What are the Technology Requirements for receiving a Webcast?

NACADA uses the Wimba platform, provided by Kansas State University / Axio Learning, to host our online broadcasts. Wimba allows our presenters to share their presentations with our viewers in a live format. You will watch and listen to both sound and visual images that will be sent over the Internet. NOTE: Visual images will NOT include streaming video (sometimes referred to as "talking heads"), which requires more bandwidth than is currently available on many campuses, unless specifically so noted in the event description.

Our Webcasts are designed to be viewed on any recent model Microsoft Windows or Macintosh based computer with an adequate Internet connection. 

MINIMUM  requirements are:

• ALL:
  • Sound card and speakers that are appropriate to your reception set-up (if you are going to broadcast to a group in a conference room setting, laptop speakers will probably not provide adequate projection)
  • 512MB RAM
  • keyboard/touchpad and mouse (necessary for interaction with the presenter)
• Screen-saver must be turned off

• PC System Requirements

  • Desktop with 2.0 GHz Pentium 4 processor or Laptop with 1.4 GHz Centrino processor Windows XP Professional operating system
  • NOTE: Windows Vista users should note that problems have been experienced with the security settings within Vista, preventing registrants from participating in our webcasts. Participants using Vista must plan for and complete the Wimba Wizard pre-event checks well in advance of the scheduled webcast in order to allow your local technical support team time to troubleshoot and resolve any issues.

   

• Macintosh System Requirements

• Desktop or Laptop with 800 MHz processor
• Macintosh OS X operating system

• What you will NOT need:
  • a microphone - audio communication will be one-way from the presenters to you
  • a telephone - audio is presented via the Internet (VoIP)

• Supported Web Browsers
  • Internet Explorer version 7.0 or above
  • Mozilla Foxfire version 2.0 or above (usuable for PC/Mac, but some problems have been encountered with pop-up windows even after blockers have been turned off, therefore we do not recommend using this browser for Webinars)
  • Safari (recommended for Mac)

(Axio Learning technologists recommend that you keep your computer up-to-date with the latest versions of these browsers. Find links to downloads at http://public.online.ksu.edu/support/downloads.php.)

• Browser Configuration
  • ALL pop-up blockers must be disabled (including Google toolbar) or have http://129.130.12.226 added to the blocker's whitelist (list of accepted addresses).
  • Your system must be Java and JavaScript (Cookies) enabled -- with only the most recent version of JAVA.
    • Make certain that all previous versions have been uninstalled. **Conflicts caused by older versions of JAVA, or having multiple versions of JAVA installed, are among the most common causes of problems with broadcast reception. (Find links to download the latest version of Java at http://public.online.ksu.edu/support/downloads.php.

• Internet access

  • at 56k or above - Broadband strongly recommended. (NOTE: Internet connectivity issues are the most common problem encountered by participants.  We have monitored our previous webinars and found that the out-going signal is relatively small, usually only about 13 kilobits per second. However, bottlenecks can occur anywhere between our servers and your computer and occasional dropouts of the signal are frequently the results of these conditions and not a problem with the signal leaving our campus. If bandwidth on your campus is not sufficient to handle the broadcast in addition to all the other Internet interactions taking place there at the given time, the audio and visual portions of the event may not play "in sync" or may even not be receivable. Since this is strictly a campus or intermediary issue, the K-State IT HelpDesk will not be able to assist you with connectivity problems. "State of the art" computer equipment will not ensure good reception if bandwidth is not sufficient!)

• Port Requirements
  • Generally, the port requirements necessary for entering the Wimba room are the same as those needed to access web pages: Standard Web Access (Port 80/tcp). Our webinar room can be accessed through a direct connection or web proxy, through Port 80/tcp. Components (features) of Wimba will upgrade to use more efficient transport methods, when possible. In these instances, the user will seamlessly upgrade by trying multiple alternate/raw ports for connectivity.
    • For TCP, and alternate HTTP: 5998, 443 and port 5190.
    • For UDP: port 5998, 33434, 5190, and 16384.

• Institutional requirements
  • Your Institution's firewall set-up must allow internet broadcast reception. If you are behind a firewall, there is a chance that you will not be able to receive the broadcast, even if you ARE able to enter the presentation room.  PLEASE check with your institution's IT support staff well before the event to determine if this may be an issue for you. (The K-State IT HelpDesk will not be able to assist you with firewall blockage.)
    

If you have any additional questions about Technology Requirements, please call the K-State IT Helpdesk at 785-532-7722 or 800-865-6143. Please tell the technologist that your question relates to viewing a NACADA webcast on the Wimba platform.