x-bees Videoconference

The document describes how to start a conference in x-bees and use x-bees conference features.

x-bees documentation: link.

Updated: November 2024

Permalink: https://wildix.atlassian.net/wiki/x/AQACCg

Screen sharing issue on macOS using Google Chrome

Due to detected issues in Google Chrome, it might be impossible to use screen sharing.

To resolve the issue, take the following steps:

  1. Update Chrome to the latest version
  2. Refresh permissions: go to macOS System Preferences -> Security & Privacy -> Screen Recording -> uncheck and check Google Chrome checkbox

Temporal limitation for macOS users:

for the video conference to work on Safari web browser, please follow the steps below:

  1. Open Safari web browser -> Preferences -> Privacy tab
  2. Make sure the option Website tracking: Prevent cross-site tracking is unchecked

This limitation concerns only PBX users. External participants using Safari web browser are not affected.


Requirements

Browser

  • Google Chrome

  • Chromium

  • Safari 12.1.X and higher

  • Microsoft Edge 79.0.309 and higher

  • Firefox

For Screen Sharing

  • Chrome v. 72
  • Firefox v. 66+

Wildix licenses:

  • At least x-bees-Basic license for PBX each user who needs to be able to create a conference room (more information: x-bees Admin Guide)

Ports to open on firewall

Check here: Ports used by Wildix services.

Bandwidth requirements

The bandwidth used by Wildix Videoconference is adaptive and varies to provide the best experience on participants’ network. 

Minimum bandwidth required:

  • Outbound from the participant: 300 kbps

  • Inbound to the participant: 300 kbps

Ideal bandwidth:

  • Two-person video calls:

    • Outbound from the participant: 2.6 mbps

    • Inbound to the participant: 2.6 mbps

  • Group video calls:

    • Outbound from the participant in all situations: 2.6 mbps

    • Inbound to the participant with 5 participants: 3.2 mbps

    • Inbound to the participant with 10 participants: 4.0 mbps

It is possible to decrease bandwidth consumption by selecting a lower video quality level in options, see the chapter Video quality.

Number of participants in a conference

  • Video: Currently the number of users who can share their videos is not limited – it's possible to see all the users who are sharing their videos in Tiles view, however for the optimal performance we do not recommend to exceed 70 users in case all of them share their videos 

Additional equipment

To ensure efficient collaboration during videoconferencing in small and large meeting rooms, Wildix offers some additional equipment:

  • Wizyconf Huddle-Room: for 2-3 people sitting in front of PC/ laptop – a speakerphone with a 120° wide angle Full HD webcam and 360° microphone. More information: /wiki/spaces/DOC/pages/30281361 
  • Wizyconf Conference Room - the first professional easy-to-use web conference – a fully equipped conference room: Wizyconf Conference Room - Documentation

Start a conference

  1. Open conversation with a user/ group of users
  2. Click on the Video icon at the top of the conversation screen:




Conversation is deleted automatically after 30 days of inactivity.

Join a conference

When conference starts, other participants of the conversation can see the green Join button on the Inbox tab (the conversation with the conference automatically jumps to the top of the conversations list):

Also, users hear a sound notification when a conference starts

Notes:

  • Notification is played once, for 7 seconds, unless user opens Inbox. Notification is played even to users with DND/ Away presence status.
  • Notification is NOT played if:
    • user has an active call or conference
    • user is on the Inbox tab
    • x-bees tab is closed
  • If there are several simultaneous calls, the notification is played one time.
  • Sound notifications for Kite are currently not supported.

 You can find additional information at the news blog.

Manage sound notifications

Sound notifications at the conference start are enabled by default. To manage the sound notifications settings:

  1. Go to Settings -> Notifications
  2. Proceed to section Sound notifications:


  3. Use the toggle next to the On conference start option:

Schedule a conference

In case there is Google/ Microsoft calendar integration enabled, you can schedule a conference via the Schedule button in the Info frame: 


When you click the button, calendar opens enabling you to schedule a conference in the participants' calendars:


1 - Scheduled event is automatically added to your calendar 

Note: According to the new Google settings, you need to turn on specific options in order to guarantee that scheduled events are automatically added to you calendar.

Follow these instructions:

  1. Go to Gmail Settings -> See all settings

  2. Go to General tab and scroll to Smart features and personalization

  3. Turn on Smart features and personalization if you use Gmail email client or Smart features and personalization in other Google products if you use other mail clients, (Outlook, Apple Mail etc) under Gmail account

More information is available here: https://support.google.com/mail/answer/10079371?hl=en&ref_topic=3394219.

  • 2 - You can access the conference via the link provided in the email 
  • 3 - You can also access the conference in the audio-only mode, by using dial-in numbers. This is the option for mobile phones, which allows you to join the conference without manually entering the conference ID (as it is already included in the dial-in number) 
  • 4 - This option is not restricted to mobile phones. It also lets you access the conference in the audio-only mode by calling the local number for your country. Click Find a local number to view the full list
  • 5 - This is the ID number of the conference

PBX user

When a PBX user is invited to a conference, they receive an invitation via email with a link to join the conference via web and a phone number, allowing them to join the conference in audio-only mode from their Wildix device. 

External user

All invited users receive an invitation via email with a link to join the conference via web and a local phone number that they can dial to join the conference in audio-only mode. 

Access from Wizyconf station

To access x-bees conference from Wizyconf station, select Wizyconf at the top -> enter the Conference ID (available in x-bees conference -> Participants -> Conference ID and Dial-in numbers). 

More information about Wizyconf station in Wizyconf Station Quick Start Guide.

Access in audio-only mode

PBX users can access the conference in the audio-only mode by calling the number 98XXXXXXX, where 98 is the Feature code Conference (by default) and XXXXXXX is the conference ID number (Conference ID is provided in the email invitation). 

Note: you can set an alternative code/ prefix instead of Feature code "Conference" 98. After it is changed, it is also displayed in email / chat invitations.

External users can access the conference in the audio-only mode by calling the local phone number provided in the email invitation: use the option Dial-in number or Dial-in number (for mobile users only).

To access the conference:

  • Call the provided phone number

  • External users are requested to enter the conference ID number and say their name (Conference ID number is provided in the invitation email), after which they access the conference (other participants present in the conference are notified when audio-only users are connected and disconnected).

    Note: Mobile phone users can choose the option Dial-in number (for mobile users only) for joining the conference without entering conference ID (conference ID is already included in the dial-in number).

Current limitation: no visual indication for muted users who access a conference in audio-only mode.

Tutorials and updates 

The basics tutorial

The basics tutorial is a great way for new users to explore x-bees video conference functionality in a convenient and interactive way. When reaching the tutorial for the first time, a yellow dot appears next to More actions in the bottom menu and you can see Tutorials and updates, highlighted in yellow.

  1. Click on the More actions (1) button (three dots) and proceed to Tutorials and updates (2):


  2. Next to The basics tutorial, press Play tutorial:


  3. The tutorial opens up and guides you through the main features of the conference. Click Next to proceed to another feature or back arrow to return to the previous one:



If you close the tutorial, you can continue from the moment you stopped. Go to More actions -> Tutorials and updates -> click Continue watching:

New features

When there are new features available, a yellow dot appears next to More actions (1) and the Tutorials and updates (2) in the More actions list is highlighted in yellow:


Note: The yellow dot remains until you click Tutorials and updates and view the new features. 


When you click on Tutorials and updates the following pop-up screen appears, which includes The basics tutorial and the list of latest features: 



When you click Show, a pop-up screen appears demonstrating how the new feature works:

Click Next feature to move further orto close the pop-up screen.

Conference controls 

Users start with mic/ cam off

This option is reserved for PBX users only.

By default all users access the conference with their microphones enabled and cameras disabled. 

Note: In case you change mic or camera settings, they are preserved upon the next time you enter a conference.

Example: If you enable the camera in the current conference, it remains enabled in all future meetings you participate in.

The option to decide whether users should access the conference with their webcams enabled/ microphones disabled is reserved to the conference moderator:

  1. Click the More actions (three dots) button 
  2. Click Settings
  3. Click on Moderator tab:

    • Everyone starts with mic off (cam on): users join the conference with their webcams enabled and microphones disabled
    • Everyone starts with cam off (mic on): users join the conference with their microphones enabled and webcams disabled
    • Everyone follows me: users see on the screen what the moderator shows (tiles view/ sidebar view with selected user)
    • Mute reaction sounds for everyone: users do not hear reaction sounds inside the conference
  4. Tick off the the options and click on OK to apply

Tick off both Everyone starts with mic off and Everyone starts with cam off if you would like users to access the conference with both their webcams and microphones disabled.

Microphone, Speakers and Camera settings

  • 1 - Click to Mute/ Unmute your microphone or click the small Arrow up icon to access your microphone and speakers settings:


  • 2 - Access Microphone/ Speakers/ Camera settings
    1. Click three dots (More actions) in the lower central side of the screen 
    2. Click Settings: on the settings screen, you can navigate between the necessary tabs (Audio, Video, Virtual backgrounds) 

      1. On the Audio tab you can choose your devices as well as play a test sound and enable noise suppression



      2. On the Video tab you can select camera, whether you want to mirror your video, and choose desktop sharing frame rate:


      3. On the Virtual backgrounds tab, you can select a virtual background from the list of available ones or add your own background:


You can locally flip your video or hide your video preview, for other conference participants your video remains regular. To achieve this, hover the mouse cursor over three dots in the upper right-hand side of your video preview (both Sidebar and Tiles views) and select Flip or Unpin/ Pin to stage (you can manage this option in Settings -> More -> Hide self view):



Set a background picture

Additionally, you can set a virtual background picture: 

  1. Click three dots (More actions) in the lower central side of the screen 
  2. Proceed to the Virtual backgrounds tab

  3. Select a picture from the list or upload your own background and click OK

To upload your own backgrounds, click Add backgrounds:



Push-to-talk

In case you prefer to keep your microphone muted and unmute only when you speak, you can use Push-to-talk option:

  1. (When you are muted)  Make sure your mouse cursor is on browser tab in which the web conference is running       
  2. Press Space on your keyboard 
  3. Your microphone is unmuted and you can now speak
  4. Release the Space button as soon as you finish speaking to mute your microphone again

Otherwise you can use M shortcut to Mute/ Unmute your microphone:

  • Press M to toggle between mute/ unmute

Read more in the chapter Keyboard shortcuts.

Meeting Preview screen

It is possible enable Meeting Preview screen, which is displayed to a user before joining the conference and which allows to configure mic, video settings, select background, access Dial-in numbers.

To enable it:

  1. Click three dots (More actions) in the lower central side of the screen 
  2. Click Settings

  3. Navigate to Meeting preview tab
  4. Activate the option Enable meeting preview screen and click OK


When enabled, each time before joining a conference, you will see the following screen. Configure video, mic settings and press Join meeting:

Noise suppression

The feature reduces background noise and echo. Ideal for cases when several participants are in the same meeting room.

  1. Click three dots (More actions) -> Settings
  2. Proceed to the tab Noise suppression, where you can enable/ disable the feature and choose type of noise suppression 

Note: Noise suppression settings are saved separately for different audio devices.

Example: If you connect a Bluetooth headset and disable noise suppression, this preference is stored specifically for that headset. The next time you connect that headset, noise suppression remains disabled. If you switch to a different audio device, noise suppression is enabled by default until you manually disable it.

You can also access manage Noise suppression Settings by clicking on the Noise suppression icon at the top:

Video quality

You can adjust the quality for your video streaming. 

  1. Click three dots (More actions) in the lower central side of the screen 
  2. Click Performance settings


Or click on the icon in the upper central side of the screen:

Performance settings chosen for the current conference are saved and automatically applied for future conferences. 

Get Conference ID and Dial-in numbers

  1. Click the Participants icon in the lower central side of the screen


  2. On the panel that opens at the right side of the screen, click Conference ID and Dial-in numbers: