Start with functions, not trademarks
"Smart board" names a category in buyers' minds and a trademark on a legal register. Specifying by the trademark narrows your options to one vendor's ladder; specifying by function opens the whole market — including the interactive whiteboards, flat panels and overlay retrofits in this catalogue. This guide converts a smart-board brief into a functional specification you can send to any supplier, including us.
The functional specification
| Writing surface | Diagonal by room depth (see size guide); surface must accept finger and pen |
|---|---|
| Simultaneous users | Touch points: 20 is the practical classroom standard — 2–3 pupils at once |
| Light engine | Projector (board route) or direct display (panel route) — brightness by room light, not by brochure |
| Computing | The room's existing PC, a built-in Android platform, or a slot-in module — decide who maintains it |
| Software fit | Your teaching/conference software must run on the chosen computing route; the board itself is an input device |
| Mounting | Wall fixings or floor stand; check wall construction before choosing 96–102″ surfaces |
The three functional equivalents
Interactive electronic whiteboard
The direct equivalent: the whiteboard family here runs 82–102 inches with finger writing and projector pairing — the largest surface per budget, and the natural replacement when an older board estate is refreshed.
Interactive flat panel
The modern default for new rooms: flat panels integrate display and touch, start instantly, and remove projector maintenance from the facilities list entirely.
Overlay retrofit
When the room already has a good display, an infrared overlay delivers the board functions on the existing screen — the budget-preserving route, and the only one that scales across a mixed estate of display brands.
A note on software
Boards are input devices; lessons and meetings run on software. Any of the three routes above works with mainstream whiteboard and conferencing software on the connected computer. Buy the surface by function and size; keep the software decision separate, and no vendor's board trademark needs to appear in your specification at all. For classroom-specific deployment detail, read the deployment checklist.