Troubleshooting during a video consultation
We've tried to make video consultations robust and easy to use for both clinicians and clients, but as with all technology, sometimes problems can arise.
This guide is designed to help you work through any performance issues you experience during a video consultation.
You can see guidance on troubleshooting when setting up or preparing for a video consultation here
What browser are you using? Is it up to date?
The video consultation platform will only support the most up to date and 2 previous versions of a browser. For example, if the most up to date version of Google Chrome is 81, versions 79, 80 and 81 will be supported.
You can find out how to check what version of a browser you are using here and more information on the browser requirements for video consultation here.
If you're accessing the consultation via a mobile device, in most cases you'll be able to check your app store for any available updates.
The most important things to note are:
If you're using Microsoft Edge, make sure you're on version 81 or later
If you're using an iPhone or iPad, you'll need to use the native Safari browser. You can't use the Chrome or Firefox browser apps on iOS
Video consultations are not supported on Internet Explorer
What is your internet speed? Are you using a wired connection via an ethernet cable, WiFi or mobile data?
Both parties on a video call will need a stable internet connection for the best possible experience of video consultations. Generally we'd recommend a speed of more than 10mbps. If you are having issues with poor quality video or sound, please run an internet speed test on the device you are using to access the video consultation: https://www.speedtest.net/
It's worth bearing in mind that the speed you see if you connect directly to your router can be very different to the speed you experience over WiFi, and WiFi can be very variable especially at the moment. Even if you normally get a pretty high mbps speed with your internet, you should still perform a speed test on the device you are using at the time you experience issues to see exactly what your network connection looks like.
If you are using mobile data, are you on 3G or 4G? How many bars of signal do you have?
A blurry video feed, the images freezing and poor quality sound can indicate a weak signal at either end.
Are you using any adblockers, antivirus or malware software?
These tools may interfere with video consultations however in most cases you can whitelist services (like ours) so that they are unaffected. To do this you will need to check the documentation for your adblocker, antivirus or malware software.
Where are you accessing WriteUpp and the video consultation? Are you using your own home internet or are you using the network at your clinic or place of work?
If you are using WriteUpp at your clinic or place of work, it's possible that the connection is being blocked by any firewalls or protections that the organisation have in place.
Do you have any extensions installed on your browser?
The video consultation platform uses a browser to browser connection, which can be impacted by other things that you may have running in your browser, like extensions and ad blockers. They can generally be found by opening your browser settings and choosing Extensions or similar. Can you toggle them off and try the video consultation again?
Have you checked that video and audio permissions were granted?
The browser you are using needs access to your camera and microphone so your patient can see and hear you (and vice versa!). The first time you use the video consultation feature on a browser, or after clearing your history or cache for example, you'll need to allow the browser access to both your microphone and camera. Without this access, the connection won't work. The message you see will depend on what browser and device you're working from, but generally you'll be asked to Allow access or to Deny/Block access.
If you accidentally deny or block access, the video session will start but the party won't be able to see or hear you. They'll just see the placeholder image in the middle of their screen.
Are you using Safari?
Safari is currently recognising the waiting room opening as a 'pop-up' and is subsequently blocking the first attempt.
On macOS, you'll see a brief 'Pop-Up Window blocked' message in the address bar. You'll need to click on Safari in your menu bar, choose Preferences -> Websites -> Pop-up Windows and set your WriteUpp site to Allow:
On iOS, you won't see any indication in the address bar that a pop-up has been blocked. If you click on Open Waiting Room and nothing happens, you should go to Settings -> Safari -> and make sure that Block Pop-ups is off (so that it appears grey):
We're working on a way around this at the moment!
Are you copying and pasting the URL from the address bar into a different browser or device?
If you do this, you'll see a message on screen advising "You don't have access to this page".
As a security measure, clicking on “open waiting room” authenticates the clinician as a WriteUpp user and that the connection comes from WriteUpp. You can't then copy the link and paste it into another browser as authentication will fail. You must open and start the video session by clicking on Open Waiting Room from within WriteUpp.
If you or your patient are having issues seeing each other, check that access was granted to the camera and microphone when the call was started. Did you accidentally deny permissions?
Sometimes you'll see an icon in the browser to indicate that video permissions were granted, but it depends on what device and browser you're using:
If you see something like this, or you're sure you granted access when asked, you should also check the video icon displayed within the feed, incase it's been switched off in error. A diagonal line through this icon indicates that your video is off. Easy fix though, just click on it to turn it back on again:
When you reach the waiting room, use the test video option to make sure your video feed us as you expect it to be
As with issues seeing each other, check that access was granted to the camera and microphone when the call was started. If you're sure that was done, check the microphone icon displayed within the video feed. Again a diagonal line through this icon indicates that your audio is off and you can click on it to turn it on again:
If you're having any issues with sharing your screen, this might be because your browser isn't supported, or you've not granted the access permissions required. You can read more about screen share here.
Yes, of course! As long as you didn't end the call using the End Call button, you can simply find the appointment in your diary again, click on the Switch to video icon and then open the waiting room again. You should be reconnected to the other party and can continue with your session. The secure connection between your browser and the browser being used by the other party is maintained until the call is manually ended. If either party are having connection issues, you can try to refresh your browser manually, or click on the end call button and choose Refresh to see if it helps.
In short, no. When you end a call by clicking the hang up icon, you'll see a message on screen advising that this will end the appointment and asking you to confirm:
You're asked to confirm this before ending the session to hopefully lower the chances of an accidental hang up. Once you confirm you'd like to end the call, the secure connection is closed, the consultation will be concluded and the "room" will close, meaning the link won't work any longer. It isn't possible to rejoin after this has been done.
If you're still having issues with a video consultation, please start a live chat with Team WriteUpp at the bottom right of your screen and we'll do our best to help you!
We will need the below information on your video call for both you and your patient to allow us to help diagnose any issues:
What browser and hardware are you using? Are they up to date?
Are you using WiFi or mobile data? If WiFi, what is the upload and download speed you are both seeing? If mobile data, how many signal bars do you have?
Are you using any adblockers, antivirus or malware software?
Have you checked the video/camera permissions are granted?
Are you able to conduct a call via another platform? (Skype, Zoom, WhatsApp)
This guide is designed to help you work through any performance issues you experience during a video consultation.
You can see guidance on troubleshooting when setting up or preparing for a video consultation here
General issues
What browser are you using? Is it up to date?
The video consultation platform will only support the most up to date and 2 previous versions of a browser. For example, if the most up to date version of Google Chrome is 81, versions 79, 80 and 81 will be supported.
You can find out how to check what version of a browser you are using here and more information on the browser requirements for video consultation here.
If you're accessing the consultation via a mobile device, in most cases you'll be able to check your app store for any available updates.
The most important things to note are:
If you're using Microsoft Edge, make sure you're on version 81 or later
If you're using an iPhone or iPad, you'll need to use the native Safari browser. You can't use the Chrome or Firefox browser apps on iOS
Video consultations are not supported on Internet Explorer
What is your internet speed? Are you using a wired connection via an ethernet cable, WiFi or mobile data?
Both parties on a video call will need a stable internet connection for the best possible experience of video consultations. Generally we'd recommend a speed of more than 10mbps. If you are having issues with poor quality video or sound, please run an internet speed test on the device you are using to access the video consultation: https://www.speedtest.net/
It's worth bearing in mind that the speed you see if you connect directly to your router can be very different to the speed you experience over WiFi, and WiFi can be very variable especially at the moment. Even if you normally get a pretty high mbps speed with your internet, you should still perform a speed test on the device you are using at the time you experience issues to see exactly what your network connection looks like.
If you are using mobile data, are you on 3G or 4G? How many bars of signal do you have?
A blurry video feed, the images freezing and poor quality sound can indicate a weak signal at either end.
Are you using any adblockers, antivirus or malware software?
These tools may interfere with video consultations however in most cases you can whitelist services (like ours) so that they are unaffected. To do this you will need to check the documentation for your adblocker, antivirus or malware software.
Where are you accessing WriteUpp and the video consultation? Are you using your own home internet or are you using the network at your clinic or place of work?
If you are using WriteUpp at your clinic or place of work, it's possible that the connection is being blocked by any firewalls or protections that the organisation have in place.
Do you have any extensions installed on your browser?
The video consultation platform uses a browser to browser connection, which can be impacted by other things that you may have running in your browser, like extensions and ad blockers. They can generally be found by opening your browser settings and choosing Extensions or similar. Can you toggle them off and try the video consultation again?
Have you checked that video and audio permissions were granted?
The browser you are using needs access to your camera and microphone so your patient can see and hear you (and vice versa!). The first time you use the video consultation feature on a browser, or after clearing your history or cache for example, you'll need to allow the browser access to both your microphone and camera. Without this access, the connection won't work. The message you see will depend on what browser and device you're working from, but generally you'll be asked to Allow access or to Deny/Block access.
If you accidentally deny or block access, the video session will start but the party won't be able to see or hear you. They'll just see the placeholder image in the middle of their screen.
Issues with the waiting room opening
Are you using Safari?
Safari is currently recognising the waiting room opening as a 'pop-up' and is subsequently blocking the first attempt.
On macOS, you'll see a brief 'Pop-Up Window blocked' message in the address bar. You'll need to click on Safari in your menu bar, choose Preferences -> Websites -> Pop-up Windows and set your WriteUpp site to Allow:
On iOS, you won't see any indication in the address bar that a pop-up has been blocked. If you click on Open Waiting Room and nothing happens, you should go to Settings -> Safari -> and make sure that Block Pop-ups is off (so that it appears grey):
We're working on a way around this at the moment!
Are you copying and pasting the URL from the address bar into a different browser or device?
If you do this, you'll see a message on screen advising "You don't have access to this page".
As a security measure, clicking on “open waiting room” authenticates the clinician as a WriteUpp user and that the connection comes from WriteUpp. You can't then copy the link and paste it into another browser as authentication will fail. You must open and start the video session by clicking on Open Waiting Room from within WriteUpp.
My patient and I are having issues seeing each other
If you or your patient are having issues seeing each other, check that access was granted to the camera and microphone when the call was started. Did you accidentally deny permissions?
Sometimes you'll see an icon in the browser to indicate that video permissions were granted, but it depends on what device and browser you're using:
If you see something like this, or you're sure you granted access when asked, you should also check the video icon displayed within the feed, incase it's been switched off in error. A diagonal line through this icon indicates that your video is off. Easy fix though, just click on it to turn it back on again:
When you reach the waiting room, use the test video option to make sure your video feed us as you expect it to be
My patient and I are having issues hearing each other
As with issues seeing each other, check that access was granted to the camera and microphone when the call was started. If you're sure that was done, check the microphone icon displayed within the video feed. Again a diagonal line through this icon indicates that your audio is off and you can click on it to turn it on again:
Issues with screen share
If you're having any issues with sharing your screen, this might be because your browser isn't supported, or you've not granted the access permissions required. You can read more about screen share here.
I closed my video tab in error, can I rejoin the call?
Yes, of course! As long as you didn't end the call using the End Call button, you can simply find the appointment in your diary again, click on the Switch to video icon and then open the waiting room again. You should be reconnected to the other party and can continue with your session. The secure connection between your browser and the browser being used by the other party is maintained until the call is manually ended. If either party are having connection issues, you can try to refresh your browser manually, or click on the end call button and choose Refresh to see if it helps.
I ended a call in error, can I restart it?
In short, no. When you end a call by clicking the hang up icon, you'll see a message on screen advising that this will end the appointment and asking you to confirm:
You're asked to confirm this before ending the session to hopefully lower the chances of an accidental hang up. Once you confirm you'd like to end the call, the secure connection is closed, the consultation will be concluded and the "room" will close, meaning the link won't work any longer. It isn't possible to rejoin after this has been done.
Contact us!
If you're still having issues with a video consultation, please start a live chat with Team WriteUpp at the bottom right of your screen and we'll do our best to help you!
We will need the below information on your video call for both you and your patient to allow us to help diagnose any issues:
What browser and hardware are you using? Are they up to date?
Are you using WiFi or mobile data? If WiFi, what is the upload and download speed you are both seeing? If mobile data, how many signal bars do you have?
Are you using any adblockers, antivirus or malware software?
Have you checked the video/camera permissions are granted?
Are you able to conduct a call via another platform? (Skype, Zoom, WhatsApp)
Updated on: 17/06/2022
Thank you!