--- title: "Polaris + Microsoft Teams Rooms: More Room to Work | Mersive" canonical: https://www.mersive.com/compare/mtr description: "Add the Polaris shared workspace alongside Microsoft Teams Rooms for guest sharing, multiple live sources and collaboration before, during and between calls." language: en-US publisher: Mersive Technologies --- # The Teams call is only part of the room. You chose Microsoft Teams Rooms for the meeting experience. Polaris adds a shared workspace for the work around it: the documents people compare, the ideas guests bring, and the conversations that happen without a call. Keep your Teams investment. Give people more room to work. Why another system belongs in the room ## The meeting is connected. Now put the work in view. A project review rarely lives in one document. The plan is on one laptop, the numbers are on another, and the client has a reference they need everyone to see. Polaris brings those live sources into one workspace, side by side, while Teams Rooms handles the call. ### Compare instead of taking turns Keep the drawing beside the budget. Compare proposals without asking one presenter to stop so another can start. Shared sources are sized automatically as they join the workspace. [Explore the workspace →](https://www.mersive.com/platform/workspace) ### Welcome the guest's laptop A guest opens app.mersive.com in a supported desktop browser, enters the room key and shares. No client installation or Teams call is required to put their content in the Polaris workspace. [See how people connect →](https://www.mersive.com/platform/how) ### Work without scheduling a call Use the same workspace for a quick discussion, a working session or the follow-up after a meeting. People can share content whether anyone is joining remotely or everyone is already in the room. [See the collaboration use case →](https://www.mersive.com/solutions/collab) Desktop browser sharing supports the walk-up experience above. Phones and tablets use Mersive Connect or a supported native casting method. See [sharing methods and device requirements](https://documentation.mersive.com/en/mcs/connect-and-share/sharing-content-by-protocol.html). Alongside Teams Rooms ## A clear job for each system. ### Teams Rooms runs the Teams meeting Keep the room calendar, join experience, call controls, camera and audio workflow your organization already uses. Teams Rooms continues to provide the native meeting experience. Teams Rooms also supports local content sharing. Available casting and wired-sharing options depend on the hardware, license and configuration. ### Polaris runs the shared workspace Bring multiple live sources together and give participants browser access to that workspace. Polaris Cloud manages the Polaris devices, settings and usage across your fleet. Your integrator sets the display and content-sharing paths for the room. The demonstration should show both systems in use, including exactly what remote participants receive. Microsoft documents [Teams Rooms meeting controls and local sharing](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/teams/calls-devices/microsoft-teams-rooms-windows). Its current [Miracast guidance](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/rooms/miracast) applies to all-in-one touch boards running Teams Rooms on Windows, with Pro licensing and administrator setup. Console-based Windows systems and Teams Rooms on Android are excluded from that Miracast support. Remote participation ## Bring remote colleagues into the workspace. A remote colleague can join the Polaris workspace at app.mersive.com to see its shared content and contribute their own. The Teams call carries the conversation; the browser gives them a view of the work. This is a separate workspace connection alongside the call. Joining the Teams meeting alone does not join someone to Polaris or automatically place the workspace in the Teams content feed. Browser access can span guest and corporate networks when the required traffic is permitted. [See the network requirements →](https://www.mersive.com/platform/cross-network) **Using a wired HDMI source with Polaris Pro** Polaris Pro has two wired HDMI input modes, selected by the room administrator. Workspace tile is the default: the input joins the workspace alongside wireless shares and is visible to remote participants. Direct bypass (full-screen pass-through) sends the input straight to the room display, outside the workspace. Remote participants do not receive that feed. Choose where it adds value ## Start with the rooms where people work together. Project rooms, design reviews, training spaces and client workshops are natural places to start. Bring the content people actually use and test the experience from a guest laptop and a remote seat. ### The same workspace, sized for the room Polaris Essentials and Pro run the same software for sharing and room management. The practical ceiling is around 5 simultaneous workspace sources on Essentials and around 10 on Pro. Hardware memory sets that ceiling; the software does not impose a source cap. [Choose your Polaris device →](https://www.mersive.com/products/family) ### Put the display to work between sessions Polaris can use an idle display for digital signage, then return it to the workspace when sharing begins. Use the screen for a welcome message, a schedule or a live dashboard between working sessions. [Explore digital signage →](https://www.mersive.com/solutions/signage) Polaris should earn its place in the room. If the existing Teams Rooms setup already handles the way people share and work, start elsewhere. Where teams need more content in view, easier guest participation or a shared workspace beyond the call, put Polaris to the test. An alongside deployment retains the applicable [Microsoft Teams Rooms license](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/rooms/rooms-licensing). Polaris hardware and licensing are additional. Review the complete room configuration with your integrator. ### Compare the products in your room Review the documented capabilities of specific Teams Rooms configurations and Polaris devices. [Open the product comparison →](https://www.mersive.com/compare/hub) ### Considering ClickShare too? Compare Barco's presentation and conferencing receivers with the Polaris workspace. [Polaris vs Barco ClickShare →](https://www.mersive.com/compare/dongles)