In short, while they are all compatible, most are certified. The Logitech Rally range, comprising the Rally Bar, Rally Bar Mini, Rally Bar Huddle and Rally Plus is certified for Microsoft Teams Rooms and Google Meet; the Rally Bar, Rally Bar Mini and Rally Bar Huddle are also certified for Zoom Rooms, while Rally Plus is compatible with Zoom and not certified.
The hardware will be able to run Teams Rooms or Zoom Rooms directly on the device (in appliance mode) depending on the model, or it can be connected via USB-C to a laptop and then support any conferencing platform (in BYOD mode).
That deals with the headline question. When you actually want to specify a room, the details become more important, so let’s examine what the certification includes, where it applies, and what it means for an organisation that uses both Teams and Zoom.
What does “certified” actually mean?
The manufacturer – for example, Microsoft, Zoom or Teams has checked and certified the hardware for audio and video quality, reliability, and ongoing firmware and feature support. Although uncertified devices can connect and join a call, they aren’t included in that support arrangement: they don’t have guaranteed compatibility with new platform features, don’t receive fast-tracked firmware fixes, and often have no official troubleshooting procedure if something goes wrong.
For you, the person who is the buyer, the practical difference lies between “it works today” and “it’s supported for the entire lifetime of the room.”
Certification by product line
Device | Zoom Rooms Appliance | Teams Rooms (Android) | Teams Rooms (Windows) | Google Meet |
Rally Bar | Certified | Certified | Certified | Certified |
Rally Bar Mini | Certified | Certified | Certified (with PC) | Certified |
Rally Bar Huddle | Certified | Certified | Certified (with PC) | Certified |
Rally Plus | Compatible (not certified) | Certified | Certified | Certified |
A couple of things worth noting in this table:
- Teams Rooms on Windows typically needs an external compute unit (a PC or Logitech’s RoomMate/Tap IP) alongside the bar itself. In contrast, Teams Rooms on Android runs natively on the device, and Zoom Rooms Appliance mode generally does too, with no separate PC required.
- Rally Plus, which is Logitech’s modular system intended for use in larger rooms, is certified for use with Teams Rooms and Google Meet and is described by Logitech as being compatible with Zoom rather than being Zoom-certified; it also requires the RoomMate compute unit in order to operate in appliance mode.
The lists of certified products are kept up to date as new firmware and models are released, so when you’re specifying a room today it’s a good idea to check the current situation against Logitech’s own CollabOS certification guide before finalising your setup.
Appliance mode or BYOD mode
This is the distinction that actually decides what a room can do:
Appliance mode runs Teams Rooms or Zoom Rooms directly on the bar via Logitech’s CollabOS. No laptop is needed to join a call; tap the calendar entry on the touch controller, and you’re in. This is the right setup for a room permanently dedicated to one platform.
In BYOD (bring your own device) mode the Rally bar functions as a USB camera, microphone, and speaker for any device that is connected to it. The laptop then hosts the real Teams, Zoom, Meet, or Webex client and the Rally hardware acts only as a peripheral. The need for platform certification is now irrelevant when setting up the room since the room is not tied to a single platform.
What if the Teams and Zoom meetings are being held in the same building?
We hear this question often from corporate clients, and the answer depends on how the room is used:
It is possible for a room to switch from Teams Rooms to Zoom Rooms appliance software on supported Rally hardware. However, this involves re-provisioning the device and represents a deliberate switch rather than something that a user can carry out during a meeting.
Where both platforms are to be used in turn, we believe that BYOD mode is the sensible solution. People such as guests, contractors, or teams who use a platform other than your standard one can connect in and make use of the room’s camera and audio facilities without anyone needing to alter the appliance settings.
There’s one point that should be taken into account: if you want to run a Rally Bar in Teams Rooms appliance mode you’ll need a Teams Rooms resource account together with a corresponding Microsoft licence; this represents a Microsoft 365 cost which is in addition to the hardware price. It’s something that should be included in your budget from the outset. Nevertheless, it’s up to Microsoft or your licensing reseller to deal with the licensing aspect and to provide advice as to which tier or agreement is suitable for your organisation rather than Runtech.
Certification covers the whole stack, not just the bar, so the room configuration matters too.
The Rally bar is not operated in isolation and its certification does not automatically apply to all the devices connected to it. The touch controllers (Tap and Tap IP), the Rally Mic Pods, which are used to extend audio coverage in bigger rooms, and the RoomMate compute unit each have their own certification status for each platform. When a room is put together using a number of different components, the certified configuration is the particular combination that has been tested, not any of the individual components.
A room that has been poorly specified will quietly fail in this way: if a certified bar is paired with an uncertified microphone extension or the wrong compute unit, the result is not a certified room, even though each of the individual components is a real Logitech product.
Matching Rally to room size
Certification is only useful if the hardware is right for the space:
- Rally Bar Huddle – small meeting rooms and huddle spaces
- Rally Bar Mini – small to medium rooms
- Rally Bar – medium to large rooms
- Rally Plus – large to extra-large rooms and boardrooms, where modular mics and speakers are needed to cover a bigger table
The certification status is the same for both Teams and Zoom in all of these cases, which means that the choice of platform need not influence decisions regarding room size since the two factors are independent.
The size of the room is merely the starting point rather than the deciding factor; in reality, the decision depends on the room’s specifications—namely, the shape of the room, the position of the display, and the width of the field of view that the camera has to cover. For instance, in a rectangular room where the display and Rally Bar are positioned along the longer wall, the camera may need to cover a wider area to capture everyone in the room. In this situation, the Rally Bar Mini’s wider field of view may be more suitable, even if the overall room size would typically suggest the Rally Bar. This is why we advise selecting the hardware based on the room’s actual layout and seating arrangement, rather than simply its size on a floor plan.
FAQ’s
Yes, for both Teams Rooms on Android (native, no PC required) and Teams Rooms on Windows (with an external compute unit).
Yes, certified for Zoom Rooms Appliance mode.
No. Rally Plus is certified for Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, but Logitech lists it as compatible with Zoom rather than Zoom-certified.
Yes, by re-provisioning the appliance software; however, it requires a deliberate configuration change rather than an instant toggle. For rooms that need to flex between platforms regularly, BYOD/USB mode is usually more practical.
Generally, yes - Teams Rooms on Windows will typically require an external compute unit alongside the bar, unlike Teams Rooms on Android or Zoom Rooms Appliance mode.
Yes, the Rally Bar, Rally Bar Mini, Rally Bar Huddle, and Rally Plus are certified for Google Meet.
Getting the certified stack right
The certification shows that the hardware will function reliably on a particular platform – it does not ensure a smooth deployment. Problems usually arise in the areas of licensing, network configuration, the allocation of resource accounts, and matching the microphone coverage to the size of the room, even if all the components listed in the specification are actually certified.
That’s the sort of thing Runtech deals with: providing a certified stack which is suitable for your rooms, your platforms, and the way your teams work on a day-to-day basis—not just a collection of individually certified boxes. A suitable certified setup should match the room, the platform, and the way people use it, and that is why it is important to get the stack right. To put it plainly, the key point is to get the certified stack right, not just the certified components.
Get in touch with Runtech to talk through your room requirements.
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