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Thalamus Virtual Interview platform- Troubleshooting and Support

Lindsay Iserman
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This guide contains helpful steps for Troubleshooting and Supporting your Program Staff in Applicants while using the Thalamus Virtual Interview platform. 

We recommend users test the virtual interview platform prior to their first interview day. View our guide on Testing the Virtual Interview Platform Prior to Your Interview Dates.

Network Connection Troubleshooting

Device Troubleshooting

In Video Troubleshooting

Network Connection: 

  • Check your wifi.
    • Are you on your home/work network or something else?
    • Are you on vpn? If you are and can disconnect, do so. If a VPN is blocking your access to the Thalamus site, you will need to speak to your network administrator. More information about our network configuration guidelines can be found in this guide
    • If you are on mobile, wifi is preferred to cell connection.

  • Test Internet speed. Use https://www.speedtest.net/ or something equivalent to see what your download, upload, and ping speeds are.
    • The minimum bandwidth required for video conferencing that's effective is 8Mbps for downloading and 1.5 Mbps for uploading; although the higher quality of video you want to be displayed, the higher you want the bandwidth for both
    • Ping Speed (or latency) is the time it takes for a small data set to be transmitted from your device to a server on the Internet and back to your device again. You want your latency to be below 150ms.
    • If your internet speed doesn’t meet the requirements above or comes close to the minimum requirements, try moving closer to your router and make sure to limit any extraneous internet use that can eat up your bandwidth (make sure nothing is streaming or being downloaded/uploaded to your wifi during your call)

  • Reduce extraneous use of the internet. Close all the tabs/windows you can before joining a video conference. Close all applications that are not needed (especially those that you speakers/cameras).

  • Update your internet browser. Patches are released all the time and as webRTC continues to grow, bugs are being fixed and enhancements are being made to improve video performance.
  • Clearing Browser Cache can increase the loading time of web pages and computer/mobile performance

  • If the items above do not resolve your connection issues, try restarting your device and we recommend running the Twilio WebRTC Diagnostics Test: https://networktest.twilio.com/

Device:

  • Check Browser Permissions. You may need to give permission to your browser to enable the camera/mic/speaker. This can be done through settings for that browser or each time you open the video application.
  • If you have multiple camera or microphone devices, make sure that you have selected the one you want as your default prior to joining. 
    • If you are having issues, try changing devices to see if that helps
    • Still having issues, try refreshing the page

  • Make sure volume is turned up, microphone is unmuted, and camera is enabled.

Mobile Device Recommendations

If a guest must join on a smartphone or tablet, we recommend the following:

  • Only use devices with 3GB total RAM (at a minimum) to ensure the possibility of 2GB free RAM (examples below)
  • Shut down all other running apps to free up as much resource as possible
  • Use wifi connection - it consumes less resources and battery that cellular radio
  • Example Devices (not an exhaustive list):
    • iPhone 11+
    • iPad/iPad Air (2019+)
    • iPad Pro (2017+)
    • Google Pixel 1+
    • Samsung S8+

In Video 

  • If you are in a video conference and someone's screen goes black, they may have minimized the video application. This can happen if they are on a mobile device, and they received a phone call/notification/opened another application.

  • If you notice the following:
    • Permanent video freezing
    • Permanent video frame-rate drops
    • Choppy audio
    • Dropped connections

The connection may be overloaded. Check your bandwidth. An out-of-control sender that exceeds the available bandwidth of a receiver will quickly overwhelm the network and cause severe degradation in the stream quality. Turn off your camera if possible to reduce bandwidth use.

  • If you notice the following:
    • Lag in audio/video playback
    • Occasional video freezing
    • Occasional video frame-rate drops
    • Smooth audio

This is likely due to high latency (ping speed is high). Check if you are on vpn, and disconnect from that if you are. If you have the ability to use ethernet, that can help reduce latency. Close background programs and applications. If you see this consistently over many days, you may want to upgrade your router.

  • If you notice the following:
    • Frequent video freezing
    • Frequent video frame-rate drops
    • Choppy audio

You may be experiencing high packet loss. This could be due to congestion on the network or faulty hardware. If you have the ability to capture your video at a lower resolution, that may help. Close any applications and browser tabs/windows. You can try resetting your router or restarting your computer. If this continues to persist, you may consider replacing your router or ethernet cable (if you are not on wifi). You can also talk with your internet provider for additional support.

  • If you notice the following:
    • Bursts of video freezing
    • Bursts of video frame-rate drops
    • Bursts of choppy audio

Your video application may be experiencing jitter. Close out applications and browser tabs/windows that you don’t need. Upgrade your ethernet cable if you are not on wifi. If you are using a mobile device, make sure you are on wifi and not cell. Some phones run at frequencies as high as 5.8GHz, which could potentially exacerbate jitter across your network.

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