Review: BenQ RP04 Interactive Flat Panel
An education-focussed interactive whiteboard with ‘best-in-class’ UI, hardware and IT admin features.
13 August 2024
Review:/ Christopher Holder
All the big names in display technology have had a crack – or so it seems. All have set their sights set on the education market with an interactive flat panel product.
My sense is there’s almost a ‘how hard can it be?’ mentality to getting an IFP into the classroom. But the reality is very different.
One of the reasons why it’s tough to crack the education market is down to the fact the display hardware mostly plays second fiddle to the GUI and ease of use. Sure, it needs to have the right features but latency or whiteboard parallax is no longer going to make or break a classroom product, more likely it’s because the teacher can’t plumb their laptop into the front panel of the screen – or a similar issue that creates workflow friction for the educator.
HISTORY LESSON
BenQ has been putting interactive whiteboards into classrooms since 2012. BenQ is not a fly-by-night blow-in, rather it has 10-plus years of feedback from educators. All of which is very evident in its latest generation of IFPs.
I was sent the BenQ RP04 in for assessment. I’ve been looking at the 65-inch version and a 75- and 86-inch version complete the range.
Immediately, there are some features that stand out as education-friendly, such as the range of front-facing I/O – including a USB-C port that provides a meaty 100W of power along with high-speed data – ideal for powering a laptop.
On the other corner are always-there, go-to buttons that ensure you’re never lost without a remote control, or so deep in a on-screen menu you can’t find your way out. If you ask me, we could all do with a Home button.
I mentioned the importance of the UI and the software package but, of course, the hardware and operating system need to be rock-solid. The RP04 series is powered by Android 13 on an octa-core Pro processor. This isn’t some hobbled version of Android. The RP04 series is EDLA certified, meaning the whole world of Google mobile apps are at your disposal. Enterprise Devices Licensing Agreement (or EDLA) is a reasonably recent development from Google and helps to bring a large interactive display neatly and seamlessly into the Google Mobile Services ecosystem without workarounds, such as the side-loading of apps. It also results in a UI that looks and feels more like a big Android tablet or phone. For teachers relying on Google for Education tools there’s now no need to mirror their laptops, everything is at hand directly from the BenQ RP04 interactive display.
SYSTEM SPECS
Memory | Storage: 8GB | 64GB
OS: Android 13 (EDLA)
GPU: Arm Mali-G57 MC5
CPU: Arm Cortex-A78 × 4 + A55 × 4
Front Panel Connectivity
1 x USB-C (100W Bus Power)
2 x USB-3.0 (Type A)
1 x HDMI2.0
1 x Touchback USB (Type-B)
1 x Minijack Mic In
NEAR & FAR
Further to the top-line hardware features is the panel’s NFC sensor. If you’ve ever had your doubts about the utility of NFC beyond getting into your hotel room, then look no further than the RP04. At a bear minimum the NFC sensor allows teachers to swipe to log-in but there are other major advantages. More than one teacher can have their own customised screen setups on a single display, just by swiping in with a personalised NFC keycard. I also appreciate how the NFC sensor can facilitate the easy sharing of content with an Android phone – simply tap to share.
Other standout hardware features include next-level eyesafe certification to protect young, ahem, pupils, and an air ionizer to filter out airborne nasties and an air sensor that detects the usual suspects (CO₂, PM₂.₅, PM₁₀, TVOC, CH₂O, temperature, humidity). BenQ has also upgraded the RP04’s germ resistance, including on the pens, remote and I/O ports.
CANDID CAMERA
Cameras aren’t standard on education displays and generally raise privacy red flags. But in cases where a camera is required, BenQ offers a companion DV01K AI camera. It fits snuggly into the top mount of the RP04 without needing an additional USB cable. The Zoom-certified 4K camera includes a four-element mic array for capturing student and teacher contributions up to a quoted 8 metres away, with noise reduction. There are some autoframing features and 4x digital zoom.
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The RP04 series is EDLA certified, meaning the whole world of Google mobile apps are at your disposal
AWS, Security & EZWrite
Back in 2023, BenQ successfully completed the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Foundational Technical Review (FTR) for EZWrite 6. The way Amazon describes it, “the AWS FTR mitigates risks in software and creates an additional layer of protection for customers using cloud-based solutions developed by official AWS Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Partners such as BenQ”. It means that EZWrite 6 adheres to AWS best practices and guidelines in order to reduce risks related to security, reliability, and operational excellence, as defined by the AWS Well-Architected Framework. Cloud-based interactions are especially important in remote and hybrid classroom scenarios, and the FTR provides further reassurances to educators that the EZWrite tools are secure.
SOFTWARE
With Google Play, the RP04 can host just about any app you can think of, but the unit comes preloaded with two of BenQ’s stalwart software solutions – EZWrite and InstaShare – catering to the display’s two main use cases – whiteboarding and collaboration.
Version 6 of EZWrite is a mature, powerful and logical whiteboarding app. New features including improved handwriting recognition and text to speech.
Instashare takes care of wireless screen sharing and presentation duties without fuss, including all-important content moderation, and an AI feature that automatically detects and blocks lewd content. Teachers need all the help they can get when it comes to web nasties being shown deliberately or accidentally, so these features are welcome.
BACK END
From an administration perspective, BenQ has a suite of solutions headed by its DMS platform for managing and monitoring a fleet of BenQ classroom devices – including pushing firmware updates and security patches.
AMS is a cloud-based platform that allows teachers to log into their own accounts and admins can assign roles and more. The level of sophistication of these admin tools is deep and comprehensive – even for the largest of institutions.
UNDERSTANDING TEACHERS
BenQ is attuned to the needs of teachers and the school IT department. The RP04 isn’t yet another bit of tech teachers need to get their heads around, it’s smart and familiar. The Google EDLA certification along with the BenQ admin tools will keep the IT gatekeepers happy. RP04 is as secure as anything on the network and easy to manage.
BenQ: benq.com/en-au
RESPONSES