This article will give you some suggestions to aid if speakers are having difficulties with connecting or using some of the features in the Interactive Studio.
Quick Links:
Troubleshooting basics
Issues accessing the WorkCast Studio or My Connections pod are usually caused by browser, security or device settings. We recommend checking the following:
Browser based issues
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Which browser is being used? We’d recommend using Chrome or a Chromium-based browser such as Google Chrome, Edge Firefox and Safari can be a good alternative.
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Is the browser the most up-to-date version? Outdated browsers can cause connection issues.
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Has the presenter previously logged in but is now having issues accessing the studio? This may be cache and cookies issues in the browser itself. To resolve, clear the cache and cookies in the browser settings or alternatively access via an incognito window.
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If the issues continue, try an alternative browser.
VPN and security issues
The WorkCast platform and studio are completely browser based with no downloads or plugins. Because of this, the only requirements are an up-to-date browser and permissions to access webcam and microphone. We recommend if possible to turn off VPN this will help reduce security or bandwidth issues however we understand this may not be possible.
Security is important! We understand that different organisations have different levels of security they need to navigate.
To assist with this, we have developed an infrastructure which works in the background to identify issues you or your presenters may have accessing the ports, IP ranges and domains required to enter and connect in the WorkCast studio. This infrastructure will automatically retry alternative ports and has proven successful for the majority of networks.
If you still experience issues logging in, this could be because of the higher level of security your organisation requires. We would recommend referring to our requirements page and checking with your internal IT to see if there are any allowances which can be made. Information on requirements can be found here.
If still having issues, try another device or network.
Joining the studio
Login issues
Your presenter may advise they receive the error message ‘Username or Password is invalid. Please try again’ when trying to login using their username and password credentials.
This is typically caused when they’ve copied and pasted the information due to a space before/after the details. Please ask them to retry the adding the information ensuring there is no space before or after the username and password.
If your presenter receives an ‘Oops…’ message this is typically caused by the Studio URL being incorrect. Please ask them to check if they see 5 digits to the end of the URL they are using (this is the studio session ID which is unique to you event.
If they are unable to see these digits, please provide them with the studio URL again and ask them to load this URL into a fresh tab within their browser.
Grey studio screen
Upon entering the WorkCast studio for the first time your presenters should see the My Connections and Presenter Only Chat pod open and accessible. However, should the presenter have previously accessed a WorkCast Studio and closed these pods the studio will remember this and therefore your presenters may report that they see a grey screen.
To resolve, ask your presenter to check the menu to the left of the studio and toggle the button of the pods they'd like activated on screen. They may meed to expand the pods using the + icon.
Missing pods
If your presenter advises they are unable to see a pod (i.e Presenter Only Chat) in the menu list; it could be that the pod is available in the studio but hidden behind another pod. Ask your presenter to move the open pods around to see if they can locate the missing pod.
If unsuccessful, ask them to click ‘Settings’ and ‘Reset Pod Positions’. This will place all active pods into the centre of the studio where they are visible and allow your presenter to place them where they would like.
My Connections
White screen in my connections
If the My Connections pod is expanded but shows only a white screen this can indicate browser or security issues.
- Swap browsers - Sometimes the issue is browser based and switching to an alternative browser eliminates this.
- Close down all unneeded apps/tabs/windows - any application which has internet access uses bandwidth and application CPU. This can cause your device to struggle to load the pod and result in the white screen
- Security settings - Try an alternative network, this could be a mobile hotspot or home network
- Security settings - Try an alternative device, this could be a personal device with no security restrictions.
Connection issues
The first port of call for most connection issues is to press the red leave icon in My Connections and then click the Rejoin button when it appears.
The connection for each presenter shows in the top left corner of the webcam thumbnail / image box and works on a traffic light system. If a lower connection and showing red or between amber and red then there are a few things to try.
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Keep the My Connections pod smaller where possible to reduce bandwidth use
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Close other programs on the computer that uses the internet
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Use hard-wired internet where possible
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Try a different internet connection where possible
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If working from home, try and reduce the use of other devices in the house
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You can lower the definition of images of your webcam. In My Connections, go to Performance Settings and lower to Standard or Low Definition. Note: Low Bandwidth will turn off the view of cameras completely
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If connection issues continue, turn off the camera. The audio will still work fine
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If the connection drops, try to reconnect as soon as possible. A backup is to connect via phone. These details can be found in the top right corner of the studio, with all international numbers here.
Webcam and Mic connection issues
Check you have allowed the browser permission to access your Webcam and Microphone.
If using a corporate device and unable to access permissions then refer to local IT. In the meantime, dial in via the phone bridge or try another device so the event studio can be joined.
Ensure other programs that use webcam/microphone are closed completely, such as Microsoft Teams. Even when running in the background these apps can take ownership of your webcam and microphone.
Seeing the wrong webcam? The incorrect microphone audio being used?
If there is more than one webcam on a computer, or more than one microphone for the studio to access, the My Connections pod may automatically choose the wrong one when joining. Click on the white arrow on the camera icon to choose which camera / mic to use.
This may take a few seconds to change.
Presenters unable to unmute or activate webcam
Ask the moderator to click into the Participants icon, click the three dots to the bottom of the list and check there is a tick to the left of Unmute themselves and Start their video.
If there is not a tick, the moderator has removed the right for presenters to show on webcam and unmute. To provide rights again, click the text and a tick will appear.
Share your screen using a Mac
When trying to screen share on a Mac, the following message might be seen or screen sharing does not appear to work at all.
The security settings on the Mac just need permission in order to share the screen via Google Chrome. This would be the same for any application that they used and is part of the Mac settings.
- Click the Apple in the upper left-hand corner of the screen
- System Preferences
- Security & Privacy
- Click the Privacy tab at the top of the dialog box
- Scroll down on the left-hand side of the screen to Screen Recording
- Check the box next to Chrome
- You will be alerted to quit Chrome before the change can take place
- Then restart Chrome
