External IT Knowledge - Teams Meetings: Good practices

General good practices

Use headsets that have microphones or verify that your laptop/computer set-up has a functioning microphone.
If joining a Teams meeting from the app or on the web, use a wired internet connection or ensure that your wi-fi signal is strong.
VPN (Virtual Private Network) and RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol): These may introduce challenges and can degrade the experience. It is recommended that you not run Teams meetings through VPN and RDP.
Choose your audio and video settings before joining the meeting when using the app or on the web:
- Turn the camera on or off
  - Off is preferred for instructor-led training meetings in order to preserve bandwidth).
- Have your background be visible or blurred out.
- Bluetooth headphones can negatively impact sound quality. We recommend using wired headsets or using speakers from your connecting device.
- Microphone on or off
  - It is recommended that when not speaking, have your microphone turned off to prevent background noise from disrupting the meeting. When you need to speak during conversations, then turn your microphone on to contribute.

Good practices for using Teams from home

Setup Considerations

A high-speed Internet connection is required
If using Wi-Fi (usual), consider how far you are from the home base station. When far away, walls and furniture may diminish the signal.
If you can’t hear sound from the meeting or you can’t be heard, check your computer’s Sound Settings.
- First, make sure your device’s microphone or speakers are not muted.
- On a Mac:
  - Navigate to System Preferences -> Sound
  - Use the Output tab to set volume
  - Use the Input tab to set microphone gain
- On a Windows PC:
  - Navigate to Control Panel – Sound
  - Adjust Input (microphone) and output (speakers) as needed
Most laptops will have a built-in camera, microphone, and speakers
- If using a desktop computer, a camera/mic add-on or a headset may be used
- Using a headset will improve sound management
Mobile devices (smartphone, tablet) will have built-in camera, speaker, microphone and can be used for Teams meetings, you just need to have the Teams app installed.[1]

[1] Get the mobile Teams app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store

When using Teams

The Teams app, the version installed on your laptop, mobile device, or desktop has the greatest functionality. It is recommended that you join meetings from the App.
If the app is not installed, you can access Teams from UTmail+ directly. Using the UTmail+ Web application, go to mail.utoronto.ca and log in with your UTORid and Password. Go to Application Launcher and open Teams.
IMPORTANT: Teams opens an audio-video channel for your meetings. Because a lot of data is transmitted, you should not have an open Remote Desktop or VPN connection. These will push the AV through those services and this may affect the quality of the meeting connection.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter sound choppiness or video signal delays during a Teams meeting, you may not have enough bandwidth available from your home connection. Turn off the video feed from your camera (click on the camera icon on Teams until it is crossed out) and see if this helps.[1]
Check to see that you are not running VPN or a Remote Desktop connection. There are times when these may be needed, e.g., to access AMS or ROSI, or to access your home drive or department file shares.
IMPORTANT: Other than the above reasons, using the VPN or Remote Desktop is not necessary. As an alternative to accessing your files through Remote Desktop, use OneDrive or Sharepoint Online to store, share, and access departmental files. This will reduce the reliance on Remote Desktop and will also help to ensure a better experience when using services like Teams from a remote location.

[1] Even with a high-speed Internet connection, if there are other people in your house working, streaming movies or music, playing games, this will affect the available bandwidth for your connection.

Getting support

We are here to help you keep in touch and stay working while away from the office. Here are some support contacts:

Support Topic	Contact
For Teams setup and general use assistance	need.team@utoronto.ca
For help in setting up or running an online meeting	need.team@utoronto.ca
For assistance installing Teams on your laptop, tablet, or phone	Contact your support desk DW clients open a ticket on ESC
For assistance in moving files to OneDrive, sharing in Teams	Contact your support desk DW clients open a ticket on ESC
For assistance with SharePoint	Open a ticket on ESC