Webcamconsult: says it works with Chrome; fails with Chrome on MacOS
Posted by jpluimers on 2022/01/03
During the 2020 Covid Crisis, many health providers moved over from in-person consults to web based consults.
One party providing these was (is?) Webcamconsult.
They indicate it works with Chrome. It did not work with Chrome on MacOS:
- I would get a black video player in on the test page (which was hard to find), and black video entries for both myself and the consulting party during real life operation.
- The consulting party could see me and hear me, but I did not hear the consulting party.
- On the test page, the hardware test did indicate that audio worked.
This gives me a feeling that they hardly tested on MacOS at all.
My major gripes:
- When clicking on the consult link in the invitation e-mail, there is no test link, unless the consult is in the “waiting room” time frame (often about 30 minutes in advance of the consult)
- When visiting the main Webconsult page, there is not big TEST button or search text, you have to click a few links to get to the support page
- On the support page, the entry on non-working web-cam only mentions Windows
- On the support page, the test entry is only the second entry, phrased as “Can I test network, webcam and mic?”
- The test page has no clear combined test (that tests both hardware and network), so you need some trial and error to get the steps right
Some links in case anyone is still interested:
- [WayBack] Webcamconsult – Tariffs – Subscribe online
- [WayBack] Webcamconsult – Home
- [WayBack] Webcamconsult – Support
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My webcam doesn’t work
Webcam doesn’t work
It can sometimes happen that your webcam does not work. In the case of Windows computers this will have to do with the fact that the webcam is blocked by something. Check the Microsoft support page about webcam settings on Windows 10:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/13753/windows-10-camera-does-not-work
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Can I test network, webcam and mic?
Yes you can test your network connection, webcam and microphone anytime here
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- [WayBack] Webcamconsult (this is actually the test page, titled wrongly “Webcamresult”)
Test network
Network test
This test will check the bandwidth and quality of your network. when you press ‘start test’, your webcam will be launched and we’ll connect to a test server. You might be asked to give permission to use the webcam.
Then we will test the connection for 15 seconds and measure the amount of date exchanged per second (in kilobytes), we also check if all packets arrive on your computer and the server and measure failed attempts (packet-loss)Note that Network environment may change, this test only gives an indiciation of your current bandwidth and loss.
The connection usually improves over time as it gets more stable; the average should therefor be lower then the last measurement, please keep a number in mind that is between the average and the last measurement
For an audio/video connection you need at least 60Kb/s in total bandwidth and less then 0.5% packet loss /s
For optimal performance for your webcamconsult requires over 120Kb/s in total and less then 0.3% packet-loss
Start Network test
Hardware test
With this test you can check your hardware (webcam and microphone). When you start the test, a screen will appear where you should see yourself through the webcam. A volume indicater, indicates the volume measured over the selected audio input device.
If you have multiple input devices, you will be able to select the one you want to use
Start Hardware test
Some screenshots below the fold.
–jeroen
The Wiert Corner - irregular stream of stuff 
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