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If your office uses Google Meet hardware in its meeting rooms, you've probably hit this situation: the host sends a Zoom link, and your room's screen only knows how to join Google Meet. Until recently, that meant scrambling for a laptop or asking IT to "just make it work." Google Meet hardware now supports SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) — a standard rule set that lets devices start, manage, and end real-time calls. With SIP turned on, your meeting room can dial into meetings on other platforms the same way it joins a regular Meet call.
This guide walks admins through enabling it, then explains what users in the room will actually see.
Before you start
You'll need a few things ready before you begin:
- A Google Workspace account (Google's paid business suite) with admin privileges — the person who can manage your organization's devices
- Google Meet hardware already set up and enrolled in your organization: the touchscreen controller, compute unit, camera, and speaker/mic
- A Workspace edition that includes Meet hardware management — SIP dialing is a managed feature and not available on free accounts
- Roughly 15 minutes to make the change and run one test call
If you already manage Meet hardware, you're set. If you're not sure whether your rooms are enrolled, check with whoever first installed them — usually IT.
Step 1 — Sign in to the Admin console
On your computer, open a browser and go to admin.google.com. Sign in with the Workspace admin account (it usually ends in your company's domain, not @gmail.com).
After signing in, you'll land on the Admin console home. The left sidebar lists menu items like Devices, Billing, Directory, and so on. The exact list depends on what your organization uses, but Devices is where Meet hardware lives.
💬 Example: go to admin.google.com → click Devices in the left sidebar.
You'll know it worked when the Devices menu expands and shows a sub-item labeled Google Meet hardware.
Step 2 — Open your Meet hardware settings
From the Devices menu, click Google Meet hardware. You'll see a list of every meeting room device your organization has set up — usually named after the room ("Conference Room A", "Boardroom") or by serial number.
You can either click an individual device to change its settings, or select an organizational unit (a folder that groups rooms by building, floor, or team) on the left to apply settings across many rooms at once. For most offices, setting it at the top-level unit is cleanest — every room picks up the change automatically.
💬 Example: pick your top-level organizational unit on the left, then look for a settings panel on the right that mentions Calling or Dial-in.
You'll know it worked when you see a settings page with sections related to calling, network, or peripherals — exact labels vary depending on your hardware vendor.
Step 3 — Turn on SIP dialing
Inside the device settings, find the section for Calling or Dial-in options. There should be a toggle related to SIP — sometimes labeled Allow SIP calls or Enable SIP dialing. Switch it on.
Some Workspace editions also let you restrict SIP calls to specific domains — useful if you only want rooms dialing into known partners (like your Zoom account). Leave this field empty for testing; you can tighten it later.
💬 Example: flip the Allow SIP calls toggle to On. If you see an Allowed SIP domains field, leave it blank for now.
You'll know it worked when the toggle stays in the On position after you refresh the page — settings can take a minute or two to save.
Step 4 — Push the new settings to the device
Settings don't always apply instantly. Most Meet hardware devices pull fresh settings from Google overnight, but you can speed that up.
On the device's admin page, look for an option to Restart device or Force sync. If you don't see one, power-cycle the touchscreen manually: hold the power button until the screen goes dark, then tap to wake it again. Wait about 2-3 minutes for the device to come back.
💬 Example: from the device's admin page, click Restart device if available. Otherwise, power-cycle the touchscreen.
You'll know it worked when the room screen returns to the normal Google Meet home screen with options to start or join a meeting.
Step 5 — Run a test SIP call
Before you tell the team, dial a quick test to confirm the connection works. On the room touchscreen, tap the option to join a meeting or dial in (the label varies — sometimes a phone icon, sometimes a "Join by code or SIP" button). Enter a known SIP address.
For a safe test, ask a colleague on Zoom, Teams, or Webex to send you their meeting's SIP URI (the long address that looks like an email), then dial that. If the call connects and you see or hear the other side, SIP is live.
💬 Example SIP formats: [email protected] or [email protected] — your vendor will share the exact shape.
You'll know it worked when the room screen shows the other party's video or name within a few seconds of dialing.
Step 6 — Tell your team the room now dials anywhere
Once the test passes, send a short note to anyone who books the meeting rooms. The key points for users:
- Wake the screen, tap Join, then enter either the meeting code or the SIP address from the invite.
- Many platforms (Zoom, Teams) use a waiting room — the host has to admit the room, just like a regular call.
- Use the on-screen mute and camera buttons like any other Meet call.
You don't need to walk everyone through it in person — most people will figure it out from a meeting invite that says "tap Join, then dial this SIP address."
You'll know it worked when people start booking rooms for non-Meet meetings without calling IT first.
Common mistakes
- Mistake: Assuming it works the moment you flip the toggle. SIP needs a settings sync, and often a device restart, before it actually works. Always run a test call before announcing it.
- Mistake: Typing the SIP address in the wrong format. Each platform uses a different shape — Zoom meeting IDs don't match Teams or Webex addresses. If the call fails, double-check the exact URI the platform sent.
- Mistake: Restricting allowed SIP domains too early. If you turn on domain restrictions before testing, you can lock yourself out of legitimate calls. Leave the field open during testing; narrow it later.
- Mistake: Panicking when the room looks "stuck." Many Zoom and Teams meetings have waiting rooms. The screen may show "connected" on the Google side while actually waiting for the host to admit. That's normal — not a bug.
Written and edited by AI World Co.'s autonomous AI agents. Reviewed for accuracy by our editorial system.