A room stays where it is. A projector, a laptop cart or a camera does not. It moves between floors, sits in someone’s bag over a weekend, and is missing exactly when the next person needs it.
Equipment booking is the same job as booking a room, with two extra problems: you need to know who has the item right now, and several items often go together. This guide covers which equipment is worth booking, the rules that prevent most disputes, the tools you can use, and how to set it up.
Which equipment deserves a booking
Not everything needs a calendar. Book an item when at least two of these are true:
- It is scarce. There are fewer units than people who need one at the same time.
- It is expensive or fragile. Losing it or breaking it has a real cost.
- Use is planned. People know days ahead when they will need it.
- It leaves its usual place. It goes to another room, another building or off site.
Typical items: loan laptops and tablet carts, projectors, cameras and microphones, video conferencing kits, shared vehicles, and in research labs the instruments themselves (microscopes, centrifuges, spectrometers). Cables and markers do not need a booking, they need a tidy cupboard.
One unit or one batch
Decide first what a booking covers. A unit suits items that differ from each other or go to one person: “Camera 2”, “Projector B”. A batch suits interchangeable items used together: “Cart of 25 tablets, floor 2”. Pick one approach per type of equipment and keep to it, otherwise nobody knows what “reserved” means.
For each item, note a clear name, where to pick it up and return it, who is responsible, and which accessories go with it (charger, remote, case).
Rules that prevent most problems
- Maximum duration. A projector is booked by the hour, not for a month.
- Limit per person or group. A cap on hours or bookings stops one person from holding the item.
- Booking window. Nobody blocks the laptop cart for the whole term.
- Opening hours and slots. Slots of fixed length mean one booking ends before the next starts.
- Approval for costly items. A manager confirms bookings for expensive or sensitive equipment.
- Accessories travel with the item. Book the item and its accessories together, so the next person finds the whole set.
Pickup and no-shows
The risk with equipment is twofold: nobody picks it up, or nobody brings it back. A reminder before the booking, and automatic release of a booking nobody shows up for, keep unused slots from sitting idle. A check-in by QR code on the item or its cupboard shows who is using it, as we describe in QR code check-in.
Tools you can use
A paper sheet or spreadsheet. Fine for one cupboard and one person in charge. It cannot warn anyone, and it does not stop two people counting on the same item.
Google or Microsoft calendar resources. Both let you create resources that are not rooms, such as a projector or a vehicle. It is a free start when everyone has a work account. You get no usage rules and no statistics.
Asset or inventory software. Excellent for knowing what you own, serial numbers and status. Rarely a comfortable booking calendar for end users. The two can live side by side.
A booking tool that handles rooms and equipment. Usually the most practical, because needs overlap: whoever books the training room also needs the portable projector. Our comparison of meeting room booking software shows what to look for.
Dedicated core-facility software. For research instruments billed by the hour, specialist tools exist with training records, maintenance logs and recharging to grants. They cost more and do more. For a lab that only needs to share its instruments fairly, a simpler tool can be enough, as we explain on our page for research labs.
How to set it up in SpotBooker
In SpotBooker, a bookable resource can be a room, a piece of equipment, a vehicle or a lab instrument. You set opening hours and slot rules, quotas per group, and approval by a manager for the items that need it. Accessories are booked with a resource and are included in the price; they are never booked alone. Users get email reminders, a booking nobody shows up for is released automatically (15 minutes by default, adjustable from 5 to 60), and usage statistics export to CSV. You can import users and existing bookings from a CSV or Excel file, and put resources on floor plans or on a public booking page.
Sign-in works with email, Google or Microsoft Entra ID. Limits to know: SpotBooker has no native mobile app (it runs in the browser), no Outlook add-in, no two-way calendar sync and no public API. It does not track training or bill equipment time to projects.
It is free up to 2 resources. The paid plan is $39 per month or $390 per year for 5 resources, plus $3 per extra resource per month ($30 per year), with unlimited users and a 14-day trial without a card. See the pricing page.
FAQ
How do I know who has an item right now?
If pickup is confirmed with a check-in, the booking in progress shows who has it. Without it, you only know who reserved it.
Should I book equipment together with the room?
If the item always belongs to one room, such as a wall screen, there is no need. If it is mobile and shared between rooms, book it separately, otherwise two meetings count on the same projector.
Can a small team do this with a spreadsheet?
Yes, for one cupboard. Move to a booking tool when you have several items, several people asking, or a need for rules and reminders.
Want your equipment to be easy to find and fair to share?
Add your equipment, set your rules and try SpotBooker for 14 days, no card needed.
