Jitsi (Video-Conference) - in testing
Please note: "Jitsi" is currently being tested at the Department of Computer Science!
General
The Department of Computer Science currently operates 2 servers with Jitsi as alternative solution for conducting video conferences:
The two servers are equivalent from a technical perspective, meaning they may be chosen at will. Using the service requires that at least one participant (the host/conference leader) is in possession of a valid user account from the Department of Computer Science (informatik.hu-berlin.de domain) [Link]. All other participants are not required to have an account. They may participate as guests and will be allowed to join the meeting once the conference leader has started the session.
Guide for meeting organizers
1. open jitsi
Open the website of the desired jitsi-server (f.eg. jitsi.informatik.hu-berlin.de). In case the language of the page is set to German, change the language settings by clicking the little gear icon on the upper right (Einstellungen > Mehr > Sprache > English (United Kingdom)). Click into the field "Start a new meeting" and type the title of the meeting. Letters and numbers, period and hyphen as special characters are allowed, spaces and umlauts will be rejected. Click on "Go" afterwards.
2. Allowing microphone and camera access
When using jitsi for the first time, microphone (and camera) access need to be confirmed. Click on "Allow".
3. Authentication with an "informatik-account" (as host/conference leader)
After clicking on "Go" in the previous step a pop-up will appear with the title "Waiting for the host...". Click on "I am the host" if you are in fact the host and enter your user credentials (informatik-account and password) to start the meeting.
As participant you will wait at this stage until the host is logged in and has started the meeting.
4. Meeting password & inviting participants
The meeting URL can be retrieved from the info menu of the conference room. Optionally a password may be set for the meeting room. To set a password is recommended to restrict the conference room to the invited participants only. Click on "Add password", enter the password value and confirm your changes with "enter". Use the "copy" button to copy the meeting url into an e-mail to the participants. In case you restricted access to the meeting by setting a password, remember to send the password to the participants in a separate e-mail. It will not be included by the built-in copy function.
5. Quality settings
Click on the three vertically arranged dots on the lower right and go to "Settings".
- Manage video quality: Four different video qualities may be chosen from (ordered highest to lowest): "HD", "Standard", "Low", "Low bandwidth". Choosing a lower quality level may improve overall quality of the session, especially when a larger number of participants has joined.
- Full screen mode: "View full screen" extends the session to the size of the available screen. "Esc" ends the full screen mode.
- Settings:
- The menu "Devices" allows to switch between different microphones (e.g. headset or webcam microphone) and to choose from different camera options (e.g. front or rear camera of a mobile phone).
- The display name may be set and changed on the tab "Profile". By clicking on the "Logout" button on the lower left, the meeting host/conference leader may unsubscribe from the session.
- Meeting hosts/conference leaders should also check the options on the tab "More". Checkboxes allow for settings like "Everyone starts muted", "Everyone starts hidden" and "Everyone follows me" as well as the language. Having everyon join muted and/or with video transmission switched off can be useful in meetings with a larger number of participants.
6. Microphone and camera
Centered at the bottom of the screen three shortcut symbols allow for muting and unmuting the microphone, switching the camera on and off and to leave the meeting.
7. Views
By clicking the tile on the lower right the meeting view can be switched from single participant (including speaker view) to overall ("all" participants)
8. Screen share, chat & managing conversations
- Screen share: A screen symbol on the lower left (mouseover: "Share your screen") allows to share your screen with the other participants for presentations (single window or full screen).
- Raise hand: Managing discussions in larger groups can be tricky. Asking all participants to use the "raise hand" functionality to signalize their wish to speak, can help make the meeting less stressful and more rewarding for everyone. Clicking the symbol on the lower left activates the "raised hand" status and clicking again, lowers the raised hand again.
- Chat: The speech bubble symbol on the lower left starts the chat. Each participant wishing to use the chat function will be prompted to enter his screen name (if not done yet).
Guide for participants
Option 1: PC & Browser
To join a jitsi conference from laptop/pc, open the conference url your meeting host has sent you by e-mail in your browser (f.eg. https://jitsi.informatik.hu-berlin.de/name-of-the-conference). In case the host set a meeting password, you will be prompted to enter it in order to access the meeting. If you are not on possession of either the meeting url or the password, please liase with the meeting host/conference leader.
Option 2: Smartphone & App (Android)
- Open the AppStore search for "Jitsi Meet" and install the app.
- Enter the server url (f.eg. https://jitsi.informatik.hu-berlin.de/)
- Enter the conference name
- Wait for the host to start the meeting session and enter the password if prompted.
Privacy notice
You can find information on data protection on https://jitsi.informatik.hu-berlin.de/datenschutzhinweise.html
Questions and problems?
For questions or trouble using the service, please contact us:
E-Mail: support@informatik.hu-berlin.de
Mattermost: Channel "video conference"
Note: The content of the above guide has been largely adopted from the instructions published by Universität Münster (https://www.uni-muenster.de/IT/services/kommunikation/jitsi/anleitung.html)