Frequently asked questions

General

My webcam is not working

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 if there is a window open somewhere from an application (eg Teams or Zoom) that you have used before. You can also check via task manager (press and hold Ctrl-Shift-esc keys simultaneously) whether an application is active that is occupying the webcam and whether the microphone is busy. Check Microsoft's support page about webcam settings on Windows 10:

https://support.microsoft.com/nl-nl/help/13753 

 

More about windows settings on your computer:

https://computertotaal.nl/articles/pc/camera-works-not-on-windows-10-these-are-your options/

 

An underlying issue is that users for a session no longer always check whether the webcam works and is set correctly; Issues with the webcam are therefore now piling up on issues with, for example, the queue or the communication 'under water' between consultant and client.
To completely exclude issues with the webcam, an option is built into "my organization >> "advanced settings" and then "Always show the settings first" (don't forget to save!). You can then optionally configure your webcam and microphone and then click on the waiting room icon (bottom left).
Tips for problems
It is very difficult to determine remotely what the cause is if a webcamconsult not good in terms of picture and sound. We can give a few tips:
 
  • Has the test been done beforehand? https://app.webcamconsult.com/webcam_test (preferably send with invitation) If that test for network, camera and microphone has been successful, then you know that it is not the issue.
  • Has the client in the browser given permission for microphone and mic use?
  • Has the client agreed to the disclaimer (AVG) by ticking the box?
  • Did you use the green refresh button (bottom right), does the system try to pair the webcam and microphone in the session again?
  • Has the last consultation session been closed? Otherwise you cannot start a new session!
  • Does the client happen to be on a corporate network and behind a firewall? Then it blocks the video streaming.
  • The client may have a mail app that, after clicking on the invitation, goes to its own browser that is not suitable; in that case, the invite link must be copied and pasted into a browser such as Chrome or Safari.
  • Client may have used an app such as Skype. It is very possible that the webcam function has been hijacked, as it were. In that case, try to reboot the device. On Windows you sometimes have to use Windows troubleshooter (see elsewhere on support page)
Does it also work on Internet Explorer?

De Webcamconsult service is (on PC) optimized for use with the latest versions of browsers such as Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox and also for iPhone and iPads (via our app) and all recent Android phones and tablets. Internet Explorer is no longer used and is not recommended because Microsoft has not supported it for a long time. If you do use Internet Explorer for a healthcare institution, please contact us.

My microphone is not working

If the microphone does not work in the hardware test (in the waiting room) or during the consultation, it may be that there is a hidden setting in Windows that is not correct, causing the microphone to be muted.

Go to Windows menu at the bottom left of the taskbar. Click on settings (gear icon), click on system, click on sound in the left menu, and then somewhere in the middle you will find "test microphone" and below that a button "troubleshooting". Click on "Troubleshoot", with which Windows checks the setting and corrects it where necessary.

Other method: Check if there is a window open somewhere of an application (eg Teams or Zoom) that you have used before. You can also check via task manager (press and hold Ctrl-Shift-esc keys simultaneously) whether an application is active that is occupying the webcam and whether the microphone is busy.

What are the system requirements?

Which browsers are supported:

Latest versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Edge 79+ (Chromium-based versions of Edge) on desktop operating systems.

On Android: Google Chrome for Android, Mozilla Firefox for Android.

On Apple: Safari on the latest versions of macOS and iOS. 

For older browser versions, warning banner will be displayed prompting users to update. We strongly recommend that users upgrade to the latest browser version to ensure compatibility support with their browser.

 

What are the Ports/Firewalls settings

Firewalls require port 443 and UDP 3478.

Port 443 is used by default for secure https connections, but UDP 3478 must be actively opened by the ICT department. In most cases it is possible to make a good peer443peer connection via port 2, but if this does not work, the system will look for a way via UDP 3478.

You can always in advance test connection, webcam and microphone

Extensive technical specs

Operates Webcamconsult also on smartphone or tablet?

Webcamconsult is suitable for desktop, laptop, and smartphone or tablet with IOS or Android and simply works via the browser. Apple: use Safari. 

For our apps, search webcamconsult in Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

With the client app - after authorization by the institution or company - patients can chat with the practitioner or department. This app is free for patients.

We also offer an app for Apple iPhones and iPads that can only be used by professional practitioners (eg doctors) who specifically need it for notifications when they are not at the workplace and who also want to do the consultations via the app. This app can only be used by companies or institutions with a Webcamconsult subscription.

There is no app for practitioners for Android. With Android one uses for Webcamconsult just the browser (usually Google Chrome), like on the PC but adapted for smaller screens.

Do I need the app on iPad or iPhone?

The Webcamconsult app for iOS (Apple iPad and iPhone) is used by practitioners (doctors, consultants) so that they are always alerted by sound and push message that a client/patient is entering the waiting room. After that, you can decide to do the consultation at the workplace (PC) or simply via the app on iPad or iPhone.

Screensharing on Mac
Screen sharing on the Mac doesn't go well on its own. The problem is in the security of Mac OS, but you can give permission and then it works.
You do have to choose full screen, and that means if you choose that you are still in chrome, but if you switch to word, for example, word is in the picture.
Sound problems iPhone or iPad?

It can sometimes happen that a sound problem occurs when using iPhone or iPad.

If client/patient does not hear you, let us know via chat window: restart iPhone, and then click the invitation link again. Then stay online and after a minute the client/patient will be back in the picture with perfect sound.

 
If you use iPhone or iPad yourself and hear no sound: you can prevent this by restarting iPhone or iPad before the consultation.
 
Tip: you can also put this in the mail to clients/patients. If they want to use iPhone or iPad we recommend that they reboot the iPhone before the consultation to avoid problems with sound reception.
Image via webcam flashes

If during a session the image of you or a participant starts to flash, the cause can be found in your browser. You may have a lot of windows open causing the browser (Chrome had problems with this, although that has been improved recently) to use a lot of RAM on your system which can lead to problems in a longer session on computers with 4 or 8 GB of RAM . In that case, close as many unused windows of your browser as possible.

Clients

My advisor or healthcare provider wants a Webcamconsult to agree. What should I do?

You will be sent a link by email that you can click on. This email contains additional information about the use of Webcamconsult. The entire procedure is also described on our 'clients' page. If you still can't figure it out, please contact your advisor or healthcare provider.

Connection is lost, what now?

If it disappears due to a temporary poor internet connection, the practitioner can always reconnect via the blue button at the bottom right. The patient can also do something himself, namely use the link again to enter the session. The patient/client invitation link can be used until approximately one hour after the agreed time, but only if the practitioner has not closed the session. If the practitioner has closed the session with the red button, then all that remains is to create a quick consultation, so that an email is immediately sent to the patient with a link to go directly to the consultation room.

Is my data safe?
Yes. Webcamconsult is NEN 7510 and ISO 27001 certified, which means that we do everything we can to guarantee the communication between you and your clients at a high level of quality and safety. Video streams are not saved, chats and files sent are only accessible during the consultation, after closing they are also immediately removed and can no longer be traced. With the consolidate and anonymize appointments function under advanced settings, you can also make appointment information unusable after a period of time you set.
What are the costs for Webcamconsult?
As a user / client / patient you pay nothing. You only need an internet connection. If you are a (business) service or care provider, take a look at our standard rates for quarterly subscriptions or contact on with us.
Did not get an email?
If you do not find the e-mail in your inbox, you can find it in the spam box or advertising box of your e-mail program. If you have not received an email, please contact the reception of your practitioner or advisor as soon as possible.

Treatment providers

Who is it for Webcamconsult meant?

Webcamconsult can be used in a large number of sectors: for example in healthcare, the business community and the government. For every appointment where you do not have to physically meet, but it is nice to see each other and to share files or screens. All this within the safe walls of Webcamconsult.

Real-time translation how does that work?

Doctor and patient each speak their own language and everything is subtitled!

Real time translation and subtitling is immediately available via the cc button in the black button bar at the bottom of the video consultation screen. The language of the practitioner and the patient can be set here (choice of 60 languages). 

The subtitle functionality is also available for the deaf and hard of hearing. Here too, any desired language can be set and the person with hearing problems can follow the conversation through the real-time subtitles in the video consultation screen. 

Real-time translation and subtitling only works if the practitioner and patient both use Google Chrome on a PC or laptop. It Webcamconsult system will automatically check this for you. The translation and subtitle functionality in other browsers may follow at a later time. 

The practitioner can choose from subtitles and/or a text box on the right where the entire conversation is displayed.

It is recommended to use a headset, and not to turn up the volume (especially for the deaf/hard of hearing). It is possible that sentences are translated twice if the sound is played through normal speakers.

Session doesn't start, client in waiting room

If you have a client in the waiting room and click on start consultation, it sometimes happens that you are in the session yourself, but your client is not (with the iOS app a white screen will appear). The client then hangs on his/her side in the waiting room.
The reason for this is that a previous session has not been closed (by clicking the red button at the bottom) which prevents a new session.

In the web dashboard (log in via browser https://app.webcamconsult.com ) under menu 'today' you will see the open session and you can still close it.

 

If the problem has not yet been solved, please configure (administrator) via "my organization" - "advanced settings" and then check the "force start" function. You can then start the session from the gray tile in the waiting room, even if the client/patient is not in the digital waiting room.

Client not visible in waiting room
Client not visible in waiting room or not getting any further with client can have the following causes:
  1. The client is too early, so has to wait and meanwhile goes to do something else in the browser or other app. Then he is indeed invisible in the waiting room. You can include this in the waiting room announcement in the service announcement and warn that people open the waiting room window or tab at least at the agreed time.
  2. Client is not there yet; in that case you will see a gray rectangle in the waiting room to indicate that there is an appointment but not yet present
  3. Client card can be seen but no start button. Then there is another session active that must first be closed, via home page (today). Or use the function mentioned below:

New "Force Start" feature

We heard from some users that they were experiencing problems with the waiting room functionality. Clients/patients would end up in the waiting room via "start consultation" (in the mail) but were then not seen by the practitioner/doctor or the start button refused to work, so that the consultation could not start. For this reason, in anticipation of the next version update, we have already developed an extra advanced setting, which can be found under "My organization" - "advanced settings":

Force start appointments

If the client does not appear in the waiting room, an appointment can be 'forced' with this button. The button is available in the gray tile (under the patient/client name) in the waiting room. The practitioner then starts the appointment without the client. If the client then clicks on the link or enters the waiting room, it is immediately forwarded to the active consultation room.

The "force start" function also works in the latest version (2.10) of the iOS app since Feb 10, 2021 in the app store. 

Connection is lost, what now?

If it disappears due to a temporary poor internet connection, the practitioner can always reconnect via the blue button at the bottom right. The patient can also do something himself, namely use the link again to enter the session. The patient/client invitation link can be used until approximately one hour after the agreed time, but only if the practitioner has not closed the session. If the practitioner has closed the session with the red button, then all that remains is to create a quick consultation, so that an email is immediately sent to the patient with a link to go directly to the consultation room.

How do I make a group appointment?
You can do this in two ways via "make a new appointment"
 
Direct: go to tab quick consult and enter mail addresses separated by comma.
 
By appointment: go to the group appointment tab and make an appointment with a client and additional participants. Create client and additional participants in advance via menu. The video consultation session only starts when the client has been brought to the digital consultation room by the practitioner. The additional participants will then follow automatically.

 

If you want to use the option to invite additional participants in addition to the client, you must first create groups under the "Groups" tab. For example, for a doctor's office, the groups "Family" and "Home care" might apply. In the menu item "External participants" you can then enter the external participants and assign them to groups.

How do I make departmental appointments?
To enable department appointments, you must first check "strictly separated departments" under "advanced settings" (My organization).
After that you can book new appointments, choose radio button "Department" (instead of individual practitioner) and choose the desired department.
You then make an appointment between a client and an entire department; any consultant from that department can take the client from the waiting room to his/her consulting room at the time of the appointment. 
I want walk-in consultation hours or bookings on my Wordpress or Joomla website, how?

With the online walk-in office hours of Webcamconsult you can provide even better service to clients and/or patients when it suits them. It works very simply. On your website you indicate your opening hours and your website visitor will see which of your employees from which department is available for a meeting. An available employee can then very easily establish an online video connection and the online consultation hour has started. Your employee can always indicate whether or not he is available for walk-in consultation hours. In the dashboard of Webcamconsult, under packages, you can create and customize so-called widgets; with this you will gradually create the code that you or your webmaster can place in your website.

Wordpress

It is even easier to install the walk-in consultation hour on your website with the Wordpress plug-in. You can download and install this via https://wordpress.org/plugins/webcamconsult/

You install the plugin as usual in Wordpress, after which you can manage all walk-in consultation hour widgets and place them anywhere in your website.

Joomla

You can install the walk-in consultation on your website even easier with the Joomla extension. You can download and install this via https://extensions.joomla.org/extensions/extension/communication/video-conference/webcamconsult

You install the extension (component and module) as usual in Joomla, after that you can manage all walk-in consultation widgets and place them anywhere on your website.

And further:

Your client does not need to install anything, he visits your website and goes to the waiting / consulting room of the person he wants to speak to. So easy. A camera and microphone are sufficient. Are you using a different CMS system? Please contact us, we will be happy to assist you.

More info Wordpress users

More info Joomla users

Can I let someone else watch?

Yes, as a practitioner you can, for example, invite a caregiver to the consultation or involve several people in addition to the client in one consultation. Handy if the persons concerned are in different locations.

Do I pay per minute?

No, you pay a fixed subscription per quarter or year for the number of practitioner licenses that you purchase. Look here   for the rates of the standard quarterly subscriptions. Do you want a different subscription? Mail us.

Is my data safe?

Yes. Webcamconsult is NEN 7510 and ISO 27001 certified, which means that we do everything we can to guarantee the communication between you and your clients at a high level of quality and safety. Video streams are not saved, chats and files sent are only accessible during the consultation, after closing they are also immediately removed and can no longer be traced. With the consolidate and anonymize appointments function under advanced settings, you can also make appointment information unusable after a period of time you set.

If I have worked a trial period and I want to continue to use Webcamconsult, What should I do?

You will automatically receive a message at the end of the free trial asking if you want to purchase a paid subscription. You can then go to the subscriptions section of our website via a link and choose one of the subscriptions available online. We have quarterly and annual subscriptions. The price also depends on the number of practitioners (eg doctor or consultant). If you have special wishes, you can of course inform us by email that you want to continue with Webcamconsult. Indicate with how many users you Webcamconsult want to use.

Can I Webcamconsult integrate with our own application(s)?

Yes, that's possible. We have a simple API available with which changes in clients, practitioners and appointments can be linked.

Does the subscription stop automatically if I try Webcamconsult out without obligation?

Yes you can Webcamconsult try it out and you are not committed to anything. You pay us nothing for the trial period.

What are the costs for Webcamconsult?

As a user / client / patient you pay nothing. You only need an internet connection. If you are a (business) service or care provider, take a look at our standard rates for quarterly subscriptions or contact on with us.

The client is not out of waiting room

If you see a client in the waiting room and want to start the session by clicking on the button, it sometimes happens that this does not work. In that case, a previous session has not yet been closed. Go to "today" and close the session. 

Webcam light is on before and after video consultation

As soon as the consultation room is switched on, the webcam turns on to check whether everything is ready for a video consultation. This remains the case during a video consultation and the monitoring remains active after the video consultation. If there is no video consultation, the camera image is only visible to the user and no one else.

Login for support

Are you experiencing a problem using Webcamconsult? Then log in to create a ticket or view your previous tickets. 

Inform your patients/clients

It is important that you inform your patients or clients in advance about how Webcamconsult works. For this, you can use our patient leaflet and download the video below.

Integration: API

If you want to integrate the Webcamconsult service, you can use our API. This allows you to easily link mutations in clients, practitioners and appointments.