Forums/System Maintenance Messages/Services Status
Sunset of the Fuze Meeting Skype-In Option
Greg Saiz
posted this on December 19, 2011 17:05
In the last few weeks, we've made significant improvements to our Fuze Meeting VoIP infrastructure. After much planning, we have made a decision to sunset the Skype-In option on Fuze Meeting effective December 27th, 2011. We've made this decision because it is impossible for us to control the quality and reliability of a Skype connection. In some cases, Skype attendees are injecting echo or noise in audio conferences. While we realize Skype-In is a valuable option for a set of users, we feel the potential issues with it outweigh the benefits. We will evaluate new technologies to make joining a Fuze Meeting audio conference as simple as possible including the emerging WebRTC standard that once supported, should allow web attendees to join VoIP without any plugins or addons.
Comments
I agree with Nicolle. It would be much easier for clients to have VoIP as a default option if plugin is installed.
Does this mean that dialing in via Skype will no longer work?
If people will no longer be able to dial in via Skype, this will be a very big problem for me as a number of my webinar participants are typically non-US.
We are reassessing the timing of this decision based on customer feedback. Thanks everyone and sorry for the false alarm. Hopefully, you are finding our upgraded VoIP to be a huge improvement over our past offering.
I understand why you would want to get rid of Skype, but if you could do it AFTER Fuze can "allow web attendees to join VoIP without any plugins or addons", that seems to make the most sense (it does for my Linux using audience anyway).
By the way, the upgraded VoIP is fantastic. Best echo cancellation via software I have ever experienced.
Your VoIP comments are music to our ears Lionel! We are keeping an eye on WebRTC developments as it may be a viable option for browser-based VoIP.
No worries Greg. I have to say though, Skype leading to audio/echo problems is not a reason to get rid of it. That's better to consider as our job as hosts to manage as we can I reckon (insisting on headsets, muting policies, etc), so that Fuze can instead focus on being as reliable and easy as possible. Ultimately, it's us hosts that are your customers, not the end users!
Please do not sunset the Skype connection. Our user base is in about 91 countries. Although optimally it would be great if all our people could get into the web meeting portion of the system, many have very limited bandwidth. They can make a Skype call, but connecting to the full fuzemeeting and then connecting to the VOIP audio option requires too much bandwidth. This is somewhat of a lowest common denominator issue for audio availability that our organization faces and needs. Thanks for your re-think on the sunset issue.
We also have participants in many countries. A number of them are having trouble calling Fuze via Skype these days. The Fuze gatekeeper often is not recognizing the Skype dialpad input. In fact the message telling the participant that that is not the correct code usually comes on almost immediately cutting off any possibility of inputting the code. If you input very fast and get it correct on the first try you might get in. But if you make a mistake on code input you have to redial and try again. Just like Laurence's users, a number of ours also have very limited bandwidth and Skype is their only viable way to call to the US. Any suggestions for resolving this?
Linda, are you 100% sure your participants are using the dialpad, rather than trying to type in the code because they can't find how to open the dialpad? Some versions of Skype are a little tricky in getting the dialpad open and it needs to be for the code to be received.
Hi Linda. Lionel's right, we will want to make sure that your participants are using the dial pad in Skype and not using the keypad on the keyboard. With the newest version of Skype (5.5.x), the dial pad is no longer on the main call window when making a Skype-To-Skype call. While you are connecting to FuzeMeeting on Skype, you can open the dial pad by clicking on the CALL menu on the top bar and select 'Show Dial Pad'. The participant can now click in the room number to access the audio conference using their mouse cursor.
One other comment. Although trying to move everyone toward the VOIP service for the audio portion of calls is good, I have indicated previously that the Skype option will still be necessary for our organization because of those attending the meetings from countries around the world who have very limited internet broadband. An issue we are having with Skype is that it appears that the bridget that is being used by Fuze for the Skype connections is not as high quality as other services. We had HiDefconferencing.com (now discontinued by Citrix) and it had very good quality in their bridge used for connecting Skype users. Also, the Skype bridge for one of the freeconferencecall.com services is more high def. I realize that Fuze might say (and sometimes rightfully so) that they can't control the Skype connection and it is, in fact inferior. However, I tend to believe that there are some bridge server issues with the Fuze system.
I'm asking other people who have complained how they were trying to access Fuzemeeting via Skype and whether they were using the Skype dialpad or their keyboard. I myself have tried it a number of times using the Skype dialpad, got cut off while trying to input my code, redialed, got cut off again during code input, and after more tries finally giving up and using my cellphone. I do have the latest version of Skype and have been a Skype user for many years. They do have some connection quality issues for sure, but Fuzemeeting is the only site where I so often cannot connect via Skype. This is a problem for me when I'm traveling and for our course participants in different countries.
Today again I am traveling and have had to use Skype to call in to our meeting. I have dialed the Fuzemeeting dial in number then tried to use the Skype dialpad to enter my room code. I had to try 14 times before I got in. For the first 13 times I got a message that that was not a correct room number--the same room number that was eventually accepted. Luckily I was not today's presenter but supporting a colleague who was the lead presenter. Not being able to get on the line has happened to me most of the time. I have the latest Skype version. Fuzemeeting is the only number that gives me trouble inputting an access code. For instance, I use Freeconference, Timebridge and Wiggio lines with access codes via Skype and never have any problem.
Hi Linda. Sorry for the late reply. As Graig pointed out, we are reassessing the timing of this decision based on customer feedback. It's really important to us. At this point, I cannot give an exact date when Skype is going to disappear from the options, but I can assure you that this will happen only when a better option is available. Regarding your issues on the 22nd of Feb., I have a confirmation that Skype had technical difficulties that day. Send us a feedback if the issue reoccurs, so we can investigate further.
Hi Alex. our orgaization continues to use FuzeMeeting for our international team meetings. Although we are working to get our networks of people up and using the more complete webmeeting/video conferencing features using the VOIP for audio, some of our people are connecting only through Skype audio because of bandwidth limitations. Is there currently any development direction that would allow a person to join the meeting using VOIP without fully coming onto the full meeting site? Perhaps a VOIP icon. on the desktop?
Hi Lawrence, we are not working on developing any direct/desktop VoIP icon. For the time being Skype is your best bet - attendees can click the Skype link we send via the invite to make a Skype to Skype call (instead of dialing our toll number and using Skype's minutes).