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Video Call do's and don'ts

This article is useful for anyone participating in a Video Call

There are a few simple things you can do to make sure you have the best possible Video Call experience. Once you are set up technically, these tips will help others see and hear you clearly and and minimise potential equipment and internet issues.

Before your consultation:

During your consultation:

	Do	Don't
	Charge the device you will be using to participate in your Video Call, if required.	Don't use 10% or lower battery
	Update your device's operating system if required	Don't use an older operating system that may not be supported.
	Use a powerful device with an i5 processor or faster. If you are on a Windows machine, you can determine the processor and speed by pressing the Windows key and Pause key at the same time. Doing so opens a System window showing information including the processor information. On a Mac you can click on the Apple menu at top left and select About This Mac.	Don't use an old PC or device with a slow processor such as Celeron.
	Use a recent version of a supported browser for Video Call.	Don't use Internet Explorer or other unsupported browsers.
	Conduct a precall test well before your appointment time, especially if this is your first Video Call experience. This will ensure you have all the technical requirements to make a Video Call and alert you to any issues with equipment, your internet connection and browser.	Don't skip the precall test if you have not completed one before or if you have made changes to your Video Call setup.
	Choose a quiet, comfortable place to sit before your consultation begins.	Don't sit in a noisy environment or somewhere you are likely to be interrupted.
	Ensure you are in a well lit space. It is best to make sure that there are no bright lights or windows that the camera can see.	Don't have a strong light source behind you or conduct your video call in a dark room as other participants in the call won't be able to see you clearly.
	Set up your computer or device so you are looking straight ahead as much as possible.	Don't position your device too low as this will not be the best experience for the other participant/s in the call.
	If you have a headset or headphones with a microphone, this will provide the clearest audio with the least background noise. Make sure it is connected to your computer before your Video Call begins. Please note, if you have two participants sitting together in the same location in a Video Call, using a headset will not be appropriate.	Don't be far away from your device if you do not have a headset as it may be hard for other participants to hear you when using your inbuilt mic. Don't use an independent speaker and microphone set as this will create a feedback loop which will affect the call.
	Use two screens if available, if not organise your windows so that you can see your Video Call screen clearly.	If using one screen, don't minimise your video call browser so you can properly monitor your dashboard and Video Call screen.
	Patients will need these things ready and handy nearby: A pen and paper to take notes if needed A list of your current medications Any questions they want to ask their service provider..	Don't come to your Video Call appointment unprepared or you may not retain important information or instructions.

	Do	Don't
	Once your call begins and you can see yourself in your screen, reposition if needed so you can be clearly seen without too much headroom (space above you) and ensure you have the correct camera selected.	Don't point the camera away from you or use the wrong camera (eg back camera instead of front camera).
	If you experience any internet connection issues during your call there are things you can do to improve the quality: Wireless home or office network - Try moving closer to, or at least in line-of-sight of, the WiFi base station. Mobile internet connection - Try moving to an area with better reception, you can check how many bars you have on your device. If your internet connection has limited speed, make sure that no one else in your location is using the same internet connection at the time you are making the video call. Typically, streaming video or downloading large files can slow your internet if you are multi-tasking. This will substantially reduce the bandwidth available to make a good quality video call. Make sure that you don’t have more than one connection to the internet active at the same time (for example, a wired and a wireless connection running at the same time) on your computer. Make sure that you have not used all of your internet plan’s data allocation for the month. This often results in your internet provider reducing the speed of your service after you’ve exceeded the data limit. When you first switch on your computer after not using it for a while, it may automatically download updates, similarly with Android and iOS updates. This will reduce available bandwidth. Either wait for the updates to finish or postpone the downloads until after you have made your call.	Don't position yourself too far away from your WiFi router. Line of sight is best. Don't use your device's mobile internet connection if you have bad reception - move to an area with better reception. Don't have others in your location using the same internet connection if you have limited speed.
	If using a mobile device, hold the device without covering the microphone (located at the bottom of the device). If the mic is covered it can cause audio issues in the call, such as echo of another participant's audio, as it can affect noise suppression.	Don't hold your hand over the microphone or cover it in any other way during your Video Call.

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Video Call do's and don'ts

This article is useful for anyone participating in a Video Call

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