Since the COVID19 pandemic, working from home has taken off around the world. Whether you’re back in the office a couple of days a week or are working from home every day for the foreseeable future, chances are that you spend at least some of the time on Google Meet, Microsoft Teams or Zoom calls rather than in-person meetings in the office. Working from home certainly has a lot of benefits. However, one downfall is that when IT issues arise, you might have to deal with the problem yourself. One of the most common issues that remote workers face is with video calling. Here are some top tips to get a better experience when on a video call.
Upgrade Your PC
If you are working from home on a PC and the picture is often stuttering and crashing when you’re on a video call, then it might be time to make some upgrades. It might be worth speaking to your employer to see if they will cover the cost of upgrading the graphics card in your PC or providing you with a laptop with better graphics that you can use for video calling. Intel Arc Graphics cards can be installed in most PCs and will make a big improvement to graphical and video tasks.
Check Your Connection
If you know that your laptop or PC has great graphics and your picture is still buffering and crashing when you are on a video call, then check your Wi-Fi connection. It might be that where you are positioned in the house means that your device isn’t getting as strong a connection as it could, so moving around might be necessary. Or, you could move the router closer to you; make sure that there’s nothing blocking the signal like walls. Wi-Fi boosters and extenders are also a good option. If all else fails, going with a wired Ethernet connection directly from the router to your PC or laptop should help you avoid connectivity issues throughout the call.
Improve Your Lighting
The video call is a two-way process, so you’ll want to make sure that the other people you’re communicating with are having a great experience too. Improving your lighting is one way to do this; the last thing that you want is for dark surroundings to make it difficult for the people you are video calling with to hear you, especially as the colder months draw in and it gets darker earlier. A desk lamp or even a ring light behind your monitor can really help.
Log In Early
Don’t wait for the meeting to start to fix any issues that might arise with your web cam, microphone or connection. Logging in early gives you a chance to make sure that everything is working correctly and that you’re happy with your picture on the screen, the lighting, and your background before you begin the call.
As you cans see, if you are looking to improve your video call experience, there are many different things you can try.
Leave a Reply