RESOURCES

Video Conferencing Information Updated Oct 2020

Video Meetings require a reliable internet connection and sufficient computer processing power.

Sometimes internet connection issues are temporary and not something that we have control of, but here are some possible conditions that might affect Google Meet or Zoom sessions.

1) Other apps running on your device. Before starting a Google meet, close other apps, active browser tabs and unneeded browser extensions. Some webpages, like Netflix are in steady communication with their server even when you are not looking at the web page. You should not have a tab from another Google Meet or Zoom session open. Reduce the number of applications that automatically start up everytime start your computer.

2) GridView issues. The Chrome browser extension GridView requires a lot of processing power to display a large number of participants. Underpowered devices in large Google Meets should switch to normal view to prevent the Chrome browser from freezing up. After updating the Chrome browser, GridView may need to be updated which requires removing the old version and installing the new version.

3) Internet Speed. If several devices in your home are simultaneously using the internet, the video quality of Google Meet may drop down. If you go to speedtest.xfinity.com it will measure your download speed. More importantly, after the download test is over, hit the "show more arrow" to see the upload speed and latency.

If the upload speed is less than 5 Mbps you may notice a lower video resolution especially if others in the household join a Google Meet. Latency (the delay in getting a response from the server) of less than 60 ms is good and 60 to 90 ms is acceptable.

Comcast service is also affected by your neighbors usage and more people are online these days.

Support documentation for Google Meet suggests you'll want an upload speed of 3.2 Mbps and a download speed of 2.6 Mbps for 1-to-1 video calls (and 3.4 Mbps for video calls with six or more people) Zoom recommends 1 to 3 Mbps depending on the video settings.

4) Distance from your WiFi access point. Set up in a location near your access point. Concrete and brick walls severely attenuate the signal resulting in a weaker connection.

5) A problem with your device. A restart may help. If your personal device is not running 100% then using a different device for Google Meet may help. CSS has loaned devices to other parents so that could be possible.

6) Underpowered Device. Chromebooks can be used to join a Google Meet but when called on to “present” a Google slideshow or run other applications concurrent with Google Meet the chrome browser may crash. I had similar issues with older imacs until the memory was boosted from 4 GB to 8 GB Ram. Most newer Chromebooks have enough processing power to run Zoom but school chromebooks purchased before 2019 sometimes give a warning that the processor is being maxed out.

7) Google Meets requirements: https://support.google.com/meet/answer/7317473?hl=en

Answers to questions concerning what parents may need for e-learning :

What should be the requirements for a type of computer?

The requirements for the device depend on whether the student might be called upon to act as the presenter in a Google Meet. People presenting may need more than the minimum requirements.

Chromebooks: A chromebook less than 3 years old with 4GB of Ram and able to run the current version of the Chrome Browser is enough for Meet. If there is a need to present a Google Slideshow to the class or to concurrently run other applications that let students respond as a group to questions then some chromebook may not have enough processing power. When buying a chromebook make sure the device will be supported by Google for at least 5 years This information can be found at the URL https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/6220366?hl=en

iMacs and Macbooks: From our recent experience, a Mac that was 2014 or newer with 8 GB Ram performed better than a Chrombook when teachers needed to run other apps in the meeting, to present, or run the gridview extension. The Zoom app has been known to overheat even new Mac processors if the video setting checkbox "use hardware acceleration" is not unchecked.

Windows: The Windows 10 OS is needed to securely run the current version of the Google Chrome browser. Again 8GB of Ram seems to be critical for doing more than just attending the meeting

Other: We have seen students and parents successfully attending a Google meet from a phone but if participation requires typing in the chat box or running another app, the phone may not be enough.

What should the bandwidth be for home internet?

Support documentation for Meet suggests you'll want an upload speed of 3.2 Mbps and a download speed of 2.6 Mbps for 1-to-1 video calls (and 3.4 Mbps for video calls with six or more people). Zoom recommends 1 to 3 Mbps up and down depending with lower video quality at the 1 Mbps speed.

Do you know of any providers that you would recommend?

I (Mr. Thomas) usually buy directly from Apple and Dell but have noticed that Best Buy sometimes runs sales that beat Apple education pricing by $50 to $100

Should we be using a specific browser?

According to Google, https://support.google.com/meet/answer/7317473?hl=en Meet will work on a number of browsers but some browser extensions that teachers were using only worked with the Chrome browser.