Online conferencing with Zoho

Online conferencing is demanding for internet connection. It often highlights issues that didn’t show before.  When accessing the internet, small units of data called ‘packets’ are sent and received. When they fail to reach their destination, it is called ‘packet loss’, which shows in the form of network disruption and slow connectivity. 

When using your internet connection for normal traffic (web browsing, email, downloads etc…), you wouldn’t notice a couple of seconds delay whilst data gets loaded by the server and it has no effect on the web page that you are on.
Applications that are the most likely to be disrupted by packet loss – and when it is most visible – are real-time applications such as those used for live video and online conferencing. Then, half a second of latency is enough to break up the conversation, so any form of live communication requires the network to deliver data quickly. Disruptions are due to network fluctuations and inconsistent network. The bandwidth consumption also depends on the stability of the network.

This means that you need a good and stable internet connection. 

Kent Creative online events

We use Zoho Meeting for our online events, part of a large pack of office applications that we use for the rest of our work.

To connect to our online sessions in the best conditions possible, we recommend the following:

• Use a laptop or a desktop computer preferably. If not possible, mobile phones and tablets are good but don’t offer all features.
• Use Chrome or Firefox when accessing a session. A simple click on the link provided in the invitation email will take you in the session.
• A one-time download of the Zoho Meeting desktop app is required for Opera, Safari, and older versions of Microsoft Edge.
• With mobile phones, use the Zoho Meeting  iOS and Android apps. Make sure you are using a wifi connection. Using your phone data is likely to be causing issues due to poor quality network. 
• Once in a session, you can check your connection from the toolbar at the top of the screen:  select “settings” and then  click the “Check performance” button at the bottom.
• If  your face issues with your internet connection, you will not be able hear the audio clearly and your voice will not be heard well. Muting your video feed will make the audio experience better.

Internet connection

For best results, if you can, use a wired connection. You will get fewer interferences and fewer performance fluctuations than on Wifi.

If you can only use wifi, try and reduce interferences:

• Check the wifi signal strength. If it is weak, move closer to the access point. 
• Temporarily disconnect any other devices from your Wi-Fi network.
• Close or quit all apps on your device that might be downloading software updates while you are connected.  

More details about Zoho Meeting requirements HERE.