Zoom. It’s all the rage right now. If you had never heard of Zoom before the pandemic, you’re not alone. But chances are you’ve heard of it now.
Due to the pandemic and people isolating at home, Zoom has grown their customer base significantly as they provide “videotelephony and online chat services through a cloud-based peer-to-peer software platform that is used for teleconferencing, telecommuting, distance education, and social relations.” AKA online meetings. As of the date of this blog, Zoom has 12.92 million users, which is over 21% more than in 2019.
Many schools that practice remote learning are requiring students to use Zoom. With screen sharing capabilities, Zoom seems like a reasonable alternative to in-school learning. But, with any new platform, there is a learning curve. One of the most important things you can do to ensure you’re not exhausting your bandwidth is to make sure your video settings are dialed in.
Manage Your Zoom Settings For Your Bandwidth and Internet Speeds
Turn Off Video
Unless you really need to see the people you are talking to, we recommend turning your video off until needed and just using audio. Using video during a Zoom meeting can bog down bandwidth.
- Open Zoom
- Click the gear icon
- Click “Video”
- Check “Turn off my video when joining a meeting” (You can always turn it back on during the meeting.)
HD Video
HD resolution typically requires a lot of bandwidth. For Zoom meetings where you don’t need to see something in fine detail, we recommend turning HD video off.
- Open Zoom
- Click the gear icon
- Click “Video”
- Uncheck “Enable HD”
Note: Turning off HD video will not impact any other participant’s settings, only yours.
Screen Sharing
Screen sharing can use up a lot of bandwidth as well. Instead of using the Zoom screen share tool, consider using other online collaboration tools such as Google Docs.
General Best Practice
To eliminate unnecessary traffic when you’re not working or schooling, turn your device off or switch to mobile data.
If you’re a resident in Whatcom and Skagit County looking for high speed internet for your schooling, at home work, or personal needs, contact us for availability and recommended packages.