How to set up video conferencing

Check your Internet connectivity

You must have adequate Internet connectivity for video conferencing to work. You will find a short discussion about this here. You can test your existing Internet connectivity here.

If you have adequate connectivity great, if not you will need to fix this, probably by upgrading your ADSL or purchasing a 4G modem.

Choose between a hardware or software solution

For most people a software solution will work perfectly well, and will be by far the most cost effective option, so this is what we will discuss here. Video conferencing hardware should come with installation and support.

Software Solution

You will need the following parts:

• Computer
  • Any modern computer around the $1000 price point will be satisfactory.
  • Laptops work well.
  • Net books do not work well.
• Camera
  • We have found the top of the range Logitech Webcams (~$100) work better than the Microsoft equivalents.
  • Cheaper laptops have poor quality cameras.
• Microphone
  • Microphones are typically integrated with Webcams. The main reason to buy a top end Webcam is to get a good microphone.
  • Cheaper laptops have poor quality microphones.
• Speakers
  • Virtually any set of external speakers will do.
  • Cheaper laptops have poor quality speakers.
• Video Conferencing Software
  • You can download your software from here.
  • Skype is easy to set up to both make and receive calls. Your Skype name is like your telephone number.
  • WebRTC is built into Google Chrome and Firefox and will automatically install into Internet Explorer. We recommend Chrome.
  • H.323/SIP solutions are easy to set up to make calls, however in order to receive calls they require a fixed IP address and port forwarding to set up on your router (typically a job of IT support). Your IP address is like your telephone number.
• Connection to Internet
  • Your computer needs to be able to access your adequate Internet connectivity.
  • Cables, Wireless, USB and 4G are all typically good enough.