Need to test a Skype camera connection - any Skype user able to help?

Forums › VoIP › Need to test a Skype camera connection - any Skype user able to help?

geekIT

2418 posts

Uber Geek

#33232 4-May-2009 12:33

Hi. I'm a computer tech in Arrowtown, NZ. I'm having a lot of trouble getting Skype Video to work on a customer's computer, so I'd like to link up to someone (preferably in NZ) who has a working set up.

I'm aware I can test the audio; I've done this without a problem - it's the video link that seems to have issues, at least when he tries to contact his rellies in UK.

So, it'd be a great help if I could contact someone local, and at least establish that the camera does work. I know it works inside my home, as I've used it to link up to my laptop, but it would be a great help if I could contact someone else who uses Skype with a camera.

Anyone able to assist?

BTW - if I'm in the wrong area of Geekzone, sorry. Just tell me where to go :-) Cheers....

'Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.' Voltaire

'A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.' Edward Abbey

tonyhughes

Hawkes Bay
8476 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#212081 4-May-2009 12:57

I can help between 5.30pm and 6.30pm tonight. If this suits, PM me your skype name, and we will go from there.

Your message is fine here - Skype is still VoIP, just ignore any purists who start talking about open source, standards, SIP, security, privacy, freedom, etc (lol).

(Watch them all come running now... there will be a new thread or blog post soon on the topic, I bet ya).

knoydart

904 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#212084 4-May-2009 13:03

I'm free for the next hour or so. PM if that works for you, overwise over to Mr Hughes...

geekIT

2418 posts

Uber Geek

#212206 4-May-2009 19:29

tonyhughes and knoydart: thanks to you both for your offers. Unfortunately I've only just picked up my mail so I'm too late. But I'd sure like to make contact. How about tomorrow? Just about any time will be OK for me. And I'll make sure I watch my mail this time :-)

Cheers
geekIT

'Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.' Voltaire

'A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.' Edward Abbey

knoydart

904 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#212209 4-May-2009 19:36

Anytime uptill 2pm would be fine for me to lend you a hand. As much notice / window of intenet would be great from my point of view. PM me a user name ect if that works for you.

kiwiscoota

237 posts

Master Geek

#212222 4-May-2009 19:57

If you would like to test tonight, I'm available, I'll PM you my Skype user name.

geekIT

2418 posts

Uber Geek

#212239 4-May-2009 20:55

Much appreciated folks. It'd probably be a great idea if I could link to several of you nice people, to give this thing a really good test.

Kiwiscoota, thanks but I'm not at home right now. I'll get back to you later, cheers.

knoydart, that sounds good, I'll be in touch tomorrow after I get the pc and camera up and running. Thanks :-)

'Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.' Voltaire

'A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.' Edward Abbey

kiwiscoota

237 posts

Master Geek

#212240 4-May-2009 20:59

You could try me tomorrow, I usually have Skype running.

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geekIT

2418 posts

Uber Geek

#212812 6-May-2009 11:35

Many thanks to tonyhughes, knoydart and kiwiscoota for your help with this. I managed to establish voice-and-video contact with these helpful members, so it seems likely that the problem may be ID-10T (LOL) related.

I also made contact with the customer's UK link, with both sound and picture, but oddly, the sound was dropping in and out, while the video was fine.

One tip which I'll pass on, and this came from Skype directly, was to install the Logitech 3500 camera with drivers-only and not bother with Logitech's proprietary GUI, which we'd done the first time. After that, if I had any problem with video when I was linking to people, all I needed to do was unplug the camera's USB connector (which I'd connected to the computer's front USB ports for ease of access) and reconnect it, which immediately brought up the 'Make Video Call' button in the Skype window, which had previously been showing only the 'Call' button.

BTW, is anyone using Skype's rival technology to make sound-pic connections? Like, I understand the new Windows Live thingo has this option also. Not that I want to use it myself, but I'd like to better informed when a customer asks me.

BTW2: Another customer in Queenstown is apparently a local agent\franchisee for the new 'ACN'? 'ATN'? phones, and has been trying to get me interested. I understand that the hardware is a special phone that plugs into a regular (broadband?) phone jack, as well as to a regular TV, I guess via a DVD-type input. According to her, they tested it with a link to a US subscriber, and had a very clear, clean conversation accompanied by a TV image. Sounds like this may be the way for most folks to go, especially those without a computer or with few skills in that area.

'Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.' Voltaire

'A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.' Edward Abbey

kiwiscoota

237 posts

Master Geek

#212848 6-May-2009 13:43

In addition to Skype, I've used Yahoo Messenger with Video/Voice, Windows Live Messenger (formerly called MSN Messenger) and some others such as ISPQ, CuSeeMe & ICUII etc.

Of the free ones, I have a slight preference for Yahoo Messenger as I find the Skype text chat function quite weak by comparison and Yahoo provides reliable "off-line" text messaging.

geekIT

2418 posts

Uber Geek

#212857 6-May-2009 14:11

Thanks mate. And all of these work with a camera? I'm asking just in case any of them might be more suitable than Skype for an ID-10T user :-)

'Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.' Voltaire

'A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.' Edward Abbey

kiwiscoota

237 posts

Master Geek

#212861 6-May-2009 14:22

Yahoo Messenger & Windows Live Messenger all work with most cameras on a PC.

Unfortunately Windows Messenger for Mac does not support video, although Microsoft have announced they will be releasing a new version for Mac later this year that does support video, so currently Mac users are limited to Yahoo, iChat or Skype.

With Yahoo & Windows Messenger, you are limited to Yahoo to Yahoo or Windows Messenger to Windows Messenger.

geekIT

2418 posts

Uber Geek

#212866 6-May-2009 15:14

Thanks kiwiscoota :-)

'Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.' Voltaire

'A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.' Edward Abbey