January 2016 Evaluation of the Tely 200 Video System and the Tely Portal

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1 January 2016 Evaluation of the Tely 200 Video System and the Tely Portal Results of our hands-on testing of this low cost, standards-based endpoint and back-end management portal.

2 Background Founded in 2010 by serial entrepreneurs Sreekanth Ravi (company chairman) and Sudhaker Ravi (company CTO), venture-backed Tely ( is based in CA and currently employs ~ 60 people. - In early 2012, Tely (called Tely Labs at that point) introduced the telyhd Base a low-cost, Skype-based video conferencing endpoint intended for living rooms or small meeting rooms. - In November 2012, Tely released the telyhd Business Edition video endpoint which included access to the telycloud which offered basic multipoint functionality. - In September 2013, Tely released a 2nd generation video conferencing endpoint, the telyhd Pro. Unlike the prior Skype-only system, the telyhd Pro was SIP-based and included user interface enhancements to simplify connections to Blue Jeans and other hosted providers. These products and services were sold via a network of channel partners. While Tely enjoyed some success selling (and is still selling) the telyhd Pro system, customers and prospects identified a handful of product deficiencies including lack of 1080p video support, the marginal quality of Tely-hosted multipoint calls, the lack of dual-screen capabilities, and the lack of remote monitoring and management capabilities. With the above feedback in mind, the company did a re-spin of its flagship product and corporate branding by changing its company name from Tely Labs to Tely, and by changing its product names from one word e.g. telyhd, to two words e.g. Tely 200. In late October 2015, Tely released two new offerings, the Tely 200 video endpoint and the Tely Portal, which the company believes not only addresses the deficiencies of the prior generation product, but also supports its mission statement of Delivering cloud-optimized endpoints for creative teams so that everyday visual collaboration is easy in the huddle space. In December 2015, Tely commissioned the WR test team to perform a third-party assessment of the Tely 200 and the Tely Portal. To facilitate the assessment, Tely provided WR with several Tely 200 endpoints and a customer account on the Tely Portal. This document contains the results of our hands-on testing of this product / service combination Wainhouse Research Page 2

3 The Tely Product / Service Portfolio The Tely 200 Video Endpoint The Tely 200 is an all in one, SIP-based, set-top video conferencing endpoint with a list price of US $1,500. Key features of the Tely 200 include: - Integrated fixed 1080p camera with 4x digital zoom and a 76 degrees horizontal field of view - Integrated dual microphones - Support for an optional external (USB) mic (available for purchase from Tely or from others) - Support for single or dual displays - Support for 1080p video resolution - Support for both wired and wireless (over IP) content sharing - IR remote with QWERTY keyboard (to simplify initial configuration, entry of dialing strings, etc.) - Five (5) year hardware warranty The Tely 200 works in conjunction with (and actually requires) the Tely Portal, and was designed to be used with third-party, standards-based video calling services and video conferencing infrastructure solutions. In addition, the Tely 200 offers an optimized workflow and integration with cloud-based video services such as Blue Jeans Network, Videonor, Zoom, and Pexip-based calling services. Furthermore, the Tely 200 integrates with Google, Office 365 (Outlook / Exchange) and Blue Jeans Network calendars Wainhouse Research Page 3

4 The Tely Portal The Tely Portal is a cloud portal, created by Tely, and hosted by Tely, that allows customers to activate, monitor, and manage their deployment of Tely 200 video endpoints. Key features of the Tely Portal include: - User authentication - Centralized licensing for Tely 200 endpoints - Device provisioning for Tely 200 endpoints - Centralized directory services - Device monitoring - Device management The Tely Services Package For $300 per year (or $600 for 3 years), Tely customers receive the following package: - A license to use a single Tely 200 (the license is for the Tely OS powering the endpoint) - Inclusion of the licensed Tely 200 within the Tely Portal (allows for endpoint provisioning, monitoring, management, etc.) - Software updates for the licensed Tely 200 endpoint - Technical support for the licensed Tely 200 endpoint So the actual cost of a single Tely 200 endpoint is US $1,500 up front plus $300 per year (or $200 per year with a 3-year contract), starting with year one, for the required services package Wainhouse Research Page 4

5 Hands-On Testing Tely System Installation The installation of the Tely 200 requires the connection of only three cables; a power cable (5v DC), an Ethernet cable, and an HDMI cable to the main display. The drawing at right shows the connection diagram for a Tely 200 install including dual displays and the optional Tely audio pod (external mic). In our case, it took longer to unpack the Tely 200 than it did to connect the device. Once powered on, the device displays a welcome message on the main display and asks the user to select his preferred language. The system then performs a network check to verify both Ethernet and Internet connectivity. Once completed, the system automatically checks for and installs any necessary software updates. All of these steps are presented within a user-friendly installation wizard. Based on our testing, we believe anyone with basic computer or smart phone skills can install and initially configure a Tely 200, without the need for IT support Wainhouse Research Page 5

6 Tely System Activation via the Tely Portal Once the Tely 200 completes its software updates (if needed), the user is presented with the Enter Pairing Code screen shown at right. The Tely 200 activation process is similar to that of many other product / service offerings (e.g. Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, etc.). The activation process requires the following steps: - Visiting the Tely Portal ( - Registering for a free user account (available with or without owning a device) - Receiving a verification and clicking on the verification link within the - Logging into the Tely Portal - Clicking on the Provision button - Providing some basic information (e.g. system name to be displayed) - Choosing a few device settings including: o Which services should be enabled / pre-loaded on the system (e.g. SIP, Blue Jeans Network, Pexip-based services, Videonor, and Zoom) o o Whether to enable the device s API and the Tely Share function Selecting which endpoint directory to use with the system. - Clicking Save to store the information and settings within the portal s database - Entering the Pairing Key shown on the portal main page into the video system - Pressing the Next button to start the provisioning process - Confirming the account information on the main display (see screenshot below at left) and clicking Yes. - Adjusting the screen size (see screenshot below at right) if necessary. - Clicking Next The system is now fully activated, provisioned, and ready for its first video call Wainhouse Research Page 6

7 While somewhat lengthy to read, the above activation / provisioning process took us less than 10 minutes to complete for our first Tely 200 endpoint, and less than 3 minutes for our second endpoint. And the process was simple enough for any information worker to complete without the need for IT support. The WR test team was impressed by the simplicity of the system activation and provisioning process. Having tested many endpoints and activation workflows, we know that many companies ignore or deprioritize this initial setup process. Tely has clearly invested time and design resources into this effort. Relevant Notes: 1) When the user first logs into the portal, the system automatically generates and displays a pairing code for use with his first Tely 200 system. This makes it very easy to provision the first system. 2) The system includes one default directory, but allows users to create additional directories. 3) The QWERTY keyboard on the back of the Tely IR remote made it fast and easy to enter the pairing code into the Tely 200 device. Tely Calendar Integration The Tely 200 supports integration with the following calendars; Blue Jeans Network, Google, and Office 365 (Outlook / Exchange). Note that the calendar integration feature does not enable calls to Google or Office 365 systems or meetings. Tely relies on 3 rd party services (e.g. Blue Jeans Network and others) to interoperate with these systems. Instead, the calendar integration provides access to a hosted calendar that includes appointments for SIP calls. At this time, calendar integration for Blue Jeans Network and Google can be enabled / configured on both the Tely Portal and on the Tely 200 system via the on-screen user interface. Office 365 calendar integration, however, must be enabled / configured directly on the Tely 200 system. The process for connecting to a hosted calendar is as follows: - Selecting the hosted calendar from a list (see screenshot of endpoint view below at left) - Entering the username and password into the hosted calendar s authentication page (see Office 365 screenshot below at right) Once completed, the upcoming events page on the Tely 200 main page is automatically populated with the upcoming meetings contained in the hosted calendar (more on this below) Wainhouse Research Page 7

8 We tested the ability to connect with each of the supported hosted calendars. In all cases, the calendar connections worked exactly as expected and offered both a listing of pending meetings (including meeting title, host, start date and time, duration, and address / meeting room ID), and the ability to connect to meetings with a single click. The two services that support multiple calendars, Google and Office 365, even allowed us to choose which calendar to use. Relevant Notes: 1) The Tely 200 supports a connection to only one calendar at a time. While this sounds like a restriction, we believe this to be a wise choice by Tely as connecting to multiple calendars would be both confusing and could create a security issue. 2) If the Tely 200 is installed within a shared meeting room, to avoid confusion and maintain privacy, WR believes the best approach is to create a dedicated calendar for the video system / meeting room instead of connecting to individual users calendars. 3) While it was not particularly difficult to configure the calendar connection within the user interface of the endpoint, we believe most users will opt to configure this integration via the portal. 4) We were pleased to learn that when the Tely 200 is connected to a hosted calendar, no user credentials or passwords are stored on the Tely endpoint. Instead, once authenticated with the calendar service, the Tely system is provided only an access token Wainhouse Research Page 8

9 Tely 200 Joining Video Meetings The Tely 200 supports four ways to place (or join) a video meeting. Connection Method #1 - Calendar Quick-Connect Assuming the Tely 200 has an existing connection to a hosted calendar, joining a meeting is as easy as clicking on the calendar entry (see screenshot below including three Upcoming Events ). WR tested this capability, and it worked perfectly. Connection Method #2 Video Service Quick Connect For pre-configured services (e.g. Blue Jeans Networks or Zoom as shown in the screenshot below), joining a meeting hosted on these services is as easy as clicking on the icon, entering the meeting ID, entering a passcode (if required by the meeting host), and then clicking Join Meeting. Once again, this method worked fine and enabled us to join hosted meetings in less than one minutes Wainhouse Research Page 9

10 Connection Method #3 My Contacts Tely users can define address book contacts on the Tely Portal or directly on the Tely 200 endpoint. Each address book entry includes the following: - A contact name - A contact type (e.g. SIP contact, a Blue Jeans meeting contact, Zoom meeting contact, etc.) - A SIP address - And a few other settings (e.g. default Avatar, ringtone, and setting for auto answer). WR tested creating different types of contacts on both the endpoint and via the portal, and in all cases the address book functionality worked as expected. Once again, the QWERTY keyboard on the IR remote made simple work of entering names and addresses. Dialing an address book contact requires only a single click on that contact s icon (see screen shot at the top of the prior page showing several entries under My Contacts ). In our case, we pre-defined our Blue Jeans Network and Zoom meeting rooms as contacts within the system. This gave us one-click access to virtual meeting rooms we used every day. Connection Method #4 Dial by SIP Address The system also allows the user to enter and dial any SIP address. As a part of our testing, we conducted numerous successful SIP calls between the Tely 200 and various standards-based video systems and software clients. Summary of Join a Meeting Experience / Testing Based on our testing, it is clear that Tely spent quite a bit of time thinking about the workflow and user experience of joining video meetings. The calendar connection and flexible address book made it quick and easy for us to join various types of calls. Well done. Tely 200 The Meeting Experience As a part of this effort, WR used the Tely 200 for a wide array of both test and production video calls. Video Quality - Overall, the video quality (outgoing and incoming) provided by the Tely 200 was quite good. A solid 1080p video experience that is on-par with other fixed-camera solutions. While one might expect the lack of an optical zoom to be an issue, the Tely 200 was designed for use in small rooms, which renders an optical zoom basically unnecessary. Audio Quality Overall, the audio quality during our test calls was strong. - With built-in mics the outgoing audio quality using the Tely 200 s internal mics ranged from acceptable to good depending on the distance between the person speaking and the device. - With external mic / speaker pod - the audio quality (both in and out) using the Jabra Speak 410 (provided by Tely) was strong. For larger rooms or situations in which the person speaking is far away from the device, we recommend using the external mic / speaker pod. Content Sharing - The Tely 200 supports both wired (via HDMI) and wireless (over IP) content sharing. We tested both methods, and in general the experience was fine, although the PC client used to support wireless (IP) content sharing (see screen shot below) is a bit weak. To use the client, the user must enter the IP address of the Tely device (the client doesn t automatically discover the device), and this client supports sharing the entire desktop (even dual screens) only, but not a specific application. In addition, Tely does not currently support sharing content from mobile devices Wainhouse Research Page 10

11 Summary of the Video Call Experience Testing Overall, we d give the Tely 200 video call experience a thumbs-up for both Tely to Tely calls and for SIP calls to other devices and services. All of our test calls connected properly and provided a solid meeting experience. The only fly in the ointment is in the content sharing area, which we d categorize as functional, but feature-poor. Monitoring and Management via the Tely Portal The Tely Portal supports the initial system installation and activation, and provides other valuable management features. Device Monitoring the Tely Portal includes a dashboard showing currently active calls (see screenshot below). By clicking on a specific call entry, the user gains access to detailed call information including the type of call (e.g. Zoom call), the Tely 200 s IP address, the remote device s name, the call duration, the call quality (medium, high, or low), and detailed statistics including the transmit and receive bit rates, call speed, average frame rate, video resolution, video address, audio address, and more. Throughout our testing, we referenced the Call Statistics page on both the Tely Portal and on the Tely 200 device itself. This revealed that the Tely 200 tends to transmit at the maximum SIP call rate configured within the system (default = 1.5 Mbps with an allowable range of 256 kbps to 4 Mbps) even if the call quality (resolution, frame rate, motion, etc.) does not necessitate the use of so much bandwidth. For example, the Tely 200 transmitted 1.5 Mbps for a 720p / 30 connection. Some systems we ve tested use 1 Mbps or less for a 720p / 30 call Wainhouse Research Page 11

12 Configuration Changes the Tely Portal allows the user to change Tely 200 settings including toggling auto answer, changing the screen appearance / UI, setting the default language, blocking or hiding incoming calls, configuring SIP server details, adding licenses, enabling / disabling 3 rd party services, creating admin pin codes, and more. The user can also reset or reboot the video system. We were pleased to see that setting changes were automatically and immediately saved and pushed to the endpoint. However, the portal allows changes to be made to a single Tely 200 at a time. There is no support for bulk updates. Given Tely s goal of penetrating the dozens of small meeting rooms in each enterprise, bulk updates is a feature that should be added. Directory the Tely Portal allows the user to create multiple directories, add / remove endpoints from each directory, update directory entries, and more. Inventory the Tely Portal also allows the user to create add new endpoints, generate new pairing keys, and provision newly purchased endpoints. Usage Reporting the Tely Portal provides information about the current status of each system (online / offline, in a call, etc.) and the calls currently in progress. The system does not provide usage on a persystem basis, and the system does not support filtering by date / time. In fact, the system does not provide any historical usage data at all. This is the weakest part of the Tely Portal (and probably the Tely offering overall). Summary of the Tely Monitoring and Management Capabilities The Tely Portal offers basic device monitoring and management capabilities, but is lacking bulk processing and detailed historical usage reporting. CONCLUSION There s quite a bit to like about the Tely 200 and the back-end Tely Portal. For example, we like - the feature and functionality of the system - the inclusion of a QWERTY keyboard on the back of the IR remote - the support for dual displays (often lacking on value-priced endpoints) - the system workflow starting with the system installation, configuration, and activation, through to the one-click dialing options to leading calling services - the on-screen user interface including the use of large, clear icons for quick dialing - the calendar integration capabilities - the combined product / service approach (we call this a cloud service-attach offering) - that Tely has chosen NOT to offer bridging services, and instead is relying on partners (e.g. Blue Jeans Networks, Pexip-based services, Videonor, Zoom, and others) to provide hosted bridging. - the overall video call experience 2016 Wainhouse Research Page 12

13 Overall, we found using the Tely 200 to be a pleasure. But alas no technology solution is ever perfect. In Tely s case, the weaknesses are limited, but include: - the weak usage reporting offered within the Tely Portal - the look / feel of the Tely 200 device itself - the plastic looks / feels a bit consumer-ish, and the device design could be more attractive and svelte. - the design of the Tely 200 IR remote while functional and we appreciate the QWERTY keyboard on the remote, the design is too utilitarian (meaning useful, but not attractive). We d categorize these items as areas in need of improvement, but somewhat trivial in the scheme of things. If nothing else, the positives of the Tely 200 far outweigh these minor negatives. In terms of cost, the Tely 200 s list price of US $1,500 is on par or even lower than the list prices of entrylevel systems from leading vendors (note that the street-prices of both the Tely system and competing offerings may vary significantly). We also noted that Tely s annual service fee of $300 ($200 if in a 3-year contract) is higher than the typical fee for annual maintenance. Furthermore, the annual fee is required from day one. If you don t pay the fee, you can t use the endpoint. Tely s position is that its endpoint and service, and specifically the Tely Portal, more than justify the annual fee. Overall, we give the Tely 200 a thumbs up. However, we believe that Tely s success with this product / service combination will depend more on business factors (competitive stance, sales and marketing investments, go to market choices, channel partner commitment, etc.) than on its technology. Enterprises seeking a low cost, well performing video endpoint with a highly streamlined workflow should give the Tely 200 some careful consideration Wainhouse Research Page 13

14 About the Authors Ira M. Weinstein is a Senior Analyst & Partner at Wainhouse Research and a 20-year veteran of the conferencing, collaboration and audio-visual industries. Ira has authored and contributed to dozens of articles, white papers, studies, reports, and evaluations on rich media communications, video conferencing, streaming and webcasting, audio-visual design and integration, business strategy, and general business practices. Ira specializes in providing strategic advisory services to vendors, resellers, and end-users within the collaboration space. Ira can be reached at iweinstein@wainhouse.com. Saar Litman is a Senior Researcher & Consultant at Wainhouse Research and has 15 years of experience in the audio-visual and video conferencing industry. Saar s primary focus is the products, services, and companies within the audio-visual space. In addition, Saar provides AV design services, helps enterprise organizations define and implement global AV standard systems and designs, and manages the WR test lab in Coral Springs, Florida. Saar can be reached at slitman@wainhouse.com. About Wainhouse Research Wainhouse Research, is an independent analyst firm that focuses on critical issues in the Unified Communications and Collaboration (UC&C). The company conducts multi-client and custom research studies, consults with end users on key implementation issues, publishes white papers and market statistics, and delivers public and private seminars as well as speaker presentations at industry group meetings. About Tely (Copy provided by Tely) Tely is dedicated to bringing simple high-definition video collaboration to more huddle spaces. Our cloud-optimized endpoints enable creative teams to easily share content and interact more effectively with each other, and with their customers, partners, suppliers through visual collaboration. Founded in 2010, Tely is a private company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Visit or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to learn more Wainhouse Research Page 14