MSolutions has joined forces with Lenovo to develop networked collaboration solutions for Lenovo’s Microsoft Teams Room and Zoom Room customers. The alliance pairs MSolutions’ compact USB-C extenders with Lenovo’s ThinkSmart USB portfolio inside meeting and learning spaces to extend USB-C data channels over a single CatX cable infrastructure for up to 333 feet (100m).
Lenovo’s ThinkSmart USB portfolio brings pertinent AV and IT toolsets together required for today’s collaboration requirements, including cameras, audio gear (microphones, speakers) and control equipment. Options range from condensed systems for smaller spaces that benefit from tightly integrated systems, such as an all-in-one video/soundbar, to complete, integrator-friendly room kit solutions that bring together all necessary in-room peripherals for larger spaces.
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Lenovo’s ThinkSmart Controller is the one common component across its entire Teams Room and Zoom Room portfolio. The ThinkSmart Controller acts as the central hub for all system configurations, providing users with a tablet-sized touchpanel featuring an interactive display. Its user interface allows meeting coordinators, presenters, and classroom instructors to initiate hybrid events and control AV equipment inside the room, from managing video feeds to raising and reducing sound volume.
There was one problem that Lenovo wanted to solve—a challenge that MSolutions has now addressed through its MS-6U1C extender set.
“The ThinkSmart Controller treats USB-C as a monitor output, which feeds the signal back to the touchpanel. That interactive touch information from the user is then routed back to our computer,” said Mark Whittaker, smart collaboration technical consultant for Lenovo. “The challenge we faced was about establishing a stable, long-distance USB-C connection with no perceivable delay, and without the need to swap different cable types. MSolutions proved to have the rare solution to address all these needs.”
Adding the MS-6U1C to ThinkSmart installations means that separate cables are no longer required to connect the infrastructure. Prior to working with MSolutions, most ThinkSmart configurations were distance-limited—most cable lengths were under 50 feet—and would often require block repeaters if core computing systems were centralized to an IT closet, for example. The MS-6U1C extender’s robust reliability removes that bulkier cabling infrastructure and ensures that signal integrity is maintained even when peripheral devices are concealed from sight. It also supports RS-232 serial pass-through and bi-directional 12V PoC (Power over Cable) over the same CatX connection.
