Facilitation

Remote groups in Teams: plan them and connect them with a link

Groups in Teams, Zoom or Meet join the conversation through a link: one person per group opens it in Chrome or Edge on their computer and shares the computer sound. Plan the groups in the conversation's Groups section and paste the invitation in the Teams chat.

Updated Oct 10, 20264 min read

Remote groups sit in a Teams, Zoom or Meet meeting while the other groups sit at tables. In RoomRadar a remote group is an ordinary group. One person in each group opens the conversation's link on their computer, shares the computer sound and allows the microphone. RoomRadar then hears everything said in the group's room, just like a phone at a table, and the group shows in the group column with a laptop beside its name.

Invite the groups with the link

1
Open the dialog
Open the conversation. On the connect screen press More ways to connect, then Connect digital groups. The dialog shows the conversation's link with a button to copy it.
2
Send the link
Copy the link and paste it in the Teams chat. The dialog says what happens next: "One person per group opens it in Chrome or Edge on their computer and picks their group."
3
The groups join
The person who opens the link picks their group on Which group are you?, the same page the phones show (the conversation's planned groups, or a name under New group), presses Continue, presses Share the computer's sound and allows the microphone. The page shows step by step what to choose in the browser's sharing dialog. The group shows up in the list only once both the computer sound and the microphone are on. In Teams breakout rooms, one person in each room opens the link on their own computer. If the group is already connected from another computer, the page asks whether to Take over, and the other computer then stops sending sound. A computer that comes back (the link opened again, a reload) starts on Which group are you? with its group already selected: press Continue.
4
On the person's page
At the top the page shows Group name (they can rename the group there) and the Room code. The three dots hold Change group, which moves the group without stopping the sound, and Leave the conversation. If the microphone is the wrong one, the arrow at the right of The microphone works! lists the computer's microphones; choosing one switches it without stopping the computer sound.

What the group row says

A group that joined through the link has a laptop beside its name. Connected means both the computer sound and the microphone come through. Microphone only (amber) means the computer sound is not shared, so what is said in Teams is missed: ask the person to press Share the computer's sound again. Computer sound only (amber) means the microphone is off, so the person at the computer is not heard. No sound (amber) means the page is open but neither the computer sound nor the microphone comes through. Hover the row to read what to do. If a group that was connected loses its computer sound, or the whole computer, a red line at the bottom of the page says so, for example Group 3: the computer sound was disconnected. It goes away by itself when the sound is back. If the person presses Leave the conversation, the group reads Disconnected with no red line. If someone closes the tab the group reads Disconnected, and opening the link again in the same browser (and pressing Continue with the group selected) brings them back as the same group, with a short green reconnected. Rename and remove work as for a phone.

Plan them in the Groups section

To see the groups ahead of time, open the conversation's settings in the plan, open Groups and add them as ordinary groups. There is no separate remote group to plan: on the link page the computer picks from the conversation's planned groups, just like a phone. No meeting link is needed, and you can start right away and let the groups join when they are ready.

Every change saves at once and can be undone with Undo. A group that joins through the link counts towards the group limit like any other group.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a bot or a Teams link?

No. The groups join through RoomRadar's link from one computer in each group. Nobody has to be let in from a lobby.

Which browser is needed?

Chrome or Edge on a computer, because they can share the computer sound. In Firefox, Safari and on phones the page says This browser cannot share the computer's sound and asks the person to open the link in Chrome or Edge on a computer, with a button that copies the link.

How do Teams breakout rooms work?

One person in each room opens the link on their computer. The computer hears both the room's conversation in Teams and the person at it, so the whole group comes through.

Does RoomRadar hear the group when the person is muted in Teams?

Yes. The computer's microphone and sound go to RoomRadar regardless of Teams. That is why the page the person at the computer sees says so.

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