Neat Pad Gen 2 and Neat Pad Pro Explained with Microsoft MVP Graham Walsh

Graham Walsh, Microsoft MVP and Director of Global Technical Sales and Alliances at Neat, joins Tom Arbuthnot in the Neat London office to go hands-on with Neat's refreshed controller line-up: the new Neat Pad Generation 2 (8-inch) and the Neat Pad Pro (10-inch). Both are MDEP from the factory and both are shipping globally now. There is also a quick update on the Neat Board 32, which is fully Microsoft Teams Rooms certified.

Neat Pad Generation 2 (8-inch)

Generation 2 replaces the original Neat Pad as the standard-tier controller and scheduling panel. It was in warehouses ready to ship on announcement day.

• Sits at a higher viewing angle on the desk, based on customer feedback
• Same matte anti-fingerprint finish as the Pad Pro
• Cable lock so nobody can pull the Ethernet cable out
• Full RGB LED bar, so Teams purple for busy instead of red if you want it
• More processing power than Gen 1
• Single microphone that switches between the pad and the front-of-room bar
• Android 15 and Microsoft Teams certified

Neat Pad Pro (10-inch)

The Pad Pro is the premium option. The main hardware differences over the Gen 2 are the bigger 1920 x 1200 display, the mounting system, and the audio.

• Multi-mount bracket in the box: wall mount, or table at two different angles. Screw it in, or it wobbles
• Dual microphones with always-on mic mixing, the same technology as Neat Center. Audio from the pad and the bar is blended all the time rather than switched
• Recycled aluminium casing, 2.5 Gbps Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6E
• Android 15 and Microsoft Teams certified

For long rooms where the softly spoken person sits at the far end of the table, the Pad Pro's mic mixing is the reason to step up.

MDEP and the dual-OS architecture

Both pads ship MDEP from the factory running the Microsoft Teams panel. Pair one with an existing Neat bar in Zoom or Neat Open mode and it boots into NeatOS without the MDEP elements. The device switches depending on which mode it is in, so one SKU covers every platform.

Digital signage on scheduling panels

Released in last month's Pro Management Portal build, Teams scheduling panels can now show digital signage. Appspace, Xogo, or any custom URL are supported, so a canteen menu, weather or tube updates can go on the panel outside the room. Graham's example: ask an agent to generate five 1080p landscape images and an HTML page that rotates them every five seconds, host it, and point the panel at the URL. In the room, signage shows on the front-of-room display only and the controller gets a tap-to-wake prompt.

Compatibility and what's in the box

• Both pads only pair with Gen 2 hardware: Neat Bar Gen 2, Bar Pro, Board 32, Board 50 and Board Pro
• The box is slimmer: device plus Ethernet cable. Wall, side and glass mounts and the PoE injector are now accessories sold separately, to cut waste from unused parts
• Tip from Graham: move an existing Gen 1 pad outside the room as a scheduler and put the new controller in the room

Availability

Both Neat Pad Generation 2 and Neat Pad Pro are shipping now, available everywhere Gen 1 pads were sold.

Links

• Neat Pad Generation 2
• Neat Pad Pro
• Neat Board 32
• Teams Rooms on Android certified devices