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Webex

RPI has Webex accounts for RPI faculty and staff. You want to install the desktop client for your tablet / computer type.

Meetings

You can log into www.webex.com with your personal or corporate account. From here you can host or join a meeting.

Webex Agenda tips

Use a Speaker Phone

Whenever possible, use the speakerphone for the best audio!
  • ONLY the person showing their screen on the TV's must be in the meeting. Others may join to share their cameras if needed.
  • EVERYONE in the room must "connect without audio" from the Webex meeting screen. You must use the pull-down menu to see this.
  • Spread out the satellite microphones. Do not place them "behind" laptop screens or next to the fans on the laptops.
  • If there are no satellite microphones, then the speaker MUST step over to the phone to be heard. Note that the rest of the team / room will generally NOT be heard!
  • When using the speakerphone be sure to either join without audio OR to mute BOTH your mic and speakers! Otherwise you'll gt echos and/or feedback.

As with most company phone systems, you must dial 9 to get an outside line, then 1, then the area code and number. For example: 9-1-518-276-6000.

Speaker Phone Not Available

Connect the "master PC" (the one that is doing the sharing) to the TV's via HDMI. This will let the audio come from the better speakers in the TV.

When using laptops, use headsets / earbuds with mics. This typically works well. Do NOT have two PC's in the same room connected to the meeting with their microphones OR speakers on. Contrary to expectations - it does NOT help! In fact it leads to feedback and echoing. WebEx handles sound fine within a single PC connection but is not capable of doing so across multiple PC's with live mics and speakers. You'll get echoing and/or feedback.

There is a single jack on most laptops. This is NOT just a headphone jack although most people assume so. Modern laptops instead have a combination headphone / microphone jack - just like your cell phones. It will accept any earbud or headphone / mic unit designed for cell phones. It will also accept a plain headphone or external speakers. It will NOT accept an external microphone without a special Y adapter! This adapter will break out the combination jack into two separate jacks - one for headphones (usually colored / marked green) and one for a microphone (usually colored / marked red). Then you may plug in an external microphone. Note that in several experiments the internal laptop mic has proven to be equally capable to an external onmi-directional mic (i.e. the common kind). Connecting an external mic to this jack will usually disconnect the internal mic - so you do not get "satellite" mic capability as might be expected.

Alternatively, Junichi has a USB audio module that provides separate mic and headphone jacks. It is possible that this might allow the simultaneous use of both an internal and an external mic.

The lab does have a couple external microphones - both dynamic and electret. The electret style (as used in all cell phones and laptops) has a stronger output and is preferred.

Using more than one microphone with a laptop requires an external mixer - which the lab currently (F2022) does not have.

If you display to a TV, sound will normally come from the TV. If everyone connects to the meeting, mutes their speaker and attempts to unmute their mics one at a time, you WILL get echo that you CANNOT eliminate - unless you all wear headsets!!!

Best Practices

Figure everything out BEFORE you first hold a WebEx with your client! Hold one between two students or between the team and your Project Engineer. Do this in one of the conference spaces so that you know how the TV / speakerphone all work. Please do not try to learn this during the call!

In general, have only 1 PC connected to the meeting! This saves bandwidth. Everyone in the room should be looking at the TV monitor not their laptop. The exception is if cameras are desired so that everyone can be seen. In this case, connect to the meeting but choose the "Don't Connect to Audio" option. This is in the menu row underneath your camera image.

If you do not need it, turn off video at both ends. This conserves bandwidth for screen sharing and, if needed, audio. If you want to see briefly each other, start the meeting with video on, go through introductions, then turn it off.

If you are using WebEx for sound because the client needs it, it is generally better to share the presentation rather than have the client paging through the slides at their end. You have WebEx open anyway - use it! Unless the client has a preference not to, of course.

Do not point to a projector screen or TV with your hands - the other people on Webex cannot see that! In PowerPoint, use the Laser Pointer feature found under the Slide Show mode: Right Click -> Pointer Options -> Laser Pointer or Holding Ctl and Left Mouse Button.

Screen vs. Application Sharing

In general, we recommend that you share the specific application, e.g. PowerPoint rather than your entire screen (desktop). If share the screen, all your pop-up messages will also be visible to the meeting. If you have two monitors or are connected to a TV or projector, be sure you are sharing the screen you think you are! You can change which screen is shared.

Make the cursor easy to see. For Windows 10, change the size and color of your cursor from Easy of Access Cursor & Pointer.

It is easiest to duplicate your desktop so that you and the WebEx "see" the same thing. You can skip PowerPoint Presenter Mode by unchecking the Use Presentation View option in the Slide Show tab. If you use Presenter mode, be sure to share the screen where the slides are displayed. You will see the orange colored Webex controls on the screen being shared. Use that if needed to change which screen is shared so that the slides are shared, not the presenter's console.

Resources

These links are to Webex or YouTube pages.