Teleconferencing is a live feed between multiple people by means of a camera, microphone, and/or other devices. Teleconferencing is used by both residential and commercial users to communicate with each other without being in the same room. Teleconferencing is different than telephony, although it may utilize a telephone connection, because it allows users to actually see each other and/or transfer data. Additionally, teleconferencing can support many different users simultaneously and allow them to share information with any other user in the teleconference either individually or as a whole.

 

How Teleconferencing Works

Teleconferencing may utilize a telephone connection, the Internet, a telegraph, teletypewriter, radio, television, microphone, and/or webcam. While the term teleconferencing is generally reserved to systems that have a two-way webcam in which all users are able to see and speak to each other in real-time, other instant communication methods, such as instant messaging and SMS can also constitute a teleconference.

 

Applications

Although teleconferencing was originally developed for commercial use, it is often used by residential users more than it is by commercial users. Many companies do not like using teleconferencing because of high costs associated with installing equipment in multiple locations and high bandwidth from streaming live content. However, residential users have often found free and creative techniques to implement teleconferencing, such as the use of Skype and Windows Live Messenger on smartphones and tablets.