Best Classroom Screen Mirroring System Screenbeam 1000 EDU vs. BenQ WDC20E

The InstaShow uses a standard HDMI connection on the InstaShow button to connect any HDMI supported device including Chromebooks, Linux, and other classroom devices such as digital microscopes, document cameras, STEM devices with HDMI ports (e.g. robots with cameras), and media players.

For mobile devices, they can connect either with a button (via an adapter), or using Miracast, Airplay, and the InstaShare app to share their content on the screen. The unit can display both buttons and wireless streaming sources (e.g. Airplay) at the same time.

ScreenBeam relies almost entirely on third-party streaming technologies such as Miracast from Microsoft and Apple Airplay to communicate with the receiver. This means that Windows, iOS, and Android devices can communicate to it, but there is no support for other display sources such as document cameras, media players, or STEM devices using Linux.  While the ScreenBeam 1000 EDU supports interactive display touch support on Windows computers, it does not support touchback on a MacBook or Chromebook. Also, ScreenBeam does not appear to support wireless screen mirroring of HDCP content

The BenQ InstaShow is well known as one of the easiest systems to use.  While it will support standard protocols like Google Cast or Airplay, most teachers and students use the transmitter button to mirror their screen.  Why – it's simple and connects in just 7 seconds.  Here is how a student connects any device – including a Chromebook – to the screen.

• Connect the button to the device’s HDMI or Thunderbolt/USB-C port
•  When the light turns green (~6 seconds) – simply tap and present

This intuitive simple approach saves time – and frustration in a classroom, especially if you have a visitor or substitute teacher who wants to share the screen.

ScreenBeam relies almost entirely on the Miracast Peer to Peer networking protocol, Google casting, or the Apple Airplay protocol to work over a network.  While this removes the need for a proprietary apps, it can impact usability.  For example, for a student to mirror the screen on their Chromebook, they need to do the following:

• Verify Google Cast is enabled on their Chromebook
• Note the name of the receiver (to avoid broadcasting to a different classroom)
•  Connect to the network that the ScreenBeam is using
• Click on the “cast” icon on the status menu
• Select the screen shown on the list
• Select “desktop screen” and click “share”

The InstaShow WDC20E is designed to install in a classroom right out of the box in just a few minutes without the need for any network configuration or changes.  The host /receiver simply connects to a projector or display’s HDMI port and the button is pre-paired, so simply put them on the desk and you are ready to start presenting.  

Because the ScreenBeam system is designed to use the school WiFi network to transmit the video to the ScreenBeam receiver, the setup and implementation is more complicated than button based systems.  To start, ActionTec strongly recommends the system use a 5 GHz WiFi system and also recommends a 11 Gbps network as well.  There are a number of ports that are required to be configured, and the installation guide is over 100 pages long. Like other wireless screen mirroring systems that depend on the school network, administrators may need to adjust the quality of service, multicasting, and bandwidth to ensure the system runs properly.

The InstaShow WDC20E does not use any of the school’s bandwidth to mirror a screen. The receiver creates its own wireless connection with the buttons and other devices to enable screen mirroring at video frame rates up to 60 frames per second.  The system does have a LAN port to enable central management software to handle tasks like changing the background and updating firmware – but doesn’t burden the school network with screen mirroring traffic.  

ScreenBeam typically utilizes the school network infrastructure to manage the screen mirroring traffic. Because it uses different screen mirroring protocols, the bandwidth used may vary – and ScreenBeam does not publish the amount of bandwidth used on this model. The corporate version of this product, the ScreenBeam 1100, can use up to 25 Mbps of bandwidth per receiver according to the network deployment guide.