Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Is Meet a new product or is just the next release of Web Meetings? In this regard: does it produce extra-costs?

Kopano Meet is a completely new piece of software, redesigned from the ground up. In our product overview Kopano Meet will replace the old Spreed based Web Meetings implementation. If you have bought a support subscription for the old Web Meetings product you can just use Meet instead in the future.

What is the difference between Meet and Web Meetings? Especially: Are there features missing? Which “problems” were solved?

Kopano Meet has been redeveloped to benefit from advancements that were made in browsers, development languages and the WebRTC technology. One of the most noticeable things is while disabling video in the old WebMeetings still transferred a blacked out video, it is nowadays possible to completely disable the video (and audio) data streams conserving more bandwidth. One other benefit of starting from scratch is that the new product is now also capable of natively running on mobile devices (just within the default browser, no app installation required). Starting from scratch also means that not all feature that were available in the old Web Meetings will be available in Kopano Meet from the start. For the beginning we have focussed on one to one and group calls. The ability the invite external users to a call will be ready at product launch as well. Additional features like screensharing or a visual integration into WebApp/DeskApp are on our agenda and will be added later on. Feature such as uploading of files and presentation, or a built in chat will not be implemented.

How do I migrate from Web Meetings to Meet?

Neither Kopano Web Meetings nor Kopano Meet store data of their own on the server. To make use of Meet you simply have to install and configure it.

How long may I work with Web Meetings? When do I need to migrate to Meet?

Both solutions will exist side by side for a bit longer. We plan to make an “end of life” announcement for the old Web Meetings with enough time for admins to update their installation (or decide to stay on the old software, but not receive further updates and support).

How does Meet integrate with Kopano? Especially: DeskApp/WebApp, address book, …

Kopano Meet uses the new RestAPI in Kopano Groupware Core 8.7 to get access to the GAB. Authentication is handled by Kopano Konnect (also introduced with Kopano Groupware Core 8.7). There is at this moment no functional integration with Kopano WebApp/DeskApp.

While a functional integration would be nice, can I at least visually include Meet into Kopano WebApp?

Yes, this works out if the box with the so called “Intranet” plugin and as long as Meet and WebApp are hosted on the same domain. Please be aware that with the default WebApp configuration users will need to sign separately into Meet. Starting with version 3.5.5 Kopano WebApp can be configured to authenticate via OpenID Connect/Kopano Konnect to avoid the need to login twice.

I heard that you can install Kopano Meet on your mobile phone or desktop, where can I download this app?

Kopano Meet is designed as a so called “Progressive Web App (PWA)” which means that browsers supporting this standard (Chrome, Chromium, Edge, Firefox) will show the user a notification enabling to “install” itself to the list of apps on the device in question. If you want to install Meet for faster local access then you can do so by visiting your local installation of Meet, without the need to rely on external app stores. A separate app is currently not required and not planned.

Do I need to open special ports on my firewall to use Meet?

No, the only port that is required to use Meet is port 443 (for the https connection). As long as users can reach this port (and a turn service is configured) they will be able to hold calls.

What do I need a turn service for?

A Turn service is required for the initial connection between callers. In case a direct connection fails the Turn service will also be used to relay communication between callers.

Can I run my own Turn service?

CoTurn is a popular open source Turn service. Since setting up an iron clad turn service (for maximum availability for callers) is a somehow difficult task, we decided to make this available as a service to Kopano customers.

Do I need to install a browser extension (for example for screensharing)?

No, Kopano Meet works on top of native browser functionality. For sharing your screen Meet uses the “Screen Capture API” (available in Google Chrome >= 72 and Mozilla Firefox >= 66), which also means that while you can receive a shared screen on Android and iOS, you cannot share your screen yourself from these devices. Yes, this works out if the box with the so called “Intranet” plugin and as long as Meet and WebApp are hosted on the same domain. Please be aware that users will need to sign separately into Meet. This requirement will be obsolete once it is possible to sign into Kopano WebApp with Kopano Konnect as well.

What browsers are supported for Meet in general?

Kopano Meet is designed to run on on any browser that supports WebRTC peer to peer connections. See Can I use.. (search for “webrtc”) for an always up to date version of WebRTC availability for browsers.

Which browsers are supported for screensharing?

For Screensharing to work the browser needs to support the “Screen Capture API” this is for example available in Google Chrome >= 72 and Mozilla Firefox >= 66.

Can Meet be used for controlling a remote desktop?

No, Kopano Meet cannot be used to control a remote desktop. Security measures of the web browser (such as sandboxing) prevent web applications from taking over control.

What kind of internet connection do I need for Meet?

The connections within Meet are limited to a maximum of 1 Mbit for video and audio per participant and 2,5 Mbit for a screen sharing session.

Kopano is using the Opus codec for audio transmissions and VP8 for video transmissions. Both codecs compress very well and still provide good results at low bandwidth. Opus for example can still delivery acceptable audio quality at just 8 Kbps.

In low bandwidth situations the browser actively reduces the quality of the transmission and in the worst case may even decide to disable outgoing video.

If you actively want to preserve data, then by switching into the “only audio” mode will disable all outgoing and incoming video (including screensharing).

Why does my call end after a while, when I put it in the background on my mobile phone?

Mobile platforms only offer limited abilities to prevent an app from getting stopped while running in the background. While the app will continue to work for a few minutes (in tests up two two minutes). In the future the Wake Lock API could be use to prevent Meet getting stopped, but this api still needs to be implemented and supported by browsers.

Why can’t I enable my camera/microphone or start sharing my screen?

Some Operating Systems implement an additional layer of security and may prevent the browser running Meet to access these devices.

• On Microsoft Windows 10 please check your “Privacy Settings”, which has separate entries for camera and microphone access.
• On Apple MacOS please check “Security & Privacy, which has separate entries for camera and microphone access, as well as as setting for “Screen Recording”.

Why am I getting a “Failed to connect to server - please check your internet connection message”? Even though I other parts of Meet work just fine?

This error message is triggered when Meet cannot establish a websocket connection to Kwmserver. If you are using a webserver other than Kweb make sure that it properly handles websocket connections. The Sophos WAF is for example known to break websocket connections when web filtering is enabled.

Known Issues

Meet does not use my camera/microphone on my iPhone/iPad

Starting with iOS 13.4 PWAs can now access the camera/microphone. If you are running an older version please update. If you can’t upgrade then Kopano Meet must be used in Safari directly.

In older version of iOS PWAs were not allowed to access the microphone or camera. For that reason, if you cannot upgrade, Meet should be used in the browser and not as an app.

Interacting with the Meet app will shortly freeze Safari in iOS

Safari will continue working shortly after (could take up to two seconds on an old phone).

Why do I get the message access to my camera was denied when switching cameras from the settings?

Some driver implementations (e.g. on tablets with a front and back facing camera) use the same hardware address for both cameras. Since the original camera is still showing in the back its not possible to preview the newly selected camera. When pressing “done” the new camera setting will be applied, but you still need to enable it (will be shown deactivated by default).