About Pexip's Google Meet integration
The Pexip Service allows any standards-based video conferencing systems on SIP or H.323, and Skype for Business clients, to seamlessly connect to Google Meet meetings. When using Pexip's interop service:
- You can schedule or set up meetings in Google Calendar or Outlook (with the Google Outlook add-in for Office 365) as normal, and all additional joining information is added automatically.
- Any standards-based video conferencing systems on SIP and H.323 can seamlessly connect to Google Meet meetings.
- Presentation content can be sent from a VTC endpoint to Google Meet at 1080p resolution.
- Meeting participants that normally use Skype for Business can simply click the join link and use Skype for Business in the meeting, keeping that client’s native user experience, layout, and content sharing abilities.
- You can join Google Meet meetings where that meeting is being hosted by an external third-party organization (even if the host’s organization has not enabled Pexip interoperability themselves) — this is referred to as "SIP Guest Join".
This article covers:
- Domains, meeting IDs and prefixes
- Using a Virtual Reception (IVR) on Google Meet
- Trusted devices for direct entry to the meeting
- Google meeting layouts
- Federating for Skype for Business environments
- Short and long meeting IDs and transitioning between them
Domains, meeting IDs and prefixes
When using Pexip's Google Meet integration you have to decide how you want the join information to be generated and presented. The two main choices you have to make are the calling domain and the meeting ID length:
Calling domain: this is the domain that is used in the meeting invitation address. It can be either:
- Your own domain e.g. addresses in the style <meeting id>@example.com. This option provides addresses that are fully self-branded. If you already use your own domain for Pexip VMRs and registered endpoints, then you can continue to use this for the Google Meet gateway. We do not limit to one domain per company — the Pexip gateway service supports multiple domains (e.g. eu.example.com, us.example.com, and so on). If you also have Teams CVI integration you must use a different domain for your Google Meet integration.
- Your own subdomain on onpexip.com e.g. addresses in the style <meeting id>@mydomain.onpexip.com.
- The Pexip shared domain (gmeet.pexip.me) which uses addresses in the style <meeting id>@gmeet.pexip.me. With the shared domain, you cannot use long meeting IDs and you must use a prefix allocated by Pexip (as described below). Also, the shared domain does not support endpoint registration or Pexip VMRs.
We recommend using either your own domain or your own subdomain on onpexip.com. If you are already using the shared Pexip domain and want to start using your own domain/subdomain, please contact your Pexip partner to initiate this process. You can have multiple Google Meet integrations (across multiple domains).
Meeting ID length: you configure this in your Google Workspace settings and it controls the number that appears before the domain in the meeting address and what users may need to enter when dialing in from a VTC device.
You have three options for setting the length of the meeting ID that is generated by Google, and we recommend using Long meeting IDs. (Short IDs are the previous, deprecated method — see Short and long meeting IDs and transitioning between them for more information on the other options.)
The following table describes which features are offered by the 3 domain options, in combination with the meeting ID options:
| Requirement | Own domain (e.g. example.com) |
Own subdomain on onpexip.com (e.g. mydomain.onpexip.com) |
Pexip's shared domain (gmeet.pexip.me) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fully self-branded dial-in URI |
|
||
| Long meeting IDs |
|
|
|
| Short meeting IDs |
|
|
|
| Own prefix choice for short IDs |
|
|
|
| Skype for Business support |
|
|
|
| Endpoint registration & Pexip VMRs |
|
|
|
| No costs for domain hosting |
|
|
|
| No DNS records to administer |
|
|
Using a Virtual Reception (IVR) on Google Meet
Third-party systems can connect to Google Meet conferences either by dialing the conference directly or via a Virtual Reception (IVR).
The URI for the Virtual Reception (IVR) depends on whether you are using your own domain or our shared Pexip domain:
- Own domain: gmeet@[example.com] or gmeet@[mydomain.onpexip.com]
- Shared Pexip domain: [4-digit prefix]@gmeet.pexip.me
We recommend adding this URI to the video directory for easy access!
Note that the Pexip apps cannot join meetings via the Virtual Reception (but they can be used to call directly into the meeting).
Trusted devices for direct entry to the meeting
Soft clients and video endpoints can be considered "trusted parties" and can enter a Google Meet meeting without the need for a meeting manager to manually admit/deny entry if:
- They are registered on the Pexip Service under the same company as the Google Interop service. (If you are on the Pexip Service, all your devices will most likely be in the same company as the Google Interop service. If in doubt, please ask your Pexip partner.) This is independent of whether you use your own domain or the shared domain (gmeet.pexip.me).
- They are configured as Trusted Devices on the Pexip Service.
Skype for Business clients are not on the Pexip Service and hence are not trusted.
Google meeting layouts
By default, the 1+7 layout is used for VTCs connecting to Google meetings. However, you can choose to use any one of the following alternative layouts as your default layout:
- 1+7 (1 large main speaker and up to 7 other participants) — the default
- Adaptive Composition (real-time automatic face detection and framing)
- 1+0 (full-screen main speaker only)
- Equal 2x2 (4 speakers)
- Equal 3x3 (9 speakers)
- Equal 4x4 (16 speakers)
- Equal 5x5 (25 speakers)
- 2+21 (2 main speakers and up to 21 other participants)
Also see Using endpoints to control the layout and manage meetings for information about dynamically changing the layout during a meeting. Note that Adaptive Composition and the 1+0 layouts are not included in the dynamic layout cycling feature, even if it is configured as the initial/default layout.
Please contact your account manager at your local certified Pexip Partner if you would like to request a different default layout (instead of 1+7).
1+7 layout
Adaptive Composition layout
1+0 layout: full-screen main video
Equal 2x2
Equal 3x3
Equal 4x4
Equal 5x5
2 main speakers and up to 21 other participants
Federating for Skype for Business environments
To call from a Skype for Business client into a Google Meet meeting, the Skype for Business environment needs to be set up with one of the following federations:
- Open Federation, or
- Enhanced Federation (towards gmeet.pexip.me and pexip.me)
This applies for all calling domain scenarios.
The Skype for Business joining instructions are available from a "More joining options" link in the calendar event or invite.
Short and long meeting IDs and transitioning between them
You have three options for setting the length of the meeting ID that is generated by Google, and we recommend using Long meeting IDs. However, early adopters may still be using short IDs, but this method is now deprecated.
- Long meeting IDs: this uses a 12 or 13 digit ID. It is added to calendar events and invites when events are created, the join information is easier to find, and it also allows third-party systems to join automatically by SIP URI.
- Short meeting IDs:
- Both long and short meeting IDs: provides both long and short IDs. Calendar events and invites show both the long IDs and the link to the page where participants get short IDs.
See https://support.google.com/a/answer/7673980 for more information about meeting IDs.
Existing users: transitioning from short meeting IDs to long meeting IDs
Existing users of Pexip's Google Meet integration can transition from using short meeting IDs to using long meeting IDs.
If you are transitioning from short to long IDs, any existing or recurring meetings created with short IDs will still work, but they will continue to only have short IDs.
Why change to long meeting IDs?
Short meeting IDs (in the style <4 digit prefix><short number>@gmeet.pexip.me) are only generated when a user selects — and it may be a new number when selected a few weeks later (even for the same meeting).
Whereas long meeting IDs provide a permanent address in the style <13 digit number>@customer-specific-domain. This address always stays the same for a meeting, and enables the SIP join details to be embedded in the actual invitation, making it clearer for the users being invited.
Long meeting IDs are not supported on the shared Pexip domain (gmeet.pexip.me), therefore you cannot just switch to using long meeting IDs via your Google Workspace settings.
Instead, you must first switch to using your own domain or own subdomain on onpexip.com. To start using your own domain/subdomain:
-
Contact your account manager at your local certified Pexip Partner to initiate the process.
In the meantime, do not change any of your Google Workspace settings until your Pexip Partner has transitioned you to your new domain.
- After your Pexip Partner has transitioned you to your new domain, you can then change your Google Workspace settings to switch to using long meeting IDs and to use your new domain as the Gateway Hostname.
More information
For more information on setting up your integration, see:
For more information about joining Google Meet meetings, see: