4 best interactive whiteboards

Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective and does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

Among the variety of equipment and accessories for study, presentations and information business, interactive whiteboards occupy a special place. Being in essence a large touch screen, and functioning in close connection with the projector and the control computer, such a device provides a lot of new opportunities for lecturers, coaches, other information business specialists, and greatly facilitates their work. Today we will look at a short rating of interactive whiteboards of different types and manufacturers, which experts considered the best in their class. But first, let's briefly go through the classifications and give you some tips for choosing this kind of device.

How to choose an interactive whiteboard

Interactive whiteboards differ quite significantly in the principle of operation and implemented technological solutions. The choice of a specific model is most often dictated by the combination of key technical characteristics. We will list them below, but first, a few general universal tips.

General recommendations

Before buying something as expensive as an interactive whiteboard, you should do some preparatory work and take into account some recommendations.

Universal advice – study in advance the information on the Internet about suitable models. Pay attention to user reviews. Ask about the presence of representative offices of manufacturers in your city – it will depend on how long you have to wait for a solution to the problem when a warranty case occurs. All this seems obvious, but many people ignore this stage and are too rushed to buy.

It is highly desirable to buy a complete set at once – a board + a projector. This will achieve maximum compatibility, and in some cases a board with a non-native projector is completely useless.

The delivery set must include a set of fasteners and accessories, as well as installation instructions.

Choose a board with a matte canvas finish. As an option – boards with an anti-reflective coating, but matte is still preferable.

Projection type

Interactive whiteboards also differ in the type of projection – forward or backward. The straight line assumes the location of the proctor in front of the board, the reverse – at the back. The first option is cheaper and easier in terms of mounting the board itself – you can simply hang it on the wall. The second option is good in that the projector beam does not interfere with the lecturer, and he himself does not cast a shadow. But rear-projection systems are much more expensive, and board installation requires the services of a highly specialized specialist.

Sensor type

Reading the position of the stylus or the lecturer's finger / fingers is the key to the very interactivity that makes such decisions make sense. There are several ways to do this:

1. Electromagnetic. Along the entire area of ​​the board, there are grids of contact conductors inside its structure. When the stylus touches the surface, the touch point is determined instantly and accurately. Such boards are relatively inexpensive, solid, generally reliable and durable, and can be equipped with an anti-vandal coating. On the other hand, such boards are susceptible to EM interference and can only be operated with a stylus.
2. Resistive. The principle is the same as with touchscreen phones, which were before the advent of the era of capacitive screens. The location of the contact is determined by physical pressure. Here it is already possible to use not only a stylus, but also just fingers. The main disadvantage is a small delay between touch and reaction of the system.
3. Infrared. Sensors are located inside the perimeter, which determine the place of touch. It has almost all the advantages of resistive technology, plus it is also not afraid of damage to the canvas, or rather, damage does not negatively affect functionality in any way. Cons – mostly high price, sensitivity to interference.
4. Optic. At the corners there are miniature digital cameras at a certain angle to the canvas. Two cameras are enough, but four are better. You can work with the board with any opaque objects, but the positioning accuracy in this solution is worse than in any of the above.

There are other recognition and positioning technologies, such as laser or micro-point, but they are much less common and for the most part too expensive.

Data transfer

On this basis, active and passive boards are distinguished. Active ones are powered from the mains and connected directly to the computer. The latter are completely autonomous. Passive interactive whiteboards have significantly less opportunities for using technology, so there are quite a few types of them – micropoint, magnetic and several others. There are only active boards in our rating.

The size

An extremely important parameter, on which the audience depends, as well as what kind of information material the board will be designed for directly in the work.

Actually, the size of the board can be measured by the lengths of the sides, but more often this parameter is determined by the diagonal, as in TVs or monitors. An additional parameter is aspect ratio. The larger the diagonal, the more viewers will be able to fully perceive the information on the screen. Estimated calculations are as follows:

1. from 2 to 10 spectators – at least 50 inches;
2. 10 to 25 viewers – 60 to 90 inches;
3. from 50 viewers – from 91 to 105 inches.

The data is given on the basis that the dimensions of the room are minimal. The larger the room, the larger the board size will be needed for the same number of viewers.

It is also worth considering that many models contain so-called non-interactive zones along the edges, which reduce the usable area.

Software

The technical features of an interactive whiteboard alone are not enough to make it a convenient multifunctional tool. It is the functionality that directly depends on the software. This point also needs to be clarified with the manufacturer or at the point of sale and compared with the future use of the board. For example, if the board is supposed to be used at school on an ongoing basis, it is necessary that the software contains the most complete or at least a standard set of interactive software tools: a ruler, compasses, protractor, and so on.

Another important aspect with regards to software is the presence of Russian localization. It should be complete, including instructions and updates. An exception can only be in the event that the board will be permanently used in an English class.

Rating of the best interactive whiteboards

Nomination	a place	Name of product	price
Rating of the best interactive whiteboards	1	ActivPanel Touch 86 “4K	RUB 653,900
	2	SMART SBX885	RUB 200,000
	3	Smart Board SB480IV4	RUB 147,000
	4	Activboard Touch 88	RUB 99,900

ActivPanel Touch 86 “4K

Rating: 4.9

Let's start the rating with the most expensive, but certainly excellent solution – the flagship of the ActivPanel line of interactive screens by Promethean. Actually, it is worth clarifying that interactive screens are a kind of 'special case' of interactive whiteboards – they are essentially large monitors with touch screens and do not require either a projector or a connection to a computer, since the necessary software is already included in the firmware.

The panel measures 86 inches diagonally, and the resolution is very good even for such dimensions – 3840×2160 (4K) at 60 Hertz. The aspect ratio of the sides is 16 to 9. The brightness level is 350nit, the contrast is 4 thousand to 1. The LED backlight has a physical resource of about 50 thousand hours before the brightness is reduced by half.

The panel is equipped with 4mm thick durable glass and a Mohs hardness index of 7. A highly sensitive touch recognition system is integrated into the glass, which allows you to manipulate the image not only with stylus, but also with other objects or just your fingers. Multitouch is supported with recognition of up to 20 touches simultaneously with an accuracy of 1 mm.

Two 15W speakers are integrated directly into the panel. In the lower part there is a control panel with connectors for peripheral interfaces. Input ports: two USB, three HDMI, one Display port. For external control, Ethernet, RS-232C and USB ports are used. In operation, the panel consumes up to 350 W of electricity.

Overall dimensions of the device – 2039x1236x115 mm, net weight – 78 Kg.

Let us emphasize some of the features of this model, which especially clearly distinguish it from its analogues. Above, we mentioned the touch recognition system built into the protective glass. We are talking about the innovative InGlass technology, which significantly surpasses infrared in a number of indicators, especially in the most important thing – positioning accuracy and recognition speed with instant display.

The panel delivery set includes a specialized computer running under OS Android with special software already installed. The system allows you to transmit simultaneously images of screens of two gadgets at once. The system is compatible with thousands of useful programs available in the online store.

In general, the possibilities of this model are almost endless: creating and delivering lessons in an interactive format; connecting students from anywhere in the world; testing and surveys; remote transfer of tasks and tracking the progress of their implementation; comfortable work with wearable gadgets; chatting with students; work with cloud services and much more.

Advantages

• a high resolution;
• image quality;
• accurate and fast touch recognition;
• multitouch up to 20 simultaneous touches;
• special computer included;
• a wide range of applications in the online store.

disadvantages

• high price.

SMART SBX885

Rating: 4.8

The second interactive whiteboard in our ranking is the flagship of the eighth SMART Board series. This model is already much cheaper than the first one, but in its class it really is one of the best. Actually, this is no longer a 'big monitor', but really a board with a projector and a gesture recognition system.

The dimensions of the canvas are 188×117 cm (87 inches diagonal) with an aspect ratio of 16:10. The projector is installed fixed in the upper part, broadcasts an image with a resolution of up to 4000×4000. For gesture recognition, the DViT optical technology is used – 4 cameras are installed at the corners of the canvas. Double spelling is supported.

DViT recognition technology allows multiple users to work with the board simultaneously. You can use styluses, pens, any non-sharp objects, or your own fingers. Multitouch allows you to modify, rotate, move and scale individual objects or the whole image. The surface of the board has a durable steel base with a durable polyester coating and can be used passively with dry erase markers.

A special extended panel is used to control the device, with which you can easily switch between different devices – laptops, document cameras, optical drives and other multimedia devices.

The system can be easily integrated into the general infrastructure of the institution through connection to a local network and remote control. The delivery set includes specialized SMART Notebook software with an activation key.

Overall dimensions of the board – 199x130x17 mm, in the package – 224x144x11 mm, weight in the package – 41 kg. The package includes the board itself with the projector, an extended control panel, a set for fastening with screws; a set of markers; 5m USB cable; instruction. The device is compatible with operating systems Windows and Mac OS.

The manufacturer's warranty for this model is 12 months.

Advantages

• ease of installation and use;
• speed and accuracy of gesture recognition;
• speed of work in general;
• set of software;
• high resolution, high quality image;
• multitouch – simultaneous use by several people.

disadvantages

• fixed connection of the board and the projector.

Smart Board SB480IV4

Rating: 4.7

Another Smart interactive whiteboard in our rating formally has a little less functionality than the previous solution, but it is not devoid of some qualities that characterize it from the good side.

The SB480IV4 is a complete interactive kit that includes a whiteboard, a short throw projector with remote control, and a set of accessories. The SMART V30 projector broadcasts an image with a resolution of XGA (1024×768) and an aspect ratio of 4: 3; Supports HDTV via HDMI 1.4 input. Also, the projector has a built-in 5-watt speaker.

This solution uses the same DViT optical gesture recognition technology as in the previous model, but not so perfect – only two cameras are used. This allows no more than two people to use the board at the same time.

The size of the board is 157×117 (77 inches). The brightness of the image under optimal ambient light conditions reaches 3000 lm, the contrast is up to 2900 to 1. The lamp resource in standard operating mode is 6500 hours, in economical mode – up to 8000. The set of interfaces includes: two 15-pin Mini D-Sub x 2 sockets; one composite RCA input; one 9-pin RS-232 D-Sub interface, one 15-pin D-Sub computer input, standard stereo Mini Jack audio input and output.

The system is as simple and straightforward to install and operate, has almost the same functionality as the previous solution in terms of using applications, drawing, writing, integration into the general infrastructure of the institution. The surface of the board is the same as the model above – a metal base with a durable polyester coating that resists abrasion.

The system delivery set includes: whiteboard, tray, mounting kit with screws, marker, 5-meter USB-cable, projector, bracket, remote control with battery, 4.5-meter power cable, set of decorative covers, bracket, installation and connection instructions .

Advantages

• high quality short throw projector;
• high-quality, bright and contrasting image;
• quite effective gesture recognition;
• simultaneous use by two operators;
• ease of installation, operation and integration into other systems.

disadvantages

• no pronounced flaws were found.

Activboard Touch 88

Rating: 4.6

Another representative of the Promethean product lines completes our rating. Even with a number of reservations, this model cannot be considered the 'little sister' of the above-described top-end Touch 86 “4K solution, since the principle here is completely different, but on the whole the model is of high quality and functional, but it costs incommensurably cheaper.

So this is a 'classic' board that will require a projector to work with. The size of the working canvas is 190×119 cm (88 inches) with an aspect ratio of 16:10. The principle of touch recognition is infrared (up to 6 simultaneous touches are supported). The technology of double writing is supported. The device software is compatible with the operating systems Windows and Mac OS.

Features of this model: support for up to six users at the same time; writing, drawing objects with a choice of line thickness, any manipulations; a set of electronic 'versions' of educational devices – a ruler, protractor, and so on; handwriting recognition; video recording of what is happening on the screen; a set of ready-made templates; support for different student testing systems.

The package includes: whiteboard, 5m USB cable, wall mount kit, brackets for attaching to the stand, two stylus, instructions.

Overall dimensions of the board without packaging – 2006x1292x40 mm, in the package – 2148x1422x100. Package weight – 30 kg.

The manufacturing guarantee for this model is 12 months.

Advantages

• high sensitivity to touch;
• multitouch up to 6 simultaneous touches;
• abrasion-resistant coating, durable base;
• functional software.

disadvantages

• you need to select a suitable projector separately.

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Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.