Like most people trying to get used to working from home these days, Michael Vitiello turned his family’s home into their new workplace. He found it tough finding someone having a call with their camera on or mic without knowing. Let’s face it, we’ve all been victims of this new online setup in one way or another; forgetting to turn the camera off is one of the many blunders we’ve seen all year.
However, Vitiello saw this dilemma as an opportunity to innovate something new and gave birth to the idea of an automated signal whenever someone’s camera and/or mic is on: the On Air Warning. This device alerts users when the camera and microphone are on to avoid any embarrassing and awkward situations.
Meeting in progress
On Air Warning was created for those who are working from home or doing remote learning. This can be used if and when you’re in a meeting or simply have your camera and/or mic on and don’t want anybody to disturb you. Since meetings, training, and seminars are done over the web, the device can save from that embarrassing moment of having the camera on when it shouldn’t be this would save people from reciting their spiels with their mics on mute.
This double-sided indicator lights up to indicate three things: when the microphone is on or off, when the camera is on or off, and when a meeting is going on or not. On Air Warning not only alerts other people that the user is in a call or on video, but it also keeps the users aware of whether their mic and camera are on or not.
The indicator lights of On Air Warning can be customized with 8 color options. But for those who want to fully customize their units, they can do so for a minimum of 120 units with a $200 setup fee. With this, you would be able to the graphics and the labels on the units.
Using the device
While the idea of having the On Air Warning capable as a wireless device, they wanted to avoid the lights running out on the users when the battery is dead. The idea doesn’t seem like it’s off the table yet, but in the meantime, the device works on a USB-A to USB-C. It also comes with a USB-C adaptor for those with USB-C ports on their computers. The warning light can be moved from one computer to another, but it can only be used on one device at a time.
Normally, one would put this device on their desk or on a shelf that is easily visible to everyone, so the device has desk mounts for those situations. However, in most cases, it would be more visible for the users if it was approximately near to their screens, that’s why On Air Warning also comes with a clip mount that can fit any monitor or laptop.
There is no denying that the education sector is one of those that use the online platform the most during this pandemic season. That is why On Air Warning plans to use 1% of the sales for donating the meeting indicator lights to teachers, most especially those that are in financially challenged areas.
This device would really help in avoiding those embarrassing situations on camera or during a call. For those interested, On Air Warning is available for pre-order at Indiegogo for only $49. The device works for both Mac and PCs, compatible with Zoom and Teams.
YouTube: The On Air Warning Story – Know When You’re On!
Photo credits: The images are owned by On Air Warning and have been provided for press usage.
