Webex FAQ
You can scroll through all the FAQ on this page or click the following links to proceed directly to the area you need help with:
What is Webex?
Webex is today’s leading enterprise solution for video and web conferencing. This secure software‑based platform for video and audio conferencing, business messaging, and webinar hosting helps organizations be more productive. Participants can join from any browser, device, or system—just by answering the telephone.
Some benefits of Webex include the following:
- Schedule and start meetings ahead of time—or on the spot—and join from your desktop, browser, or mobile device with integrated audio, video, and content sharing.
- Save time and money on travel with online video conferencing for meetings.
- Connect with students using virtual office hours and synchronous online courses.
- Use Webex with LEARN.
Which Center should I use?
| Meeting Center | Training Center |
|---|---|
| Virtual office hours | Online classrooms |
| Online meetings | Collaborative workshops |
| Document, application & screen sharing | Document, application & screen sharing |
| Integrated video | Integrated video |
| Threaded chat & polling | Threaded Q & A, chat & polling |
| Recording sessions available | Recording sessions available |
| Custom and standard reports | Custom and standard reports |
| Breakout session rooms | |
| Hands‑on labs | |
| Assess students | |
| Attention indicators |
General questions
Click the following links to navigate to the area you need help with:
- What happens when the host leaves the meeting?
- What do I need to access Webex?
- How secure is the Webex Meeting Center?
- Can I invite only RRC Polytech staff to join a meeting?
- Does everyone need a Webex account to participate in a meeting?
- What is video conferencing?
- What is web conferencing?
- How many participants can attend a Webex meeting?
- What is the difference between document sharing and application sharing?
- What type of applications can I share?
- Can I share more than one document or presentation at a time?
- What are the different roles in a meeting?
- Can I start several meetings at the same time?
- What is a host key?
- How can I test Webex on my computer?
Troubleshooting questions
Click the following links to navigate to the area you need help with:
- Why does my Mac camera not work?
- Why is the screen sharing feature filling up only part of my screen?
- How do I troubleshoot my Webex audio issues?
- How do I fix a poor quality video image?
- Why is my screen only black or gray when using a webcam in a meeting?
- Why do I hear an echoing sound in the background?
What happens when the host leaves the meeting?
The Webex default configuration is to end the meeting when the host leaves. The user cannot configure this global setting. There are two options for continuing a meeting after the host leaves:
- Choose an alternate host prior to the meeting so that there is more than one host.
- Before the original host leaves the meeting, right‑click on another user within the Webex meeting and set them to be a host.
What do I need to access Webex?
You will need a computer, access to a web browser, and a web camera with a microphone.
How secure is the Webex Meeting Center?
Webex Meeting Center includes multiple security layers and it passes RRC Polytech’s security review.
The first level of security involves password protection, and you can use the “Close the door” feature for your conference. Participants joining the audio and web portion of your meeting remain in a virtual waiting room until the moderator lets them into the main meeting room. The moderator can see the name and telephone number of participants and hear audio portions of the meeting. Moderators have the power to dismiss any participant they do not recognize.
Only participants who have access to the account can view the information uploaded to the conference server. Each account has its own directory on the server, and without proper permissions, participants cannot see the directory.
Moderators also can use the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) option to encrypt the information in an online meeting and within Webex Meeting Center. SSL provides 128‑bit encryption, which is the highest level of encryption available and is used by banks and online shopping companies.
Can I invite only RRC Polytech staff to join a meeting?
No, you can invite anyone who has internet and audio/video capabilities to join a Webex meeting.
Does everyone need a Webex account to participate in a meeting?
No, only the host needs an account to initiate meetings—participants do not require an account.
What is video conferencing?
Video conferencing uses video and audio technology to connect two or more people in different geographic locations for the purpose of two‑way conferencing. It requires the use of audio/video equipment connected to a computer or network and uses substantially more bandwidth than web conferencing. Some systems also use VoIP or standard telephone lines for video conferencing.
What is web conferencing?
Web conferencing connects several internet points for the purpose of delivering a presentation over the web. Participants can interact using tools such as chat, smartboards, and desktop sharing, or they can watch the presentation with minimal interaction. By comparison, a webcast involves broadcasting information over the internet but provides no opportunity for interaction, whereas a webinar involves discussion and interaction between the presenter and attendees.
How many participants can attend a Webex meeting?
Webex can accommodate up to 3,000 participants, depending on the type of meeting you want to host:
- Meeting Center (up to 250 participants): Meeting Center is the traditional collaborative meeting solution in Webex. It provides the ability to share applications, desktops, and audio/video among attendees. You can visit Meeting Center at redrivercollege.webex.com.
- Training Center (up to 1,000 participants): Training Center resembles a classroom environment that can support up to 1,000 participants. Not only does it provide the ability to share computer and audio/video resources, but it also allows participants to raise their hands to ask a question, participate in polls, and break out into smaller groups. For more information about this option, please see the ITS Service Desk webpage to submit a support request.
- Event Center (up to 3,000 participants): Event Center allows you to conduct webinars, all‑hands meetings, project kick‑offs, or press events online so that you can share documents and applications and collaborate with others. It provides unidirectional (presenter to participant) audio, video, and data presentation. For more information about this option, please see the ITS Service Desk webpage to submit a support request.
What is the difference between document sharing and application sharing?
Document sharing produces an image of your document using the Webex printer driver. You can then share the image with the Meeting Manager content viewer to receive reviews and feedback. A document image is read‑only and you cannot edit it. An image requires very little bandwidth, however, so it is most appropriate when using slower connection speeds.
Application sharing sends images of an application in real‑time. With application sharing, you can edit documents and demonstrate an application’s features such as tools and menus. This type of sharing is significantly more powerful than document sharing and requires a larger amount of bandwidth.
What type of applications can I share?
You can share virtually any document or application, but applications and webpages with live‑streaming content will not perform as expected (you cannot stream directly from the source to an attendee). To effectively stream content directly from a web source, you can use the web content sharing feature to open a browser window on each attendee’s computer.
Can I share more than one document or presentation at a time?
Yes, you can share multiple documents and presentations using the content viewer. Every document and presentation that you open will appear on its own tab in the content viewer.
What are the different roles in a meeting?
The host assumes responsibility for most tasks during a Meeting Center meeting, but other participants contribute to a meeting’s success. Webex meetings include the following four roles:
- Host: The coordinator of the meeting.
- Presenter: The individual presenting at the meeting.
- Note Taker: The individual assigned to record meeting minutes.
- Attendee: Any other participant with no assigned role.
Can I start several meetings at the same time?
No, you can attend only one meeting at a time.
What is a host key?
Webex automatically generates a six‑digit host key code whenever you schedule a Webex session. You can use the host key to reclaim the host role within a live session after the host role is taken over, or claimed, by another person.
You can use a host key only after the session associated with the key is in progress. You cannot use a host key to start a scheduled Webex session.
You can obtain the host key for a session from the following locations:
- The host confirmation email (only when scheduled from the Webex site).
- On the Webex dashboard, click Meetings on the left‑hand pane, and on the My Webex Meetings page, click the Meeting topic link.
- Click the Meeting information button at the top left‑hand side of the running session.
How can I test Webex on my computer?
Visit the Test a Webex meeting on your device webpage to test the compatibility of your computer.
✱ If you are using Mac OS X 10.7 (or later), Firefox version 26 (or higher), or Chrome version 32 (or higher), visit the Joining a Webex Meeting on Chrome and Firefox FAQ webpage to enable the Webex plug‑in.
Why does my Mac camera not work?
Apple has provided an update to resolve the issue that prevents certain applications from using the FaceTime HD camera. Visit the OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.5 Supplemental Update webpage to download the update.
Why is the screen sharing feature filling up only part of my screen?
If your screen resolution is different from the presenter’s, it can cause screen sharing to fill only part of your screen. Set screen resolutions to 1024 x 768 pixels on the presenter’s and viewer’s computer.
How do I troubleshoot my Webex audio issues?
Visit the Webex Audio Troubleshooting webpage for troubleshooting tips and solutions.
How do I fix a poor quality video image?
A minimum network bandwidth of 320 KBps/per participant is recommended, and the ideal network bandwidth is 1 MBps or higher.
Standard Webex video typically requires a network bandwidth of 90‑130 KBps per video when using the default configuration of QCIF resolution (176 x 144 pixels) at 15 frames per second. The bandwidth requirements for High Quality (HQ) video are as follows:
- High: 360p (640 x 360), max. bit rate 1.5 MBps
- Standard: 180p (320 x 180), max. bit rate .5 MBps
Why is my screen only black or gray when using a webcam in a meeting?
You may need to select a different capture device for the meeting as follows:
In the meeting controls at the bottom of the active session, click the Switch camera device or stop my video button, and then in the Video Connection drop‑down menu, select the camera that you want to switch to.
If this does not resolve the issue, ensure that you do not have webcam avatar software running on your computer.
Why do I hear an echoing sound in the background?
A participant who is using a speakerphone is typically the cause of echoing. The speakerphone’s microphone picks up the audio from the teleconference and then rebroadcasts it creating an audio feedback loop.
You can troubleshoot the problem as follows:
- Mute all the lines involved in the teleconference.
- Unmute the active speakers.
- If the issue does not recur when you unmute the active speakers, unmute the attendees one at a time to identify which attendee is causing the audio feedback loop.
- If you can determine which attendee is the cause, you can ask them to manually mute their speakerphone or stop using the speakerphone option. You can also mute them for the duration of the teleconference. If two or more people are participating in a teleconference using VoIP, ask them to use headphones to help prevent echo.
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