It is a little difficult for a group of people to hold a conversation over a regular telephone handset. Thats why conference phones exist. They enable individuals or groups to interact with one another without needing them to be in the same physical location. Conference phones are wonderful and innovative tools that are quickly becoming indispensable in any type of large organization. Understanding how they work will give you a better appreciation for this.
The Inner Workings
Conference phones consist of microphone and speakers. These components relay audio signals much like a speakerphone does. Conference phones are designed with groups of people huddled around it in mind. This means they dont have to crowd around a unidirectional audio apparatus, or worse yet, a small handset. Conference phones are usually self-contained units that are placed at the center of a meeting table. They connect to a regular phone wire. More advanced models may have the option of adding more microphones to better capture all the sounds in the entire room.
Most regular speakerphones operate in half-duplex mode. This means that the speaker is muted whenever the microphone is...