How to Join Any Video Call from Your Google Meet Room (and See How Often It’s Used)

Ever walked into a meeting room only to discover that the device only works with Google Meet, while the organiser is on Zoom or Teams? It’s a frustrating moment that wastes time and makes you look a little unprepared. The good news is that Google Meet hardware now talks to any SIP‑compatible platform, and you can even find out how often the room is being used thanks to occupancy counting.

Getting set up

Before you start, make sure you have:

• Google Meet hardware – a room device running Android or Chrome OS (think of the little all‑in‑one boxes you see in modern offices).
• Pexip interop gateway – a cloud service that translates between Google Meet and other video‑conference systems using SIP (Session Initiation Protocol, the signalling language that starts, manages, and ends calls).
• Network access – the device must be on the same corporate network that can reach the Pexip gateway.

If your organisation already licences Pexip, you’ll be given a URL and a set of credentials. If not, ask your IT admin to set one up; the process is similar to adding a new app.

1. Enable SIP on the Meet device

1. Open the Google Admin console (the web portal where you manage Google Workspace settings).
2. Navigate to Devices → Google Meet hardware.
3. Find your room device and click Edit.
4. Turn on “Allow SIP connections” – this tells the device it can accept calls that start with a SIP address.
5. Save the changes; the device will reboot automatically.

Note: Turning on SIP does not affect normal Google Meet calls – the device will still join Meet meetings as usual.

2. Add the Pexip gateway as a trusted SIP provider

1. In the same settings page, scroll to SIP settings.
2. Enter the Pexip SIP URI (something like sip:yourcompany.pexip.com) and the authentication details you received.
3. Choose “Require TLS” (Transport Layer Security) – this encrypts the signalling traffic, keeping your call data safe.
4. Click Save. The device now knows how to reach the gateway.

Using the SIP bridge to join any conference

When you schedule a meeting that is hosted on a non‑Google platform (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex, etc.), the organiser will provide a SIP address – a text string that looks like an email address, e.g., [email protected].

Step‑by‑step to join from the room

1. On the Meet room’s touch screen, tap the “Join a meeting” button.
2. Instead of entering a Google Meet link, select “SIP” as the meeting type.
3. Type or paste the SIP address supplied by the organiser.
4. Press “Join”. The device contacts the Pexip gateway, which then forwards the call to the appropriate platform.
5. Once the remote side answers, you’ll see the video and hear the audio just like any other Meet call.

Tip: If you frequently join the same external platform, ask your admin to create a shortcut (e.g., “Zoom‑Room‑A”) that auto‑populates the SIP address.

Turning on occupancy counting (Neat room hardware)

If you have a Neat room device that runs Android, you can enable occupancy counting – a sensor‑driven feature that tells you how many people are actually in the room during a meeting.

Enable the feature

1. Open the Neat app on the device (usually accessed via the Settings icon).
2. Go to Room analytics → Occupancy counting.
3. Switch the toggle to On and choose a reporting interval (e.g., every 5 minutes).
4. Save the settings. The device will start using its built‑in infrared or camera sensor to detect movement and count bodies.

Viewing the data

• In Google Admin console: Navigate to Reports → Device usage → Occupancy. You’ll see a simple chart showing average occupancy per day, week, or month.
• Exporting: You can download a CSV file to analyse patterns in Excel or Google Sheets.

Wrap‑up

Linking Google Meet hardware to any SIP‑compatible video platform removes the “stuck in Meet” barrier, while occupancy counting turns your meeting room into a smart space you can actually manage. Today, try enabling SIP on one of your room devices and schedule a test call with a colleague on a different platform – you’ll see the benefit instantly.