The simplest no-cost way to demo a Microsoft Teams Room is the Teams Rooms Basic license: it's free for up to 25 rooms and covers core meetings. To test Pro features (dual screen, AI audio, Front Row, full Pro Management portal), check the Microsoft 365 admin center under Billing > Purchase services for a Teams Rooms Pro trial, or ask your Microsoft reseller. Trial availability and terms vary by tenant and region, so confirm what's offered before you plan a pilot.
Your options for a test room
| Option | Cost | What you can test | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teams Rooms Basic | Free | Join, share, gallery, Direct Guest Join, inventory and auto updates | 25 per tenant, no Pro features |
| Teams Rooms Pro trial (where offered) | Free for the trial period | Everything in Pro | Time-limited; converts or lapses |
| Teams Rooms Pro, one month | Paid | Everything in Pro | Check commitment terms with your reseller |
| Reseller or partner demo | Varies | Depends on partner | Usually in their tenant, not yours |
Basic is a good demo for most small-room pilots. If the room you're piloting is a boardroom with two displays or a multi-camera setup, test on Pro, because those features don't work on Basic. Full comparison: Teams Rooms Basic vs Pro.
Set up a test account
A Teams Room signs in with a resource account, not a person's account. For a pilot:
- Create a room mailbox in Exchange Online (for example,
pilot-room@yourcompany.com). See create a Teams Rooms resource account. - Set a password and turn off password expiry for the account.
- Exclude it from MFA and Conditional Access policies that require user interaction, or build a policy that fits shared devices. See sign-in problems.
- Assign the Basic or Pro (trial) license. See assign a Teams Rooms license.
- Configure calendar processing so the room auto-accepts invites.
- Sign the device in with that account.
Allow time for licensing to apply. A newly licensed room can show as syncing in the Pro Management portal for up to about a day.
Don't use a personal license
Signing a room device into a user's Microsoft 365 account works badly and isn't licensed for room use. The room loses calendar behavior, you mix one person's chats and meetings into a shared device, and you can't manage it properly. Use a resource account with a Teams Rooms license from day one so the pilot reflects production.
What to check during a pilot
- Joining: one-touch join from the room calendar, proximity join from a laptop, joining by meeting ID.
- Audio: remote participants hear everyone at the far end of the table; no echo.
- Video: framing covers all seats; check how it behaves when people walk in late.
- Sharing: HDMI ingest and wireless sharing from laptops.
- Interop: Direct Guest Join into Zoom or Webex if your clients use them. See joining Zoom or Meet from a Teams Room.
- Management: device appears in the Pro Management portal and Teams admin center.
Good pilot hardware
Pick hardware you'd actually deploy so the pilot carries straight into rollout. Appliance kits keep the pilot simple:
- Huddle or small room: Logitech Rally Bar Huddle + Tap IP or Poly Studio X32
- Small to medium room: Logitech Rally Bar Mini + Tap IP or Neat Bar Generation 2
More options: best Microsoft Teams Rooms devices and the Teams Rooms setup guide.
Planning a pilot room? Tell us the room size and we'll suggest hardware that scales to the rest of your rooms.
Related guides
Outfitting several rooms, or reselling? Get a volume quote or apply for wholesale pricing →
