Lifesize Video Conferencing in Law Enforcement
Updated July 11, 2017

Lifesize Video Conferencing in Law Enforcement

Heather Pence | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Lifesize Video Conferencing

I think because we are in a local government environment, we had more problems with setup and quality than is normal. It is definitely recommended that you get your ducks in a row before you embark on implementation. Do you need a static IP? Does it need to be whitelisted? Will the firewall cause quality issues? And on and on.
We currently have 9 video conferencing kits set up throughout our department all on Lifesize Cloud. We are a large county with satellite offices more than an hour away. We have implemented the video conferencing to eliminate travel time between locations and to stay connected as a group. Several systems are used for our twice daily Patrol briefings so our officers can stay more connected as a team and our Corrections team uses it for their long weekly and monthly meetings between distant locations. We also use the system in our training facility so officers don't need to travel long distances. We are in the process of putting a system in our new command vehicle (RV) and are also considering it for Video Arraignment between our jails and courts.
  • The biggest selling point for us was ease of use. The everyday user in our organization is not technical staff. We needed something that users could adopt quickly and easily with minimal training.
  • The systems are easy to set up. Aside from having to navigate our own network quirks, the systems are very easy to set up and get paired on the cloud.
  • Compared to other full systems, we think the price point is pretty manageable. At first Lifesize was making their Cloud system cost prohibitive but they seem to have reeled it in a bit.
  • Their customer support has always been excellent. They are willing to go the extra mile to make sure you have a positive experience with their product.
  • Most of the issues we have experienced have been because of our own network problems however we have had some random connectivity issues not related to our network. They are always resolved eventually.
  • Lifesize used to offer a non cloud based option for video conferencing that, for us, would have been a better option.
  • Even though their support is good, the assistance you get on initial setup is practically nil. They have a nice thick technical manual but we still floundered a bit getting the setting just right.
Lifesize is definitely well suited for organizations that have multiple offices and want to stay connected face to face. My guess is that private industry has an easier time getting set up with their network. In a small government environment it definitely has its hurdles. Definitely worth it if you can successfully jump them though.

Lifesize Video Conferencing Feature Ratings

High quality audio
10
High quality video
9
Low bandwidth requirements
8
Desktop sharing
10
Calendar integration
Not Rated
Meeting initiation
Not Rated
Record meetings / events
Not Rated
Slideshows
Not Rated
Live chat
Not Rated
Q&A
Not Rated
Participant roles & permissions
Not Rated

Using Lifesize Video Conferencing

3 - We needed quite a bit of support from our network security person for implementation but for day-to-day support, our IT Analysts can manage just fine.
  • Daily Briefing Meetings
  • Weekly Staff Meetings
  • Long Distance Training
  • We hope to put a system in our Command Vehicle (RV)
  • We may use this for Video Arraignment in our Courts
It is working quite well for us and new users are able to easily adapt to the system.
  • We've had several department-wide (500 people) meetings recently and were able to broadcast via Lifesize to all 9 of our locations as well as an additional PC connection. This eliminated the need for long distance travel by staff.
  • This has kept our satellite locations connected to the main hub and maintained the team atmosphere.
  • If we move forward with Video Arraignment, this will be a very unique use of this system.
  • Connecting sites to our Command Vehicle will also be a law enforcement specific use.
100 - Patrol Sergeants, Lieutenants, Captains, Office Staff, IT, Deputies.

Evaluating Lifesize Video Conferencing and Competitors

Yes - We had some Tanberg systems throughout the department but they were not as easily accessible or user friendly as the Lifesize. Lifesize provided an excellent VC solution at a very reasonable price that was easy to maintain.
I would have liked to have visited a site that was using the system in a similar fashion.
We chose Lifesize because of it's ease, quality of use and reasonable pricing. We looked into several online systems such as Skype but weren't as pleased with their audio/video quality or user friendliness as we were with Lifesize.
  • Price
  • Product Features
  • Product Usability
I think Usability was the largest deciding factor for us. The touch screen on the phone unit is easy to use even for non-techy, law enforcement types. The onscreen menus are just as simple and the remote isn't over-complicated. We do well with lots of big pictures. :-)

Lifesize Video Conferencing Implementation

Yes - We initially had our test systems on our in-house network. The full implementation is on Cloud. We also started with just two systems and over time have added seven more.
Change management was minimal
  • Network connectivity was extremely difficult for us. Unfortunately, it wasn't something Lifesize support could really assist with although perhaps their documentation could be a little more comprehensive
  • We had major audio/video quality issues in the beginning. They were resolved with some configuration changes and a network firewall upgrade.

Lifesize Video Conferencing Support

Most of the front-line call takers are only as knowledgeable enough to tell you to reboot or reset. If your issue is more complicated than that, it will need to be escalated. On the other hand - most of our problems have been on our network side. The techs are ALWAYS super nice and try to be as helpful as possible. They do care about fixing the problem.
ProsCons
Good followup
Problems get solved
Support cares about my success
Quick Initial Response
Need to explain problems multiple times
Yes - It took a little time but the issue was resolved.
When we were having Cloud connectivity issues, two of their top guys and an engineer got involved. Turns out it was our own network firewalls causing the problem but these guys did everything they could to troubleshoot the problem for us. They were very concerned with our success.

Using Lifesize Video Conferencing

Very easy for new users to get the hang of.
ProsCons
Like to use
Relatively simple
Easy to use
Technical support not required
Well integrated
Quick to learn
Convenient
Feel confident using
Lots to learn
  • Dialing into a meeting or adding multiple locations to a call is very simple.
  • Users calling into recurring meetings daily.
  • Navigating through features using the touch screen or onscreen menu.
  • Initial network connection setup was difficult for us.
  • Learning the best configuration for audio, etc took some trial and error.
Yes - We don't use this very often but when we have, it's worked well.