Troubleshooting Zoom

My camera and/or mic are not working.

Go to System Preferences/Security & Privacy. Click the Privacy tab. Find the camera and/or mic in the sidebar and check the box next to the zoom.us app.

My audio or video is lagging

Try closing tabs and all programs you are not using, especially programs that are streaming video or audio running in the background on your device.

Ask people in your household to refrain from streaming or playing online video games while you're on a Zoom call.

Troubleshooting Network Issues at Home

Every home network is different, but there are some basic rules you can follow should you experience technical difficulties at home related to your internet or wireless connection.

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I don't seem to have a wifi connection.

Can other people in your home connect to your wireless network? Do you have the correct password for your wireless network? If so, reboot your device. If not, make sure your wireless router is plugged in and turned on. Go to the Airport menu (on a Mac) or the wifi menu (on Chromebook or PC) and see if you're home's wireless network is listed as an available network. If you see it in the list, select it and enter the wifi network password. If you are still unable to join, try rebooting your wireless router and your computer and try to join again.

I can join my wireless network, but I can't load the web page I'm trying to reach.

Can you reach other web pages? If so, the problem is likely with the site you're visiting. If not, try turning the wifi connection on your computer on and off again. If that doesn't work, reboot your wifi router, your cable modem, and your computer (or other device).

Google Drive/Gmail/Hangouts/Calendar, etc. won't load.

Check the Google Apps Status Dashboard. Google maintains a public list of the availability of their apps. If an app is experiencing a service disruption, it will be indicated by an orange or pink dot in the box under the date column. You can also check Twitter to see if others are having the same problem. As funny as it sounds, sometimes the disruptions end up on Twitter before the Dashboard is updated. Seriously, search for "Gmail down" and you'll get a lot of results if there's an outage. There is nothing to do but wait it out if Google services are disrupted.

Troubleshooting Web Browser Issues

Sometimes if you are having a problem with a specific site, the issue may be with your web browser, or with something that is saved in your web browser's cache.

A quick thing to try is to use a different browser. All Berkeley Carroll Macs have three web browsers installed:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Apple Safari

If you are having a problem with a web site or web app in one browser, try it in a different one. If it works there, the problem is your browser.

Clearing your web browser cache

Clearing your browser cache will clear your history, saved sessions (this is how a website remembers you and does not require a new login each time), and some other temporary files. Clearing the cache will require that you log in to accounts again. Be sure you have your passwords and your phone (for accounts with two step verification) handy.

Google Chrome: In your menu bar, select History > Show Full History > Clear browsing data. Check all the boxes under Basic and set the time range to All Time. Click Clear Data and then quit and relaunch Chrome.

Mozilla Firefox: In your menu bar, select History > Clear Recent History. Set the time range to Everything and check all the boxes. Click Clear Now then quit and relaunch Firefox.

Apple Safari (Mac): In your menu bar, select History > Clear History. Choose All History from the list and click Clear History. Quit and relaunch Safari.

Apple Safari (iPhone/iPad): Open the Settings app and scroll down to Safari. Tap on Clear History and Website Data and then tap again to confirm.

My Computer Won't Boot / Is Slow

Sometimes problems with boot up, power, or unexplained slowness can be resolved by resetting the system management controller (SMC). The process for resetting the SMC is slightly different depending on if you have a new model MacBook Air or an older model.

For New Model Mac Laptops (the ones that have the new style USB ports and the fingerprint sensor):

1. Shut down your Mac.
2. On your built-in keyboard, press and hold all of the following keys. Your Mac might turn on.
   • Control on the left side of your keyboard
   • Option (Alt) on the left side of your keyboard
   • Shift on the right side of your keyboard
3. Keep holding all three keys for 7 seconds, then press and hold the power button as well. If your Mac is on, it will turn off as you hold the keys.
4. Keep holding all four keys for another 7 seconds, then release them.
5. Wait a few seconds, then press the power button to turn on your Mac.

For Older Model Mac Laptops (the kind with the regular sized USB ports):

1. Shut down your Mac.
2. On your built-in keyboard, press and hold all of these keys:
   • Shift on the left side of your keyboard
   • Control on the left side of your keyboard
   • Option (Alt) on the left side of your keyboard
3. While holding all three keys, press and hold the power button as well.
4. Keep holding all four keys for 10 seconds.
5. Release all keys, then press the power button to turn on your Mac.

Attempt the procedure above for your model of Mac laptop and then attempt to start it up again. It may take slightly longer than normal to boot up this first time. See if it then functions normally.

Testing your Internet Speed

If you suspect your home internet connection may be slow, you can run a test to get real numbers. Keep in mind that the interpretation of these numbers below are general guidelines. Individual results can and will vary. Also if a site or service is down your internet speed will not matter.

Go to https://www.speedtest.net/. Click the Go button and wait for the results. The test will return three results:

• Ping: This tests the latency, or how long it takes for a simple piece of data to travel from you to a remote server and back. The lower the better. Results greater than 100ms may cause real time video to be spotty.
• Download: The speed at which information is sent from a remote server to your computer. Measured in Megabits Per Second (Mbps), or Kilobits Per Second if it is slower than 1Mbps
  • Less that 1Mbps - Your connection is likely too slow for reliable real time video
  • 1Mbps to 10Mbps - Your connection will likely handle real time video, but it may be unclear or blocky.
  • 10Mbps to 50Mbps - Your connection should handle real time video just fine
  • Greater than 50Mbps - Your internet connection is almost certainly not the cause of any errors.
• Upload: The speed at which information is sent to a remote server from your computer.
  • For most internet connections your upload will be slower than your download. Speeds under 1Mbps are likely to have problems. Speeds below 5Mpbs may have distortion on real time video.

If you are seeing very slow internet speeds, first try rebooting your router or cable modem. If this persists after a reboot, contact your Internet Service Provider.