Inside the Conference Room: A Hands-On Shootout Between Barco ClickShare CX30 and BenQ InstaShow VS25

The spec sheets on the BenQ InstaShow VS25 and the Barco ClickShare CX30 both show that the receivers can both output 4K UHD resolution. But what is the actual resolution on the screen when you have plug in a button to your notebook to share your screen in a meeting? Here is how each product performed using their respective buttons on a mainstream popular Windows notebook with a 1080p screen and a MacBook Pro using a popular 86-inch 4K UHD interactive display. We tested the two systems in “Extended Desktop” mode as well as in “Duplicate” mode and measured the on-screen resolution.

In “Extended Desktop” mode, the InstaShow button was able to support the full 4K UHD resolution of the display, as we measured just over 2600 pixels in every square inch of the display. In “Duplicate” mode, the VS25 button matched the resolution of the notebook screen at 1080p resolution, or around 650 pixels per square inch on the display. You can use the “Settings” menu on your Windows notebook to switch modes in the exact same way as a regular external monitor connected with a cable since the InstaShow button is using the native HDMI signal to communicate with the screen.

We tested the Barco ClickShare CX30 button in “Duplicate” mode first since this is the only mode available out of the box. On our 86-inch display, we were only able to measure 720p resolution, or just under 300 pixels per square inch. This may be due to the screen recording software running via the ClickShare app that installs itself on the notebook when we plugged in the button. You cannot use an HDMI to USB-C adapter to access the native video signal with the ClickShare button to improve the resolution. The Extended Desktop needs another app that must be downloaded from the internet and is only available for Windows. Our testing showed 1080p resolution in this mode.

With the BenQ InstaShow VS25 button in “Extended Desktop” mode, the InstaShow button was able to support the full 4K UHD resolution of the external 86” display and measured just over 2600 pixels in every square inch of the display. In “Duplicate” mode the VS25 button matched the aspect ratio of the MacBook Pro’s 3024-by-1964 screen resolution to create a clear crisp image of around 1758 pixels per square inch on the display. You can use the “Settings” menu on your MacBook to switch modes just like having an external monitor connected with a cable.

The Barco ClickShare CX30 does not support the use of “Extended Desktop” settings on MacBooks and will only work in “Duplicate” mode. This limits the aspect ratio output- for example, it could not display a 16:9 aspect ratio on our 86” display. In duplicate mode, the highest resolution that we could achieve using the CX30 was 1200p resolution, which is quite a bit lower than the 3024-by-1964 native resolution on the MacBook Pro’s internal Retina screen.

Here’s a chart on the pixel density for each product using both Mac and Windows notebooks:

Since both products market their products as being able to start a meetings in seconds and setup an encrypted Wi-Fi signal to protect sensitive information from wireless packet sniffing threats, we decided to test them in real time to measure how fast each product was able to share the screen in different scenarios common to a typical meeting room. This includes having outside guests use the device for the first time, a topic discussed extensively in the April 2026 article on wireless conferencing room technology in CDW’s BizTech journal.

We tested the BenQ InstaShow VS25 button with both a 2021 I5 powered notebook and a 2026 I7 powered notebook. Both took about 17 seconds after the button was plugged into the notebook to display an image on our screen. When used as a hybrid meeting room host for a Zoom or Teams meeting where the button is integrating the room's camera and audio in the meeting, this process added about nine seconds to the time, or about 26 seconds in total. This time wasn’t affected by either the processing power or the battery level of the notebook. Because there is no app, the time was the same between devices that had used the InstaShow previously and new first time uses.

The Barco ClickShare CX30 button requires first time users to load the app in their notebook. In our case, it took about 2 minutes (~120 seconds) for the app to be installed to share our screen for first use, as would be the case in most guest meeting scenarios (assuming the user has administrator rights). We then tested the unit with two different notebooks with the app installed. On our midgrade 2021 i5 Windows notebook with the ClickShare app already installed it took 19 seconds to share the screen after plugging in the button, slightly longer than the BenQ InstaShow VS25. When tested on 2026 premium notebook with an i7 processor, this reduced the screen sharing time to just seven seconds. So, it appears that the speed of screen sharing is dependent more on the notebook power than the actual ClickShare device.

Here is a comparison of the loading times for basic screen sharing for each model in our meeting room tests:

Because the BenQ InstaShow VS25 uses the secure native signal output from a notebook, the BenQ VS25 does not record any data, or track the location of the presentation, so no added permissions are needed.

The Barco CX30 uses the ClickShare app to record both the video and audio information off the notebook, packetize it, and transmits this to the receiver. While a Windows notebook will allow this to happen without notifying the user, the security protection on MacBooks is stronger, so the user must allow permission for the device to record your screen. In a meeting room with guests or sensitive information, this can create a dilemma for the user. What data is the app recording? How secure is the device? What happens to the data? Is the receiver connected to the internet or third-party server? These are all legitimate questions when assessing risk for a user, especially a guest, in a meeting room. 

The Barco CX30 also requests you to allow it to track your Windows notebook location, and on a MacBook, you will be asked to allow this as well. Barco explains that this privacy data is needed to enable certain features of the product.

The Wi-Fi architecture of these two products is significantly different. The BenQ VS25 uses an advanced Wi-Fi 6 router that incorporates OFDMA technology for more channels on the same frequency and is designed for simultaneous multiple users and multiple screens with MU-MIMO technology. This is what makes the wireless media bridge work effectively incorporating video and audio data from the room camera systems without having to run an app on the notebook or having to have a cloud connection to enable more features.

The benefit is that the InstaShow VS25 will automatically switch channels in crowded wireless environments, like how Bluetooth works in a California traffic jam where everyone is talking on their phones. By using the latest Wi-Fi 6 technology, it makes IT support easier and ends awkward moments in a meeting room if there is a wireless conflict.

The BenQ VS25 was tested in a wireless lab with 50 different receivers and buttons all simultaneously running a 4K video within the space of a cubicle. There was individual configuration on the device, and over a 24-hour test, no visible lag on any of the displays.

The Barco CX30 uses older Wi-Fi 5 technology, without either OFDMA or MU-MIMO support. Therefore, the IT administration must manually set up each device on separate Wi-Fi channels, then make sure to keep these channels clear from interference. Here is a chart from their manual on how IT managers should structure multiple receivers when you have meeting rooms close to each other.  

Important presentations on PowerPoint and Keynote often have larger complex images, builds, and integrated videos and PDF’s that are essential in group decision making. Rendering these on a notebook requires bandwidth, so how do these systems handle large presentation files?

In our testing, the BenQ InstaShow VS25 had no effect on the rendering speed of slides either on PowerPoint or Keynote. In addition, the VS25 was able to properly play HDCP copy protected content, such as an embedded iTunes video clip integrated into a Keynote presentation. There were no added cycles or burdens on the notebook compared to using an HDMI cable.

Because the Barco Clickshare uses the notebook to handle some of the functions of screen recording, location tracking, and other tasks needed to make the ClickShare system work, there is an extra load on the notebook's CPU. This appears to vary depending on the content and also on the battery level.  In our testing, we saw CPU loads as high as 23% when running videos, so we would recommend that you perform your own test on the notebooks most used at different battery levels.  This takes cycles from the notebook that is running the presentation itself, potentially slowing down builds and frame rates in an important presentation.

The Barco ClickShare CX30 does not support the use of HDCP content, so in our testing it showed a black screen when we tried to run a presentation with integrated copy protected video.

Both the Barco ClickShare CX30 and the BenQ InstaShow VS25 use plug-in buttons to enable fast wireless presentation and conferencing in a meeting room, but the technology behind them is different.  The BenQ InstaShow VS25 uses more advanced Wi-Fi technology that eliminates the need for a separate app and doesn’t record your screen or track your locations.  In our testing, this enabled higher resolution images on the screen, and faster screen sharing with guests using the system for the first time.

Just let us know if you’re interested in trying a BenQ InstaShow and we’ll get you a unit to try completely risk free in your company to see if its right for you.