A. The Webex Desk Camera has excellent low-light performance. The built-in iHDR technology improves video quality in various light conditions.
Q. Does the Webex Desk Camera have microphones and speakers?
A. Two internal microphones are included on the camera. The two built-in microphones can also support background noise reduction. However, there is no speaker on the camera.
Q. Can I mute the microphone audio using the privacy shutter?
A. No, the shutter is a video privacy shutter. It can only stop the video when slid left to close the main camera.
Q. Does the privacy shutter also close the IR camera when closed?
A. No, the video privacy shutter doesn’t close the IR camera. If you want to disable IR camera for occupancy detection, you can open up the Cisco Webex Desk Camera app and disable the IR camera from the app.
Q. Can the Webex Desk Camera be mounted to a tripod?
A. Yes, the Webex Desk Camera has a tripod screw thread at the bottom of the camera clip.
Q. How can I update the firmware on the Webex Desk Camera?
A. Customers can choose from multiple ways to upgrade firmware. You can either download the Webex Desk Camera app to do a firmware upgrade or go to the Cisco Accessory Hub website (
https://upgrade.cisco.com/accessories) via the Google Chrome browser.
Q. Can I upgrade firmware or configure camera settings on Cisco Webex apps?
A. The ability to do firmware upgrades and adjust camera settings on Cisco Webex Meetings, Webex Teams, and the Jabber client are under development. This will be available on a later phase via client SW upgrade.
Q. Does the Webex Desk Camera support VDI with Cisco Webex apps?
A. Yes, Webex Desk Camera is able to work with Jabber VDI, Webex Meetings VDI, and Webex Teams VDI on Windows, Linux, and MacOS.
Q. What third-party applications can the Webex Desk Camera work with?
A. The Webex Desk Camera is compatible with any popular meeting or video applications on Windows and Mac OS, such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Skype for Business, BlueJeans, Slack, Google Meet and Google Hangouts, FaceTime, and more.
Q. Can the Webex Desk Camera support device management and analytics if I am not using Cisco Webex apps?
A. No, device management is only currently available on Webex Control Hub through Webex Meetings or the Webex Teams client. Device analytics and insights will be supported on Webex Control Hub via the Meetings or Teams apps on a later phase via SW upgrade.