What Equipment Do I Need for a BBB-conference?
To participate in videoconferences, you will need:
- Speakers or headphones for sound output
- a microphone on the device or as part of a headset
- a microphone is a must for presenters and strongly recommended for attendees
- a webcam. Strongly recommended for presenters, only useful if needed for attendees
💡 The use of a headset is always recommended, as it eliminates feedback and significantly improves audio quality
Which Browsers Are Suitable for a Conference?
BigBlueButton runs completely in the web browser, no additional software is required.
- If you are using Windows, Linux or MacOS, we recommend Firefox or Firefox Extended Support Release (ESR)
- If you are using an IPhone or IPad (iOS version 12.1 or later), we recommend Safari. On Android devices, you can also use Chrome or Firefox.
Please make sure that the browser you are using has access to your devices's camera and microphone.
💡 Please make sure to test the compatibility of the browser before a videoconference, e.g. by creating a seperate room in BBB and starting a conference there.
Internet Connection & Firewall
A stable and fast internet conection is also important. If you are using WLAN, you should make sure the reception is a good as possible.
The browser speed test from Belwue gives you an indication of the quality of your internet connection. The following values should be reached:
Download: minimal 1Mbit/s, optimal: 5Mbits/s
Upload: minimal 0,5 Mbits/, optimal: 1 Mbit/s
Bandwith requirements depend primarly on the number of videos that canbe viewed simultaneously. If you have a slow or unreliable internet connection, we recommend that you disable video streaming.
💡 If you want to use BigBlueButton from preotected networks seperated from the internet by firewall, the system, the connection to the BBB servers cannot be blocked.
Ask the adminastration of the firewall system to allow the following connections:
- TPC, port 443 (https) and UDP, port 16384 to 32768 to the JGU networks
- IPv4: 134.93.0.0/16
- IPv6: 2001:4C80:40/48
Enabling TCP port 443 is mandatory. It is strongly recommended to enable the UDP ports, because without them, the connection must be established using a more complex and therefore slower protocol via switching stations, which has a negative effect on the quality of the connection.