Video Conferencing Solutions

[wahnsinn]

Hello D800,

we use jitsi.

Jitsi is an open source software that enables video conferences with one or more participants. The special thing: No account is necessary to use jitsi, only a web browser (which supports WebRTC) or the app for Android or iOS. Privacy-sensitive users can also find the Jitsi-Meet app in the F-Droid store.

Jitsi then runs on instances. For privacy reasons please only select instances that work without Google STUN / Turn server and hosted servers at Amazon, Google, Cloudflare or Microsoft. A list of instances can be found here.

I liked the idea of Jitsi but received a message stating that I need to use Chrome or Chromium to use their website. I am not a fan of Google, so I'm passing on this one.

To use jitsi you need a browser that supports WebRTC. Firefox can do this too. With Firefox there should be more problems than with Chromium. So far jitsi has always worked without problems with Firefox.

A quick guide (but in German) can be found here.

Greetings from Germany and stay healthy

[m_frank]

---

:
Did some tests with jitsi meet on browser, since I don't mind using Chrome for that.
If people don't have an issue with chromium based browsers , jitsi meet is great and easy to use.
Starting a meeting and sending the invites is easy.

To jump on, all you need is an agreed upon url, and optional password, and you're off!

• Chromium-based browsers have the most complete support of features, best performance, and the least impact on the rest of the connected.
• Firefox seems to work for the most part, but the menus on the Mic & Cam icons are not active, and screen sharing was sometimes flakey, not working between Firefox nodes but strangely, only in one direction. I also saw mention of load impacts on the other participants when Firefox nodes were present.
• Safari was audio-only.

---

:
But if people want to share screens or docs from mobile device, it's out as their mobile apps don't have that ability.

I was testing with my sister. on her android tablet, upon discovering that the app didn't have all the features of the browser version, we circumvented the app by bringing up the link in the chrome browser and when it suggested loading or jumping to the app, she instead long-pressed the vertical 3-dot menu on the right side of the url bar and requested the desktop version of the page from the drop-down menu.
We didn't test extensively, leaving that for another day, but were able to adjust the video quality (LD/SD/HD/AUD) whereas
the app only had AUD/VID. Also missing in the app, were tile-mode (view mode) toggle, and the Info icon for displaying the link info was missing info.

• Tip for mobile devices: Try the desktop version of the web page.

[Head_on_a_Stick]

I heard of Zoom having encryption issues

Zoom likes to advertise it's "encryption" features but it only offers TLS encryption rather then end-to-end so the host can record & view any conversations.

See also https://theintercept.com/2020/03/31/zoo ... ncryption/

Jitsi offers full end-to-end encryption and works with Firefox but the support isn't as good as for Chrom{e,ium} (as m_frank notes).

EDIT: Jitsi also offers .deb packages from a custom repository: https://download.jitsi.org/stable/

Instructions on the downloads page.

[GuiGuy]

I confirm that jitsi meet works OK with Firefox on MX18.

[oops]

Hello D800,

we use jitsi.

Jitsi is an open source software that enables video conferences with one or more participants.
...

Hi,
Yes Jitsi-meet is promising, actually I mostly use zoom.us and skype. Zoom is on the air with the coronavirus ;-)

[paul1149]

Jitsi is an amazing free service. But unless I'm missing something, the weakness I see is that with no ability to create an account, ownership of the room cannot be persistent. So someone could set up a room of the same name and commandeer the meeting the next time. For many people this limitation will not be a problem, but for some it will be critical. IIUC, to create accounts one must upgrade to 8x8, the company that foots the bills for Jitsi, which is pay.

[m_frank]

Jitsi is an amazing free service.

But unless I'm missing something, the weakness I see is that with no ability to create an account, ownership of the room cannot be persistent. So someone could set up a room of the same name and commandeer the meeting the next time.
:

---

Well, you can set a password to keep out the "public", but you would have to maintain at least one connection to preserve your hold on the particular meet namespace on the instance.

You can also pick up and move to an alternative Instance, see: Jitsi Meet Instances

Or, you could set up your own Jitsi-Meet instance and add access controls.

[GuiGuy]

Signed up to 8x8 for free, and it works:-

8x8.png

But can only login as guest.

[paul1149]

Signed up to 8x8 for free, and it works:-
8x8.png
But can only login as guest.

It's good that 8x8 has a free plan. But if you're only a guest you lose persistence, right?I signed up but now cannot figure out how to actually access the room. "Start" does not take me there. Strange.

[GuiGuy]

...........
[
It's good that 8x8 has a free plan. But if you're only a guest you lose persistence, right?I signed up but now cannot figure out how to actually access the room. "Start" does not take me there. Strange.

"Start" will work if you first put something into the "enter meeting name" box.

However it's all a bit pointless because you end up with something no better than the plain jitsi meet.