Hardware

The hardware allows the audience to interact and allows the presenter to collect audience feedback. There are three components that make up an audience response system: keypads, the base station, and the computer used to run the presentation software.

Keypads
Keypads are used by the audience. They can input data and receive data from the presenter. Keypads can differ widely in appearance. Some keypads have numbers and a few buttons as shown on the right. Other keypads have a text screen which allows the user to text answers directly to the base stations; this is similar to using a cell phone.

Base Stations
The base station is responsible for the transfer of information from the keypad to the computer. There are many different base stations. The size of a base station is not as important as the location because receiving a strong signal depends on location. There are infrared (IR) base stations and radio frequency (RF) base stations. An infrared base station will operate like a TV remote control, meaning that it will need a direct line of sight from the device and the base station. In contrast, a radio frequency base station does not need to be in a direct line of sight from the device. This gives you more freedom, allowing operation from different floors and rooms.

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