This page aims to give a brief overview of preparing your computer (Mac, Windows or Linux) so that you will be able to access training sessions, webinars and meetings that are being hosted on Adobe Connect. The possible permutations of browser and operating sysem makes this more complicated, so we will focus on non OS specific browsers (Chrome and Firefox), but other browsers should also work fine.
Thanks
Before we start, we would like to thank SUNET, the Swedish National Research and Education Network for providing us with access to their Adobe Connect instance, to use within the GEANT Project and for training purposes. This kind of collaborative support within the community is what makes it so great, so thank you.
Prepare your browser
In order to use all the functionality of the Adobe Connect service you will need to install a broswer plugin. You should not need administrator rights to do this, but it might be a good idea to ask your local IT Support person to help with this procedure in case you hit any problems. There is a webpage you can head to to test if your browser is ready to access the meeting:
https://connect.sunet.se/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm
When you visit this link, a test procedure will start to run, check that you have Flash Player installed, check that you are able to connect to the service, checks your connection speed and if you have the Adobe Connect Add-in installed and working. If you get all green ticks, then you are good to go, otherwise follow the instructions to solve your problem.
It is highly recommended that you keep your Flash player up-to-date and you check this page regularly to make sure that your browser is always ready to access a Connect meeting.
Audio
A headset is a must for web based meetings in general, not just Adobe Connect. Using your PC or laptop speakers and microphone will cause feedback, echo and are notoriously 'noisy' for your fellow participants. A decent headset (it need not be expensive) will cut out most of the background noise, as they have a different kind of microphone which focuses on your voice, rather than all the sounds around you. The headphones pipe the sound directly into your ears, and don't get picked up by the microphone, thus preventing feedback. We have found that a USB headset is easier to setup than using the hardware audio ports on a laptop or computer.
You should test your audio setup using your operating system's audio/voulme controls first, if its working in there, then it should work in the software. It is best to set the headset as the default audio option for online meetings.
You should not set the microphone input volume too high. Most indicators have a red/amber/green indicator to show the volume, you should aim to hit amber levels periodically, for example if you cough. If you are hitting red at any point, turn the microphone input level down.
You should not have it the microphone too close to your mouth or nose. Modern headset microphones are focused and of high quality, and will work well if they are placed just under you chin or just above your nose. Nobody wants to hear heavy breathing in a meeting.
Video
In some cases it will be necessary to show your video (webcam) in the meeting. This can be your built-in cam or an external device, it doesnt make any difference. However, sometimes these devices have a built-in microphone as well, which isn't useful in this context. Be sure to set that microphone to 'off' or 'mute' in your operating system's audio settings.