Tech Tips: Teleconferencing Basics

January 21, 2020

All DUSON students, faculty and staff have a free WebEx account for teleconferencing. Clicking this link will provide training resources and a Duke login screen (be sure to click Duke Health Login) to see your dashboard and available options.

Duke WebEx is our most secure teleconferencing option, and should always be used when you are discussing and/or recording Duke research or clinical data, including any sensitive information.

DUSON faculty and staff can also be approved for a Duke Zoom account. Zoom can be used for meetings and recording where Duke research, clinical data and sensitive information will not be discussed or recorded. If you are interested in a Zoom account, please contact your IT Service Desk at 919-684-9200 or via email at SONIT-support@duke.edu.

While many DUSON community members prefer Zoom, it is only approved for non-secure meetings. When in doubt, please use WebEx.

Using WebEx

Using WebEx is pretty easy. Follow these steps to set up your account and try it out:

Register – Click here and select Request New Account under the Manage Access tab;
Test – We recommend that you do a practice run to see how it works;
Call – Now that you know how to use it, schedule a WebEx meeting with one of your classmates, a friend or your mom. You can use it on your computer, tablet or phone. WebEx should work well on any device with a reasonably good internet connection.

Using Zoom

Zoom is as easy to use as WebEx, but Duke’s site doesn’t have as detailed instructions for using it. Duke Zoom is not available for students, but DUSON faculty and staff can follow these steps for approval and account setup:

Request – Click here and select the Service Request button. In the form, request a Zoom account;
Schedule a meeting – Zoom doesn’t have a practice option. Here are the steps for setting up a call:
- Select Meetings from the menu on the left;
- Select the Schedule a New Meeting option;
- Enter the meeting details (Topic, optional description, date/time). Here are your other options:
  - Recurring meeting – Check this box if you want to schedule this meeting for multiple days. The selection process is similar to what you find in the MS Outlook recurring meeting window.
  - Registration – Leave the Required box unchecked unless you would like for your meeting participants to register. This usually isn’t used unless you are using Zoom as a Webinar.
  - Meeting ID – The system defaults to Generate Automatically, but if you have your own Personal Meeting ID, you can also use this. (See below in the next section for a tip on using your own Personal Meeting ID.)
  - Meeting Password – Leave this box unchecked. If you’re meeting is about sensitive information requiring security, you should be using WebEx.
  - Video – Use these buttons to default whether you would like your host or participant cameras on.
  - Audio – Defaults to Both, and best to leave this as-is for maximum flexibility.
  - Meeting Options:
    - Enable join before host – This lets your participants join as soon as they connect instead of being forced to wait until you (the host) joins. It’s a good option to check unless you would prefer that your participants not start the meeting without you.
    - Mute participants upon entry – This is just a convenience feature allowing you to mute everyone by default. (Don’t worry, they can unmute themselves if needed.) This is a good option for large group meetings.
    - Enable waiting room – This allows a host to control when participants enter the conference call. Zoom provides branding and other configuration options for your pre-meeting waiting room.
    - Only authenticated users can join – An advanced feature that controls who can attend your meeting. Click here for more detailed information about this feature.
    - Record the meeting automatically –Zoom can record your meetings and store them on the cloud. If you choose to record your meeting, you’ll need to promptly remove it, as Duke has very limited cloud storage for Zoom recordings.
  - Alternative Hosts – Use this option if you want to share hosting duties with anyone.

It looks complicated, but once you’ve done it a few times, setting up a meeting is easy. Plus, you can configure most of these for all meetings by default. Use the Settings menu option.

Videoconferencing Best Practices

Make it a habit to do this each time you use any videoconferencing software:
- Connect to the meeting. Once you are connected:
- Test your audio – make sure your microphone works and your speakers work. WebEx has a menu option that allows you to test this before and during a meeting.
- Test your video – make sure your camera is on. WebEx has an easy-to-use interface to help you with this.
Make sure you are well-lit so the other participants can see you. Also, it’s best not to sit with your back to a window or other brightly lit wall – this will make you appear back-lit and it may be difficult for others to see you.
Create your own personal meeting ID (I use my Duke Phone Number) in both WebEx and Zoom. That makes it easy to remember – both when connecting from your own devices or providing your meeting information to other participants.
In WebEx, log in and select the Settings icon, select the My Personal Room tab and enter your own Personal Room link.
In Zoom, go to the Profile menu option and enter your own Personal Meeting ID.
If you have connection problems, it’s probably not a WebEx or Zoom issue. If you don’t have a strong internet connection, your video/audio will appear to skip or look “jumpy.” Using a video conferencing system at a restaurant or hotel WiFi, or using your mobile hotspot, is going to be a bad experience compared to when you are on campus with a high-quality network.

For best results with videoconferencing, use your laptop while plugged directly into the network or your home router. You can also expect good results from our campus wireless networks. If you have a high-speed connection at your home or office with a strong wireless router, you should be fine, depending on other concurrent online activity.

Extra Credit

Visit the Duke WebEx FAQ site for additional information using WebEx.