Plug-and-Play Smart Classroom Equipment vs. Smart Board: What’s Easier to Set Up and Scale

‍

Choosing the right smart classroom equipment isn’t just about features anymore. It’s about how quickly you can set it up, how smoothly your teachers can adapt, and how easily it scales across multiple classrooms. In 2025, Indian schools and colleges are moving beyond traditional smart boards, and there’s a clear reason why.

This blog compares plug-and-play smart classroom solutions with conventional smart boards for classroom use. If you're planning a tech upgrade, this will help you make a decision rooted in function and future-readiness.    

What is Plug-and-Play Smart Classroom Equipment?

In simple terms, plug-and-play smart classroom equipment is a self-contained, easy-to-deploy system that works out of the box. There’s no need to mount it on the wall, calibrate projectors, or integrate multiple third-party tools. You just power it on and start teaching.

Roombr, for example, is a modern plug-and-play solution. It projects onto any flat surface, instantly turning it into a digital board. But it’s more than just projection. It combines high-lumen display, dual cameras, an onboard computer, speakers, and microphones—all inside one compact unit.    

There’s no separate software to install, no cables running across the room, and no dependence on external PCs or dongles. It works in minutes, not days.

What is the Traditional Smart Board for Classrooms

On the other side, you have the traditional smart board for classroom setups. These usually include:

• A wall-mounted interactive flat panel or whiteboard
• A projector system or an LED panel
• A separate CPU
• External camera and mic system
• Multiple apps for collaboration and recording

This setup isn’t bad, it’s just more complex. You’ll need a technician for installation, infrastructure planning, cable routing, and software configuration. Every new classroom means repeating the same long cycle of setup and testing.

And in many cases, teachers are expected to manage all this tech themselves, often with minimal support.     

Setup Time and Infrastructure: Where Plug-and-Play Wins

Let’s talk about deployment. Roombr’s plug-and-play smart classroom equipment is ready in under 30 minutes. Place it, connect power, and it's good to go.

With traditional smart boards, the story is different. Mounting alone can take hours. If you have an older building with uneven walls or weak electrical fittings, the setup becomes even more complicated. Most institutions end up hiring third-party vendors or waiting on OEMs for installation and service.

Roombr doesn’t just reduce installation time; it eliminates infrastructure stress.

Cost of Ownership: More Than Just the Digital Board Price in India

When evaluating smart classroom equipment, the initial purchase price is only part of the equation. What often gets overlooked are the hidden and long-term costs that can quietly inflate your budget.

With traditional smart boards for classroom setups, schools typically piece together multiple devices—an interactive panel, a projector, a separate CPU, external cameras, speakers, microphones, and software licenses. Each of these adds not only to the upfront investment but also to the long-term cost of maintenance and upgrades.

There are also recurring expenses to consider:

• Annual maintenance contracts
• Software renewals
• Technician visits for hardware issues
• Replacement costs when components fail

These fragmented systems often come with a higher total cost of ownership (TCO) over three to five years. Managing different vendors for each component also increases administrative overhead and slows down support.

In contrast, Roombr’s plug-and-play approach bundles everything into one integrated unit—interactive projection, computing power, audio-visual hardware, and classroom software. Since there’s no need to source and maintain multiple devices, operational costs are lower, and support is simpler.

Even better, Roombr is designed for long-term value. With free software updates and built-in functionality, you get a solution that evolves without additional investment.

So, while the digital board price in India may vary across brands, what truly matters is how much you’ll spend beyond that. Roombr makes sure you’re not paying extra in the long run for things that should’ve been included from the start.

Scaling Across Classrooms and Campuses

Let’s say you want to upgrade 20 classrooms in a school or 50 lecture halls in a college. Roombr allows you to do this without tearing down walls or rewiring buildings.

Smart boards, however, require room-by-room installation, hardware allocation, and software syncing. It’s resource-heavy and time-consuming.

Roombr works on almost any wall, across different room sizes and lighting conditions. From a small coaching centre to a sprawling university block, institutions are choosing Roombr because it scales fast, without scaling complexity.

Teacher Experience: What Works in the Classroom

Technology is only as effective as its users. Teachers don’t want to spend their first 15 minutes plugging in cables, switching between HDMI sources, or waiting for updates to install.

With Roombr, educators walk into the room, power it on, and start teaching. It feels like a giant tablet with a clean, intuitive interface. Tools like screen sharing, digital whiteboard, browser, and video recording are built in.

They don’t need extra training to use it. And that makes all the difference.

In contrast, traditional smart boards often overwhelm teachers. There’s a learning curve, especially when different classrooms have different configurations. That’s a recipe for inconsistency.      

Roombr standardizes the teaching experience across rooms and users.

Final Verdict: Which Is Easier to Set Up, Use, and Scale?

If you’re an administrator, IT head, or institution leader looking to implement smart classroom equipment in 2025, here’s what you should consider:

• Faster Setup → Roombr wins
• Lower Cost of Ownership → Roombr wins
• Teacher Adoption → Roombr wins
• Scalability → Roombr wins

Traditional smart boards served their time. But the future demands flexibility, speed, and simplicity. That’s exactly what Roombr delivers with no compromise on quality.

Don’t Just Digitize—Upgrade with Smarter Classroom Equipment

If you’re still juggling cables, wall mounts, and mismatched devices, it’s time to rethink your tech stack. Roombr offers a smarter path forward. It’s a plug-and-play solution that streamlines outdated classroom tech into a single, unified system designed specifically for Indian education environments. From lecture capture to live sharing, it’s all in—no patchwork, no friction. Whether you’re building new infrastructure or fixing legacy gaps, Roombr Digital Classroom fits in fast and performs instantly.   

Want fewer tech headaches and better teaching outcomes? Schedule your personalized walkthrough and explore how Roombr simplifies smart classrooms without the usual complexity. Or, contact us at +91 9686659444 to speak to one of our experts.