Logitech Rise: Rally Bar 2 sniffs out bad air

A video call can look and sound perfectly clear even when the air around the meeting table is anything but. Logitech’s new Rally Bar 2 combines a camera, microphones and speakers with sensors that monitor indoor air quality in an all-in-one conferencing device.

The product, designed for medium and large meeting rooms, was revealed during a global livestream screened earlier this month at the Logitech Rise conference in Cairo, Egypt. The announcement formed part of Logitech for Business’s second-generation (Gen 2) conferencing range, which the company described as the biggest enterprise product launch in Logitech’s history.

Built-in air-quality monitoring distinguishes Rally Bar 2 from the earlier Rally Bar and Rally Bar Mini, which lacked equivalent sensors. However, both older models could monitor environmental conditions when paired with Logitech Spot, a standalone sensor launched in 2025.

Rally Bar 2 integrates these capabilities directly, measuring total volatile organic compounds (tVOCs), carbon dioxide, airborne particles, temperature, humidity and ambient light. Radar-based sensing detects whether a meeting space is occupied.

VOCs can come from everyday sources such as cleaning products, furniture, paints and building materials. Some compounds can cause headaches, dizziness and respiratory irritation at sufficiently high exposure levels. Rather than identifying individual chemicals, the sensor measures their combined concentration, helping facilities teams investigate changes in indoor air quality.

Carbon dioxide provides another indicator of environmental conditions. Elevated levels can suggest insufficient ventilation, particularly when several people spend hours in an enclosed meeting space. The sensors also measure tiny airborne particles, such as dust and smoke, that can affect indoor air quality. These include PM2.5 and PM10, two categories of particles measuring up to 2,5 and 10 micrometres across, respectively.

To help businesses make sense of these measurements, Logitech Sync, the company’s online platform for managing conferencing equipment, provides environmental monitoring tools. The platform’s Room Health Insights feature combines air-quality and comfort measurements into a Room Health Score ranging from 1 to 100, with higher scores indicating better conditions.

Logitech Rally Bar 2. Photo courtesy Logitech.

A separate tVOC index tracks changes in volatile organic compounds against the previous 24 hours. For example, a sudden increase following office cleaning could prompt facilities teams to investigate the source of airborne chemicals. The measurements help identify potential problems rather than diagnose specific toxins or remove pollutants. Environmental and occupancy insights through Logitech Sync require additional services.

Occupancy detection adds another workplace management function. According to Logitech, the information can support automated bookings and help businesses identify spaces that are frequently reserved but remain empty.

Video conferencing remains the main purpose of Rally Bar 2, with upgraded camera and computing hardware compared with Logitech’s earlier devices. A custom-designed lens and 1-inch image sensor provide a 115° diagonal field of view, allowing more participants to fit into a single shot. The camera supports video at up to 4K resolution and offers 4x HD digital zoom.

A new Qualcomm processor handles video and audio processing directly on the device. Logitech claims the chipset delivers four times more on-device AI processing power than various competing video bars, supporting more demanding camera and audio functions.

One application comes through Right Sound 3, Logitech’s AI-powered technology for balancing voices, reducing background noise and suppressing echoes. Someone speaking quietly at the far end of a conference table should be easier for remote participants to hear alongside colleagues seated closer to the device.

Six beamforming microphones capture speech, while four speakers, comprising two full-range drivers and two tweeters, deliver audio to people attending in person. Businesses requiring wider microphone coverage can connect additional Rally Mic Pod 2 units through Logitech Link, a technology that connects compatible conferencing equipment over standard network cables, reducing the need for separate signal extenders.

For the video feed, Logitech’s Right Sight 2 technology provides several automatic framing options. Group View keeps everyone in the shot, Grid View displays participants in separate tiles, and Speaker View focuses on the person talking to help remote colleagues follow discussions.

Camera Zone gives administrators further control by restricting which areas the framing software considers. Using left, right and depth boundaries, businesses can exclude movement outside glass walls or windows. Someone walking through a corridor can therefore be ignored by the camera, keeping the focus on meeting participants.

Rally Bar 2 measures 860mm wide, 97mm high and 93mm deep, and weighs 4,8kg. Installation uses a supplied wall mount secured with four screws. The mount pivots forward by 90°, giving technicians access to cables and ports without removing the bar from the wall.

A diecast aluminium unibody supports easier recycling, while the plastic components contain at least 60% post-consumer recycled material, excluding plastic in cables, printed wire assemblies and packaging.

Rally Bar 2 supports Microsoft Teams Rooms, Zoom Rooms and Google Meet. Businesses can run meetings directly through an Android-based system, connect a dedicated PC or use a laptop through bring-your-own-device mode.

The Logitech Sync management platform allows IT teams to configure, monitor and update conferencing devices remotely. Automatic provisioning enables newly installed units to apply predefined settings, while Microsoft’s Device Ecosystem Platform provides a security and management foundation for Android-based devices.

* View the Rally Bar 2 product page on the Logitech website here.

* Jason Bannier is a data analyst at World Wide Worx and deputy editor of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Bluesky at @jas2bann.

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