As a moderator, it’s important to monitor the status of every presenter involved in the event. There are three designations you will see under “status” that allow you to track the connection of each presenter. They are:

• Available
• Idle
• Offline

and each status means something different for the participants. You can think of them as a Green light (Available) a Yellow light requiring attention (Idle) and a Red light stopping the presenter (Offline).

Available Presenters

Your event is going well if all presenters are in the “Available” status. This means that they are well-connected with both video and audio, however they will be on mute until the are given the “floor” or presentation rights.

Available status means that a presenter can take over the audio and video channel of the meeting and present to the audience, moderator and other presenters with simultaneous interpretation.

Idle Status

A presenter that shows an “Idle” status (‘A’ in the image)is a problem that means they’re not well-connected to the meeting and they need to rectify an error to fully participate.

Close Apps and Websites

The first thing a participant should do if they have an Idle status is close all desktop apps or websites open that might be using their microphone and camera (like Skype, Microsoft Teams, Zoom and similar).

They should make sure that only one event tab is open and refresh their browser on the VoiceBoxer page.

Allow Microphone & Camera

If they have not become available, it’s likely because they have not “allowed” their microphone and camera.

This can be fixed if they click on the camera/microphone icon next to the address bar and allow them from there by clicking on “Allow” in Chrome or “Share selected devices” in Firefox.

Once done, they should refresh their browser and should be seen as “Available”.

More information on allowing devices can be reviewed in this guide.

Allowing both devices is necessary to be able to fully participate in the event. Please remember that each presenters’ microphone and camera will still be automatically muted/not shown until they have the floor.

Offline Status

When presenters have a status of “Offline” (‘B’ in the image) they have no connection to the event and cannot participate in the meeting. This is the most often because they have not yet joined the event. It can also mean that they have joined but are having difficulty with their connection.

Firewall Issues

If presenters appear as Idle or Disconnected, they may have firewall issue. This can be checked using this link.

Using an alternate network or WiFi mobile hotspot can fix this and if not, IT help may be required.