A Guide for Web Meetings

This guide has been created to help you improve your WebMeeting experience regardless of the platform you use.

The steps and suggestions presented here are based on Computer Optimization Practices derived from my professional experience as a Technical Support Agent for Intellixis Inc.

I will explain everything concisely, avoiding technical jargon as much as possible.

Preliminary Steps

Start Fresh: This is probably the most important advice I can give you to achieve optimal results while meeting online.

Your online session requires a significant amount of computing power to meet the multimedia requirements for a WebMeeting. A fresh start (power on) will give your computer all the available resources to support your webcam and mic in a very efficient fashion.

Make sure that you only open the applications needed for your WebMeeting; do not have any unnecessary programs running in the background, such as the media player, social media apps, or anything else.

Essential Peripherals: Make sure that only necessary external hardware is used during the session. Disconnect any superfluous USB devices that might drain your CPU.

Wired Connection to Network/Internet: This one is another biggie! Try connecting your computer directly to your router or switch-hub to achieve a stable, faster connection to the internet. There is a substantial difference in speed between a wired connection and a wireless one.

Wi-Fi is obviously more convenient than the wired Ethernet cables used for a direct connection, but Ethernet still offers significant advantages.

Use high-quality Ethernet cables, and make sure that you select one labeled at least as CAT5e or, even better, a CAT6. An ethernet cable with lower specifications will degrade the performance of your connection dramatically. For instance, if you are on a network with all computers/peripherals wired with Ethernet CAT5e/CAT6 and connect something with a CAT5, every computer in the network will decrease in speed from 1GB/10GB down to 100mbps!

If you really must connect your computer using a Wi-Fi connection, select the fastest connection available on your router.  Most routers used today offer dual band for wireless connectivity, 5G being the fastest.

Wi-Fi extenders can boost a wireless signal noticeably, especially in areas of your house or office that are far away from the router. Get a compatible unit that is supported by your router model.

External Webcams and Microphones: Online meeting is an industry that has experienced dramatic growth through the years, especially now with the current health circumstances.

Nowadays, we have more buying options than ever before, as the demand for video conferencing peripherals has increased exponentially. However, this phenomenon has introduced low-budget devices into a market that now seems to be saturated with many choices.

We must keep in mind that choosing a device to be added to our arsenal of WebMeeting tools must be based primarily on the quality of the units used. This will help satisfy the multimedia quality of our presentation and increase the performance of our WebMeeting sessions.

Low-budget devices could be sufficient for cases where optimal quality is not critical. However, most of those units are not acceptable in the business arena, where professional results must be achieved.

Technology has evolved so much that we can now obtain near-broadcast quality from top-of-the-line devices at an affordable price. Keep in mind that these units usually employ modern technology for connectivity, such as USB C and USB 3.0+. This means that they run at higher speeds, improving the overall quality of your WebMeeting presentations.

In conclusion, following these recommendations will improve both the quality and stability of your WebMeeting presentations. Stay away from low performance supporting devices.

As a final note, I should mention that most entry-level laptops can provide multimedia support for your Web Meetings, but the results are usually only acceptable for occasional presentations where a professional image is not important.

I will go into more specific details for recommendations of proven technologies and peripherals.

Jorge Guillen