WebEx Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get billed?
Will WebEx work on a Mac?
Do I have to download any software to host a meeting?
What's the difference between document sharing and application sharing?
What types of files or applications can I share?
Does everyone in a meeting need the file or application that I want to share?
What happens if people in a meeting have displays of different sizes or resolutions?
Can I use Internet phone (VOIP) for audio in a meeting?
Which video cameras are supported?
Can I use Mozilla’s Firefox browser?

 

How am I billed?

Billing is done at the end of each month. You’ll receive an itemized statement that describes the date, time, duration and number of participants and your total charge against your FOPAL number.

Will WebEx work on a Mac?

WebEx will work with PC, Mac, Linux, Solaris & Citrix. If you have a web browser and internet access, you can use WebEx!

Do I have to download any software to host a meeting?

To use all of the interactive features in a meeting, you must run Meeting Manager on your computer. Meeting Manager lets you or anyone in the meeting share most types of documents or applications. Unlike the old methods of installing software from a disk or downloading and installing it manually over the Internet, your meeting service automatically downloads and sets up Meeting Manager for you. In fact, each time you participate in a meeting, Meeting Manager maintains itself by checking for the latest version and automatically updating itself, as necessary. For first-time users, the Meeting Manager for Windows download is approximately 1.0 MB. Meeting Manager then downloads only updated components as needed. When scheduling a meeting, you can choose to use the Java Meeting Manager, which downloads only a small Java applet. The Java Meeting Manager is most appropriate for a one-to-many presentation, because it supports fewer interactive features than the fully interactive Meeting Manager.

What's the difference between document sharing and application sharing?

Document sharing uses a printer driver (the WebEx Document Loader) to create an image of your document, which is then presented for review and markup in the Meeting Manager content viewer. This image is much like a printed document or fax—that is , you cannot edit it. This image requires relatively little bandwidth and thus works well at slower connection speeds.
On the other hand, application sharing sends images of the application in real-time, allowing you to edit documents as well as show all of an application's features, such as menus and tools. This type of sharing is much more powerful and requires more bandwidth.

What types of files or applications can I share?

You can share virtually any document or application. However, applications with streaming content may not work well, because such content is not streaming directly from the source to attendees. However, if you want to share a Web page with streaming content, you can use Web content sharing, which opens a browser window on each attendee's computer and streams the content directly from its source.

Does everyone in a meeting need the file or application that I want to share?

No. Only the presenter in the meeting must have the file or application on his or her computer. Other attendees in the meeting need not have the file or application on their computers.

What happens if people in a meeting have displays of different sizes or resolutions?

In a WebEx meeting, all of the attendees' views automatically display the meeting content, even if they have different display resolutions. No matter which resolution attendees' monitors are set to, attendees' views automatically follow the presenter's mouse pointer. Thus, the presenter should always keep the mouse pointer near the content under discussion. For best results, the presenter should set his or her monitor to 800 x 600 pixels, because this resolution is the most common. To change your monitor's display resolution for Windows, use the Settings tab in the Display Control Panel. For Mac OS, use the Monitors Control Panel.

Can I use Internet phone (VOIP) for audio in a meeting?

Yes, Internet phone—also called Internet telephony or voice over IP (VOIP)—is available. To use Internet phone, ensure that your computer has the following:                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

• a supported sound card
• sound driver
• speakers or headphones
• a microphone

If your computer is running Microsoft Windows, you can determine whether it supports Internet phone by creating a short voice recording using Windows Sound Recorder. If the recording is successful, you can use Internet phone during a meeting.

To use Internet phone during a meeting, the meeting host must select Internet Phone under Teleconference when scheduling a meeting or starting an instant meeting. Once the meeting starts, the host can start the Internet phone conference by pointing to Internet Phone on the Tools menu, then choosing Start Conference. An invitation to join the conference then appears in the Meeting window for each attendee whose computer has a sound card.

Which video cameras are supported?

You can generally use any video camera, or webcam, that connects to either a USB or parallel port on your computer.

WebEx has tested the following video cameras for Windows and found them to be compatible with Meeting Manager for Windows:

• 3Com Home Connect
• Creative Lab PD0040
• Creative webcam plus
• D-Link WebCam
• Epson type SW
• EZonics EZCam USB
• IBM PC Camera ( Black)
• IBM PC Camera Pro (White)
• iBOT FireWire Desktop
• Intel PC Camera Pro
• Logitech QuickCam Home (USB)
• Logitech QuickCam VC (Parallel)
• Omiga CD370 Camera
• Video Camera (1394)
• Vista Imaging Vi Cam LPT
• Vista Imaging Vi Cam USB
• WebEx has tested the following video cameras for Mac OS and found them to be compatible with Meeting Manager for Mac OS:
• iBOT
• iREZ
• iSight

Can I use Mozilla’s Firefox browser?

Yes.  Below are some helpful hints when using Firefox.

Users must have a version of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) installed on their desktop.

On Windows, Firefox can be used with Sun's Java Runtime Environment (JRE). It can not be used with the Microsoft Java VM, as that can only be used with Internet Explorer. Versions of Sun's JRE older than 1.3.0_01 will not work. It is possible to install JRE 1.4.2_01 from within Firefox, using XPInstall technology.

By far the easiest way to get Java working is to install Firefox with the Unofficial Installer, then install Java using XPInstall.

If you have already downloaded Firefox as a ZIP file, you can add the registry information that JRE 1.4.2 and later require by hand. To do this, save this registry file to your desktop, and double-click to import it. If you are asked if you want to add the information to the Windows registry, click Yes. After this is done, you can install JRE 1.4.2 if required, then restart Firefox and use Java.

If neither of the above solutions work, you can use JRE 1.4.1_05 until the issue you are having is resolved. JRE 1.4.1_05 does not require the information in the Windows registry that JRE 1.4.2 does.

For more information please visit: http://www.mozilla.org

By default, Firefox is set to open links from other applications in the most recent tab/window.  WebEx meeting clients will open links in a browser for the following features:

• Invite by Email
• Share Web Content
• Help
• Learn More link on the Quick Start Page
• Verify Rich Media Player
• Welcome Message

These pages when opened will end the Meeting Client session.  Please update your Firefox preferences to open links in a new window or a new tab.  These options can be found under: Tools > Options > Advanced > Tabbed Browsing

The client download section on the support page does not have an installer for Mozilla or Firefox.  You may use the Download [Meeting] Manager Installer for Netscape Navigator to manually install the client for Mozilla or Firefox.

Other issues for Firefox include:

• The feedback page after a meeting is ended may not appear when using Firefox.
• Menu background colors may be incorrect on certain Windows XP systems, rendering some menu items unreadable.
• The meeting center client must be manually installed for users to remotely access a computer setup for Access Anywhere.  Users can manually install the meeting manager client by downloading the manual installer for Netscape Navigator on the support page.
• Downloading meetings recorded over the network may not add the proper .wrf file extension to the downloaded file.  Workaround:  Rename the file and add .wrf to the end of the file.
• Sharing a local .htm or .html file does not work.  Workaround:  Change your default browser to  Internet Explorer or share the file using application share after loading the file in your preferred browser.