ThalamusGME Video Conferencing - Troubleshooting Guide & Checklist

Troubleshooting Steps:

1. Request the video chat link the customer is trying to access
2. Login from your desktop/laptop using Google Chrome as your browser to test
3. Turn on your microphone and video to confirm they are fully operational
4. Next, use a different browser (Edge, Firefox, etc.) on your same desktop/laptop to login to the same video chat link
5. Turn on your microphone and video to confirm they are fully operational
6. Next, login to the video chat link using a tablet or mobile device
7. Turn on your microphone and video to also verify they are fully operational during the video chat
8. Log off and log back on to the video chat session
9. If all else fails, recommend the customer to reboot their desktop/laptop, and ask them to login to the video chat after signing in
10. If they still experience technical difficulties connecting to the video chat or they are unable to connect to audio or video, try these next steps

Troubleshooting Next Steps:

• Are you using a VPN connection to access the internet?
  • The VPN connection could potentially block websites and Programs/Faculty Members will need to contact their IT Dept to resolve the issue
  • IT Security Policies could potentially block new software/websites
  • Meet with IT Director to understand the Institution’s IT Policies and whether it will affect/impact the Thalamus software application.
  • Whitelist the following URLs / Add Site to Safe List:
    • https://app.thalamusgme.com/
    • https://video.thalamusgme.com/
    • https://api.thalamusgme.com/

• Clear the Internet Browser Cache (skip this step if already completed)
  • We discovered several customers rarely delete their browser cache or cookies to refresh their website pages to the latest version.
  • Customers may be accessing a cached/previous version of the website and deleting the browser cache removed the local copy from their desktop/laptop device
    
    
• Recommend Running the Twilio WebRTC Diagnostics Test: https://networktest.twilio.com/

Pre-Video Conference: Checklist – Technical Specifications

Browser Type: Preferred default browser Google Chrome

Operating System (OS) Version: Windows 10, OS macOS Catalina (10.15), macOS Big Sur (11)

Location & Network Connection: Check the network connection

• Office Network Connection
• Office Wi-Fi Connection
• Home Office/Remote – connected with a network cable to router/cable modem
• Home Office/Remote – connected to a reliable Wi-Fi Connection

Audio – Microphone Check:

• Desktop/Laptop – confirm microphone is turned on, the volume is turned up and not muted
• Desktop/Laptop – verify laptop has the latest drivers installed for microphone
• Video conference Equipment – verify all microphone cables are secure and connected
• Video conference Equipment – verify the hardware is not damaged and fully operational

 Video Camera:

• Desktop/Laptop – confirm the camera is turned on, the view is not blocked or obstructed
• Desktop/Laptop – wipe/clean the camera lens
• Desktop/Laptop – verify laptop has the latest drivers installed for the video card
• Video conference Equipment – verify all video camera cables are secure and connected
• Video conference Equipment – verify the hardware is not damaged and fully operational
• External video camera – verify the camera is connected, powered on, the view is not blocked or obstructed

 Other Applications Running in the Background:

• Other video conferencing platforms running in the background could potentially cause conflict due to microphone and camera priority limiting access to other video conferencing applications
• Recommend closing out other video conferencing platforms to reduce/resolve potential conflicts
• Video conference platforms: Zoom, WebEx, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, GoToMeeting, etc.
• Anti-Virus Software – check to see if the anti-virus software is blocking or restricting access to the Thalamus website. Follow up with IT Department to inspect desktop/laptop anti-virus configuration.
• Windows Defender Firewall – check to see if the Thalamus website is being blocked by the Windows Defender Firewall. Follow up with the IT Department to inspect desktop/laptop configuration.
• Recommend exiting/disabling anti-virus and Windows Defender if both applications are the root cause of the connectivity issue(s).

Check the Connections:

• Are you using video conferencing equipment in a conference room or room in your office?
• Are all the video conferencing equipment devices plugged in and powered on?
• Is the power strip turned on and you can see a green or red light?
• Does the video conference equipment have the latest software/firmware update?
• Are all the power cables plugged into the video conferencing equipment and power source (outlet, power strip, etc.)?
• Is the network cable connected and securely plugged into the video conferencing equipment?
• Are the microphones and external speakers connected?

Software Updates:

• Have you run a software update on your desktop/laptop recently?
• Can you run a Windows Update to ensure you have the latest software/firmware installed on your desktop/laptop?
• Have you installed the latest MAC OS updates recently?
• Have you updated the OS to a new version recently?
• Have you installed any new applications on your desktop/laptop recently?
• Do you have any other video conferencing applications installed on this desktop/laptop?
• Are the latest microphone and video camera drivers installed on the desktop/laptop?