1. Test Your Equipment

At least 45 minutes before our start time, please follow the steps below to check if your equipment works with the Zoom app.

  1. From your desktop or laptop computer, click the "zoom.us" link in the invitation email we sent you. 
    • While it is possible to attend via Zoom's mobile app or a phone call, we do not recommend it. The mobile apps' features are limited and the screen size is small, so you may not be able to fully participate in our interactive activities or see our computer screen very well.
    • If you do attend from a mobile phone or tablet: first download the free "ZOOM Cloud Meetings" app from the Apple App Store or Android Google Play Store. Then click the "zoom.us" link we sent you.
    • If your Zoom device is connected to a TV, then you could watch on your big screen.
  2. If prompted, allow Zoom to access your camera and microphone.
  3. In your Zoom toolbar, click the video camera and microphone buttons on and off to test if they are working.

2. Prevent Disruptions

At least 30 minutes before our start time, please prepare your environment to reduce the risk of surprise disruptions.

Visuals:

  • Ask other people in your building not to disrupt you. 
  • Tape a note outside your door to remind people not to disrupt you.
  • Put pets in another room or outside, if possible.
  • If you'll be sharing your screen, turn on your device's "Do Not Disturb" feature so others won't see your notifications.
  • If a visually distraction-free room is not possible, please keep your camera turned off.

Audio:

  • Silence all devices in nearby rooms that could make loud noises, including:
    • Land line phones
    • Cell phones
    • Tablets
    • Smart speakers, such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home
    • Doorbells
    • Dogs
  • Ask others in your building to please be quiet and let them know microphones can pick up seemingly quiet background noises.
  • Close all windows and doors in your room.
  • Avoid being near a loud window if possible, especially if there is traffic outside or the potential for something loud to occur, such as a loud truck or noisy kids playing outside.
  • Use headphones to eliminate echoes and improve audio quality.
  • If you can attend from quiet room, we encourage you to keep your Zoom microphone and video camera turned on to allow for more natural communication. 
  • If you can't attend from quiet room, please mute your microphone and use the Zoom Chat window to talk.

Troubleshooting

If you can't hear us or we can’t hear you: Use a phone to call 646-558-8656 and enter Meeting ID: 563 006 1023. This way, you can speak and listen through the phone, but you will still need to click the Zoom link we emailed you to see the visuals. 

Potential reasons for audio problems: 

  • Your computer's microphone or speakers are not working.
  • No audio devices are connected.
  • Your Zoom Settings are not set to use your desired microphone or speakers.

Audio or video is choppy or grainy: Your Internet may be unstable or too slow to support both the audio and video in real time. 

  1. Check that no one else is using your Internet for any kind of online video (such as Netflix or Youtube), online audio (such as Spotify), or online gaming because this takes up your Internet bandwidth and can interrupt your Zoom meeting.
  2. Check your Internet speed. Go to www.Speedtest.netand click “Go” (it's free). Watch the needle during the test and note its lowest number. 
    • A download speed of less than 8 Mbps is sometimes not enough to both see and hear a webinar. Try keeping your screen on, turn off your microphone and camera, and phone-in to listen/ speak. At speeds around 8–15 Mbps, everything should work most of the time, but you may have occasional interruptions. At 15 Mbps and higher, you should not have any issues. 
    • An upload speed of less than 1.5 Mbps will generally cause issues with your microphone or camera reaching us, but not with our incoming audio and video. Above 1.5 Mbps should be fine.

If you have other issues: please contact our support at least 30 minutes before our Zoom start time, as we may not be able to help you after that time. If you don’t get Zoom working in time, no worries; we can send you the recording to watch later.

Please note, we reserve the right to mute, turn off the camera, or remove/ block any participant whose environment or behavior is a detriment to others' Zoom experience.