Accessing Web and Video Conferencing

There are two options for accessing Web and Video Conferencing.

1. From the PBX Portal, it is labeled as 'Meeting' under the 'Apps' dropdown.
   
   
   
   
2. Meetings can also be accessed directly by navigating to the Video Portal URL https://portal.mylucidpbx.com/video
   
     
   1. A user can log in with their PBX credentials, or others can join a meeting as a guest.
      
      
      
      
      

Join as Guest

If you select to join as a guest, you will be prompted to input a guest name, email address, and a meeting ID, as seen in the image below.

 The guest email address entered is used to send notifications in the event of meeting changes, such as cancellation or rescheduling.

After entering the required information as a guest, the next page will prompt you to configure your video, audio, and device settings, detailed in the "Device Settings" section of this guide.

Guest users will only be able to access active meetings via a meeting ID or URL, and guest users are not able to create new meetings. Guest users will also be unable to access the 'Home' page that is detailed in the next section. 

Logged in User 'Home Page'

  If you signed in, you will be directed to the meeting conference home page, as seen in the image below.

From the meeting conference home page, you can:

• Create a new meeting/room with additional options for audio, video, and user permission settings.  
  
  • Meetings sessions can be started immediately, or they can be scheduled to start in the future.
• View meetings and rooms from past, present, and future conference sessions.
• Join an active meeting or room.

In addition, you will have access to some navigation features located at the top right-hand side of the home page, as seen in the image below.

The options above allow you to easily navigate to other parts of the PBX Portal domain without needing to re-enter your credentials.

There is an icon with the logged-in user's initials: Selecting this icon allows the user to Log Out.

Meetings and Rooms

Audio and Video conference sessions are divided into two groups: Meetings and Rooms.

Meetings

A Meeting is a conference that is expected to end (permanently) after a session. Once a host has ended a meeting, it cannot be re-accessed.

It is possible for the meeting host to re-create the same meeting after the meeting has concluded.   

Rooms

A Room can be a persistent conference that remains accessible, even after the host has ended the meeting. If the host of a room chooses the "End Meeting" option, all participants are removed from the room just like a normal meeting conclusion; however, the room will still be accessible via URL or Meeting ID so long as the host has not manually deleted the room. 

How to Join a Meeting or Room

There are four ways a user can access an active meeting or room:

Meeting Invitation Email

Meeting Invitation emails include a meeting URL, a Dial-in number (if applicable), and the Meeting ID.

Each person added to a meeting/room will receive a meeting invitation email.

Direct Meeting/Room URL

This option can be useful for users who were not specifically invited to a meeting or room when it was created.

Meeting ID 

From the meeting conference home page, the meeting ID can be entered by selecting "Join a Meeting." 

Selecting an Active Meeting

If a user has visited a meeting or room previously, they will find it listed in the Meetings/Rooms section of the conferencing home page. 

To re-join a meeting or room, click the "Join" button to the right of the session name, as seen below. If the "Join" option is not available, the session can no longer be accessed because it was ended by the host.

Audio and Video Settings

After initially joining a Meeting or a Room, users are prompted to configure their individual audio and video preferences, as seen in the image below.

From the audio and video settings menu, the user has the options to:

• Enable/Disable their camera (If applicable).
• Enable/Disable their microphone (Can be toggled in-call as well).
• Enable/Disable screen sharing, and select the option to share entire screens, the individual application, or browser tabs.
• Choose to either join the meeting by dial-in or have the application call the user (If selected, the user will input their phone number or select a phone to call, as seen in the image below).
  
  
  
  
• Select and test audio/video devices via the "Device Settings" button.
• The user can select which device(s) they wish to use for the conference session and has the ability to test audio output, as seen below.
  

Leaving or Ending a Meeting/Room

When a user wishes to end a meeting, they will select the red telephone icon that appears at the top of the screen, and they are provided with end meeting options, as seen in the image below.

The options offered will depend on the user being a host of the meeting/room or an attendee.

• The 'Just Leave' option will keep the conference session active, and the user will leave the meeting. Other attendees can remain in the session until it is ended by the host(s).   
  
  • This option is available for all users in a conference session.
• The End Meeting option will close the session for all users.   
  
  • If the session is a meeting, the session cannot be re-joined later, but it can be re-created by the host(s) if desired.
• If the session is a room, all attendees are removed as normal; however, the session space will remain active for attendees to re-join later.   
  
  • This option is only available for hosts of the meeting or room.

How to Create a Meeting or Room

From the Web and Video Conferencing home page shown below, select either Start a New Meeting or Schedule a Meeting. Alternatively, you can Create a Meeting Room.

Meeting Options

After initiating a new meeting or room, you will be presented with options to customize the meeting or room, as seen in the image below.

1. Meeting Setup  
   
   1. Meeting Name (Optional)
   2. Description (Optional)
2. Meeting Type (Choose One)  
   
   1. Conference (Allows two-way conferencing and media sharing with up to 25 attendees)
   2. Webinar (Allows one-way presentation for up to 200 attendees)
3. Video and Audio  
   
   1. Allow camera and screen share for    
      
      1. Everyone
      2. Hosts and presenters only
      3. Controlled by hosts (Allows manual control of individual attendees)
   2. Allow microphone for    
      
      1. Everyone
      2. Hosts and presenters only
      3. Controlled by hosts 
4. Options (Checkboxes)  
   
   1. Enable chat
   2. Hosts can edit meeting
   3. Require passcode (If enabled, the host will create a passcode, and attendees cannot join without entering this passcode)
   4. Wait for host (If enabled, the session will not begin until the host has joined)
   5. Hide viewers list and count (If enabled, this information is hidden from attendees)
   6. Require invitation or registration to join the meeting
5. Join Information  
   
   1. Meeting ID
   2. Meeting URL
   3. Dial-in number
6. People  
   
   1. Included attendees are listed here, and others can be added by name, extension, number, or email.
   2. The host can assign roles to different attendees from here as well.    
      
      1. Hosts have control over the meeting and attendees' settings.
      2. Presenters can share video and audio during a meeting unless a host disallows these functions.
      3. Regular Attendees can watch and listen to a meeting and may be able to share video and audio if a host has allowed this ability.
   3. The attendee list can be downloaded from here by selecting the download icon located to the right of this section.
7. Schedule Button  
   
   1. Allows the user to schedule a meeting in the future, adding the following options to the meeting menu under "Meeting Setup."
8. Next Button  
   
   1. Once selected, an email invitation is sent to all people included, and the host is directed to the Audio/Video options menu seen below.
      
      
      
      
      
      1. Under "Device Settings," the user is provided with options to test and choose which audio/video devices to use in the meeting, as seen in the image below.
         
         

Active Call Functions

Once a user has joined a meeting or room, they can access the active call functions menu bar seen in the image below.

The Call Function Icons above allows users to do the following:

• View Meeting Information.
• Invite Others to the Meeting or Room.
• Toggle their microphone (Mute and un-mute).
• Toggle their camera.
• End the meeting or leave the call.
• Share their screen with others.
• Change the layout (view format) of the meeting.
• Toggle various meeting settings (Dependent on if the user is a host or not).
• View and participate in chat sessions with the entire attendee list or even individual users.
• Show information about individual participants.

Active Call Sub-Menu Options

While several of these icons are simple buttons to toggle features on and off, some of these options have sub-menus containing additional information and preference settings.

Meeting Info and Invite

The Meeting Info icon and Invite icon both direct users to the Join Info/Invite Menu seen below, including:

• The Meeting ID
• Meeting URL
• Dial-In Number
• Audio ID
• Ability to invite or call another user

Change Layout

The Change Layout icon allows each user to customize how others are displayed in the meeting. 

• The Spotlight option is most commonly used, featuring one single speaker/presenter with the largest screen space while still allowing others to be viewed.
• The Conversation option provides two different users a larger space to present while others in the meeting utilize a smaller space.
• The Grid option allows all attendees to have an equal-sized space to speak and present information.
• The "Automatically move and enlarge speaking people" option, seen below, is enabled by default. When this option is disabled, users will not be moved or enlarged when speaking and will remain in static locations.
  

Meeting Settings

The Meeting Settings icon allows users to: 

• Access device settings
• Hide people that are not presenting video
• Enter full-screen mode
• Show video information for each attendee
• If the user is a host, they can lock the meeting or room, preventing new attendees from entering.
  

When a host locks a meeting or room, current attendees will remain in the session and they can even rejoin later; unless the room is "re-locked" by a host while they are away.