Videoconferencing from Home with ViaVideo

Transcription

1 Videoconferencing from Home with ViaVideo A. Set up and Installation of ViaVideo Conferencing Device IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have already successfully set up and used your ViaVideo system in a video conference over regular Internet connections, skip to Configuring the System. If you have not, please do the setup following the order shown below. Software Set up for ViaVideo 1. Download ViaVideo software from Polycom.com or from sma website. If necessary, create a free user account. Login and search for ViaVideo. 2. Verify that your computer has DirectX v.8 or higher. Go to Start > Run. Type dxdiag.exe in the Open box. You should see a screen that lists information about DirectX on your computer. If you do not have DirectX, you can obtain it free by going to and searching for DirectX. 3. Verify that your computer has Windows Media Player v.7.1 or higher. Go to Start > Programs > Accessories > Entertainment > Windows Media Player Click on Help > About Windows Media Player. You will see what version you are running. If necessary, obtain free upgrade by going to and searching for Media Player. 4. Run ViaVideo installation. Accept defaults. Hardware Set up for ViaVideo 1. ViaVideo Components ViaVideo Unit Camera Base Power supply cable, USB cable, Audio cable, Mounting disks Cable manager Note: Your computer system should have working speakers or a headphone set. 2. Assemble ViaVideo device. a. Connect audio cable to PC line in on PC sound card (frequently the red plug) Videoconferencing from Home with ViaVideo 1

2 b. Connect headphones or speakers to PC line out on PC sound card (frequently the green plug) c. Connect USB cable from the back of ViaVideo unto USB plug in PC. d. Connect power supply cable, and place ViaVideo on Camera base. 3. Power on ViaVideo device. NewHardware found dialog menu will appear. Follow recommended settings. 4. Adjust camera settings for room light. Configuring the system 1. Make sure that the call rate is set to allow calls of 128 kbps. Click Setup (the i in the upper left hand corner) > H.323 > Call Speeds. Make sure that the call speeds 64 and 128 are among those selected. 2. Make sure that Data Sharing has been enabled. Click Setup > Data > check all boxes. 3. Make sure that ViaVideo uses the PC s local address. Click Setup > Network and check use PC s local IP address. 4. If you want ViaVideo to automatically answer incoming calls. Click Setup > General and check the Auto Answer check box. B. Installing the VPN IMPORTANT NOTE: Some Linksys devices (cable modems and routers) are known to require customizations to work on the VPN. If the procedure outlined below does not enable you to connect to the VPN, contact your FL for additional configuration help. 1. Download the zip file from 2. Unzip the file into a temporary directory. 3. Double-click on vpnclient_setup.msi to begin installation. (You can also use the.exe, however, we recommend the.msi file that uses the MicroSoft Installer) a. Accept license agreement. b. Accept default folder for installation, or choose alternate folder. c. Click next. d. When installer says the system has been successfully installed, click Finish. e. Click yes to restart computer (Or force a restart manually, if necessary.) 4. Change MTU size to 576. a. Go to Start > Programs > Cisco Systems VPN Client > Set MTU. Videoconferencing from Home with ViaVideo 2

3 b. Select the most recently installed Network Adapter, probably the last one on the list. c. Select radio button for MTU size 576. Note: If you are unsure which adapter to select, go to Start > Settings > Network and Dial-up Connections, to determine which adapter is the Cisco Systems VPN adapter. You can do this by right clicking on each adapter, selecting Properties and checking to see which adapter has Cisco Systems VPN Adapter in the Connect using: field. d. Reboot. 5. Launch Cisco Systems VPN client. (You ll see it in your Start Menu.) 6. Import custom pcf file a. Click on Connection Entries>Import b. Browse to C:\Program Files\Cisco Systems\VPN Client\Profiles\SMA VC VPN.pcf (if you have used the default path). c. In the Select Connection Entry to Import Menu box, highlight SMA VC VPN.pcf. d. Click open. e. If prompted to overwrite, click no. f. You will now see SMA VC VPN as an entry in the Connection Entry box. C. Using the VPN for a video conference 1. Ensure that the ViaVideo software is not running. Connecting to the VPN while the ViaVideo software is running can cause various problems due to the change in apparent IP address of the local host. 2. Start the VPN software: Start >> Programs >> Cisco Systems VPN Client >> VPN Client 3. In the VPN Client Window that appears, SMA VC VPN Client should be highlighted. 4. Click the "Connect" icon in the tool bar at the top of the Window to initiate the VPN session. When connected, the program will hide. (You can modify this behavior with the preferences settings under the options menu item.) D. Initiating a ViaVideo Videoconferencing Call 1. Start the Via Video software. This can be done using a desktop shortcut or the Start menu (Start > Programs > Polycom ViaVideo > Polycom ViaVideo). 2. Verify that your IP address is on the VPN. Your IP address will appear in the lower left corner of the ViaVideo window. It should begin with the digits If this is not the case, contact your FL for assistance. Videoconferencing from Home with ViaVideo 3

4 3. ISPs limit the bandwidth of their non-commercial customers, and it is very important that your call takes place at a speed within the available bandwidth or severe degradation of call quality may result. a. Be sure that your ViaVideo software is configured to allow you to select a speed of 128. (See item 1. under the "Configuring the system in Section A.) b. Click the Call button from the vertical button row in the ViaVideo panel. A directory panel will appear. c. Click the down arrow within the small box (labeled "Call Quality") in the upper-right corner of the directory window. Select "128" from the pulldown menu that appears. d. It is essential that you be the one to initiate the call. If the other party initiates it, you have no control over the call speed. 4. Enter the IP address you want to call in the box at the top of the directory window, or make a selection from the directory. 5. Click the Call button in the upper left of the directory Window. 6. When the call connects, you will see video and hear audio from the distant location. 7. When you are done with your call, you can click the Hang Up button in the lower right corner of the ViaVideo window. 8. When finished with your video conference session, click Disconnect to terminate VPN session. E. Document Sharing using ViaVideo 1. Preparatory notes The following sections assume that you have already established a videoconferece connection between your ViaVideo and another device. The instructions may not work as described if that's not the case. ViaVideo uses Microsoft NetMeeting behind the scenes for document sharing. In Windows XP, Netmeeting isn't available from the Start>>Programs menu and Windows doesn't place a shortcut to it on the desktop. Nonetheless, in both XP and Windows 2000, ViaVideo will find NetMeeting, and you can launch and use it from the ViaVideo panel, as described below. If you need to access NetMeeting directly, the best way to get it is to search for the NetMeeting executable file called conf.exe. Make a shortcut for conf.exe; re-label it "NetMeeting", and place it where it will be most easily accessible to you. ViaVideo/NetMeeting actually shares applications, not documents. When an application is shared, all of its open documents are shared. To share a document residing on your PC with someone, there must be a PC at the other location with NetMeeting both installed and running. If you're connected to another ViaVideo unit, or to a ViGO system, you can assume this is the case. In either case, we strongly recommend that you Videoconferencing from Home with ViaVideo 4

5 confirm your ability to share documents ahead of time with a knowledgeable person at the other location. The following directions are for version 5.1 of the ViaVideo software, the current version as of this writing. Earlier versions are somewhat different and some of what is described below will not apply to them. 2. Create a connection for data sharing a. At the bottom of the ViaVideo panel there are two tabs. Click on the button of the right-most one, labeled Controls. A drawer pulls out revealing three more tabs. Click on the one labeled "Data Sharing", which contains a row of buttons. b. In that button row, click the button labeled On to turn on data sharing. Note: The On button only works if you're in a videoconference with another ViaVideo or a similar device (like the ViGO) that uses a single IP address for both videoconferencing and application sharing. c. ViaVideo will attempt to make a data sharing connection with the other party in the videoconference. If the connection is made, the buttons to the right of the On button will "light up". If they do, skip to the section on Document and Application Sharing d. If the On button doesn't work (as will be the case, for example, for the Research Interaction Rooms at NUS and NTU), please refer to the instructions below: Making a NetMeeting connection between a ViaVideo unit and a stand-alone PC. e. The other party may initiate a call to you from NetMeeting. If someone is calls you from NetMeeting, ViaVideo software will ask whether you want to accept the call, unless your system is configured to automatically answer incoming calls. 3. Making a NetMeeting connection between a ViaVideo unit and a stand-alone PC. a. Start Windows Task Manager. To do so, right-click an empty spot in the task bar, usually at the bottom of the Windows screen and choose Task Manger from the menu that appears. b. Select the Processes tab in the Task Manager Window. c. Select conf.exe (the NetMeeting program file) from the list of running processes, and click the End Process button. d. Close (or iconify) the Task Manager. e. Re-launch NetMeeting. f. In the NetMeeting panel, type the IP address of the computer at the other location into the unlabeled text box at the top. Then click the Place Call (telephone) icon or press Enter. An alert box will tell you the call is in progress. When both your NetMeeting name and that of the party you are calling appear in the name box, you are connected. If you are familiar with using the NUS directory server, you may alternatively use it to make the connection, but we recommend that you have the IP address you want to call ready in case you need it. Videoconferencing from Home with ViaVideo 5

6 4. Application Sharing a. Open the document(s) or application(s) you want to share. b. Click the Choose application button (from the same row as the On button). This brings up the NetMeeting Sharing window. c. In the sharing window, choose the items you want to share. Click to select them and then click the Share button. Remember that when you select an application or a document to be shared, all of the open documents belonging to that application are shared. d. To share everything on your computer screen, even if you open it after the sharing is initiated, from the Share Programs box select Desktop and click Share. (See cautionary note in the Collaboration section below.) e. Once the NetMeeting connection is established, either party can use NetMeeting to share applications to the other, regardless of who made the call. The party that initiates sharing can also end it using the Unshare button. f. After the desktop or application(s) are shared, a new window opens at the remote computer that contains the shared item(s). It's good practice to verify that the remote location can see all the applications you want to share in that window. g. The party at the remote location may wish to use the View menu on that window to select Full Screen viewing. 5. Collaborating in Applications a. First share one or more applications, as described above. In the Sharing window, click the Allow Control button, which permits guests to request control of your shared programs. b. Guests may then issue a request for control by double-clicking anywhere in the shared programs window or by using the menu bar in the window: Control > Request Control. When they do this, by default, an alert box pops up to allow you to accept (or reject) the request c. In the sharing window, you have the option to check Automatically accept requests for control if you wish to allow guests control of your shared programs without your intervention. d. Once a guest has control, s/he can move around in or edit a document in a shared application as if it were his/her own. Only one party has control at any given time so when the guest has control, the owner does not. The owner can regain control at anytime by double-clicking. e. Once a NetMeeting connection has been made, either party can allow the other to control items shared from the owner's computer. If you grant control, you are giving the guest control of all of your shared programs. Caution: If you share the desktop and allow control, the other party has free run of your computer and can alter any of your documents. We suggest you avoid this situation, or at least not leave the computer unattended when it is in effect. Videoconferencing from Home with ViaVideo 6

7 6. Collaborating using the Whiteboard a. If one is not already established, set up a data sharing connection. See section 2. for how to do this when you are connectiing to another ViaVideo or a similar device. See section 3. if you are connecting to a stand alone PC. b. Click the Start Whiteboard button under the data sharing tab. (See section 2.a. above for how to reveal this tab.) c. The NetMeeting Whiteboard window will open at both the local and the remote location. The Whiteboard is fully collaborative. Either side can either in turn or simultaneously without having to request control. d. Click on a tool from the tool bar at the left of the Whiteboard window, or choose one from the Tools option in the menu bar. Type in text or draw with your mouse, graphics tablet, or other mouse-compatible pointing device. Use the color pallet at the bottom of the Whiteboard window to select the color of your input. e. To insert a new page or delete an existing one, make the appropriate choice from the Edit option in the menu bar. f. When you're done, close the Whiteboard window and save or discard the Whiteboard contents. Videoconferencing from Home with ViaVideo 7