Technical requirements to use WebinarWave

In this article, we will cover the basics of technical requirements for hosting events.

Compatible browsers

Internet speed
As a presenter
Each presenter has their own connection to the webinar. The minimum required upload speed for broadcasting a webinar with WebinarWave is about 250 kilobytes per second (equal to about 2 Mbps).

If you are connected to multiple presenters, you will also need a sufficient download speed, up to 100KBps (800Kbps). We automatically scale the reception down if that is necessary for your computer or your internet speed.

More important than the internet speed is the stability of your connection. To be able to videostream live, you need a stable connection. Preferably use a wired internet connection over Wi-Fi. If you do choose to use Wi-Fi, make sure to place yourself as close to the router as possible. If you are on a VPN network we recommend you to disconnect from your VPN to get more out of your connection.

With multiple presenters
The minimum required upload speed for the each presenter in a webinar with more than one presenter is about 250 kilobytes per second (2 Mbps).

As a moderator or viewer
For viewers, a minimum download speed of 60 kilobytes per second (equal to 0.5 Mbps) is required. WebinarWave automatically adapts the quality of the webinar (up or down), depending on the available bandwidth and CPU power of the viewer.

Testing
You can test your internet connection speed here: https://www.speedtest.net/
Click on 'Start test' after loading and choose a nearby location. Make sure the (upload or download) speed in 'Mbps' is higher or equal to the indicated minimum speed requirements.

Supported computers
As a presenter
Streaming a live webinar will ask more from your computer than most other ‘regular’ computer tasks. For example, your computer has to process video and audio and make sure they’re in sync. Especially processing video and audio will ask a lot from your CPU/processor, and therefore we recommend to use a relatively new PC.

As a rule of thumb, for a computer to be deemed ‘modern enough’, we recommend the following:

A desktop computer that’s maximum 5 years old, or

A laptop that’s maximum 3 or 4 years old.

WebinarWave will generally work fine on even older computers, but if you’re experiencing any issues, using a newer computer is recommended. When testing or live broadcasting your webinar, we’ll measure how busy your computer is with processing the broadcast. Make sure you close other tabs/applications and pause all downloads you may be doing.

Always make sure that your computer is as powerful as possible with all other applications closed. The more powerful, the better (e.g. MacBook Pro over Air).

Please note! You can't present a webinar on mobile devices, such as Android phones, iPads and iPhones. As a presenter, a computer is required. Viewers can watch webinars on mobile devices.

There is a minimum screen width of 1000 pixels, if your screen is smaller you will be unable to present.

Supported operating systems
As a presenter
For presenting a webinar, you’ll need:

Windows 10 or higher

Mac: OS X Mojave 10.14 (latest update) or higher

As a moderator or viewer
WebinarWave has been tested on multiple operating systems:

Windows 8 or higher. Windows 7 is not supported as this hasn't been supported or updated by Microsoft since 2015.

Mac OS X Mavericks or higher

As a viewer on stage
For joining the stage during a webinar, you’ll need:

For computers
Windows: 10 or higher

Mac: OS X Mojave 10.14 (latest update) or higher

For mobile devices
iOS: 14 or higher

Android: 5.0 and above with current security and platform updates

Mobile devices as a viewer
Webinars can also be viewed on mobile devices with:

iOS 14 and above

Android 5.0 and above with current security and platform updates

Practically all browsers that have the ability to play a video stream allow viewers to join the webinar. For Android it’s required to follow the webinar using Google Chrome, which is standard software on Android 5.0 or higher.

Testing
You're able to see your current operating system on this page:
https://whatsmyos.com/

Supported browsers
The following browsers are supported by WebinarWave.

Google Chrome: Latest two versions or higher (including derivatives like Edge and Opera). Click here to see the most recent version.

Firefox 78 and above

For an optimal experience, we recommend using the latest version of Google Chrome.

If you’re already using the Google Chrome browser, you can check your current version in the top right of your browser by clicking the three dots, and choosing 'Help' > 'About Google Chrome'.

As many browsers are built upon the same browser as Google Chrome (Chromium), you'll have the same experience using the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Vivaldi or Brave browsers if you don't want to use Chrome.

As a viewer on stage
For computers
Chrome: Latest two versions or higher (including derivatives like Edge and Opera).

Safari 14 and above

Firefox 78 ESR and above

For mobile devices
iOS Safari (in iOS 14 and higher)

Android Chrome, Firefox, Samsung Internet, and Chromium-based 3rd-party browsers

Supported browsers for viewers
Chrome 81 and above (Including Chromium-based browsers such as Brave and Opera)

Microsoft Edge 81 and above

Safari 14 and above

Firefox 78 ESR and above

Testing
You can check this page which type of browser you’re currently using: https://www.whatismybrowser.com/

Camera support
Practically all (virtual) cameras and microphones are supported for the presenter, as long as your browser is able to detect them as a compatible device. For the non-standard webcam, you’ll sometimes need additional hard- or software, such as Blackmagic Web Presenter, U-TAP or OBS. Cameras must have a minimum resolution of 1280x720 px.

Your attendees will be able to join your events on all major browsers including Google Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera.

Company network and firewalls

As a moderator or viewer
Following a webinar is possible in all networks that allow visiting websites (without restrictions), as long as a stable connection is available.

As a (co)-presenter
WebinarWave uses a variety of domains, IP addresses, ports, and protocols to host your webinar. If you are using a corporate network or VPN, it is wise to check these settings with your IT manager.

WebinarWave works with WebRTC which is a rather new technology that might require some network configuration within larger companies with secured firewalls.

Here are the items you will need to check with your IT department:

Open TCP port 443
Whitelist the following domains:

• *.daily.co
• webinarwave.daily.co
• app.webinarwave.com
• b.daily.co
• c.daily.co
• gs.daily.com
• *.wss.daily.co
• ws-us.cometchat.io
• rtc-us.cometchat.io
• rtc-web-us.cometchat.io
• api-us.cometchat.io
• apiclient-us.cometchat.io
• metrics-us.cometchat.io
• websocket-us.cometchat.io
• data-us.cometchat.io
• widget-js.cometchat.io

If you have a firewall, you should allow UDP hole punching, which is essentially the standard behavior for most firewalls. If you're explicitly allowing or denying UDP ports, you'll definitely need to open port 3478 for signaling and media tunneling. You'll also need to open UDP ports 40000-65534 for all (co-)hosts in order for peer-to-peer calls to work correctly.

VPN
If you are required to use a VPN, webinars will have much better quality if WebinarWave's traffic is able to bypass it. You can usually do that by configuring split tunneling. Try to exempt all UDP traffic. If not possible, exempt port 433

Emails delivery

We recommend that your email provider or email management system authorizes the below domain names to ensure the delivery of emails being sent by WebinarWave:

• events@webinarwave.com
• webinarwave.com

You are ready for your first webinar!