Webinar audio problems

[genquebec]

Before the Broadcast started, the organizer (myself) did a sound check. Microphone and audio were both working fine. Once the Broadcast started, all attendees could hear the presenter (myself). About 10 minutes into the webinar, all attendees lost audio. Very embarrassing since I had no indication the sound was lost. Once I figured out the attendees couldn't hear me (from all the comments in the Question pane), I did another sound check. My microphone showed many green bars and my audio check was loud.   I eventually connected by telephone to continue the webinar; however, at least 10-15 minutes were lost and attendees were not happy. After 3 years using GoToWebinar, this problem occurred twice in the same week. I don't want this to happen again. Why did it happen and how could I prevent it from happening? Why would a sound check show the microphone is working but the attendees cannot hear the speaker? I'm using a desktop computer with Windows 10, Google Chrome, and high speed internet 100 mbps/10. My set-up hasn't changed in 3 years.

[Chris Droessler]

If that happens again, check your internet speed.

[genquebec]

After 3 years, why would my internet speed change? In January 2021, I was the organizer for almost 30 webinars over a 1 week period and never had this problem.

[Chris Droessler]

My internet speed is constantly changing.  It is fastest in the morning and slows down throughout the day.  I'm on the east coast of the US, so as the day goes by, more people across the country wake up and start accessing the Internet. That slows it down for me.

If you are working in a business environment, anyone at your business who is moving a large quantity of large computer files can slow down your Internet speed. Or if multiple people are in virtual meetings, sharing webcams, that can slow down your network.  In that case it is not the speed of the Internet, it is the amount of traffic on your local network that affects data traveling from your particular computer to the Internet. 

I reboot my computer just before I run a GoToWebinar.  That clears out all of the little programs running in the background that can slow down your computer.  Other programs like Zoom, WebEx, Teams, etc. can interfere with GoTo even after you close those applications. Rebooting is the only way to fully stop some applications.

Check your speed often.  You might be surprised at how it changes from minute to minute.  I use www.speedtest.net

[GlennD]

Hi @genquebec 

@Chris Droessler  is correct, especially in this time where more and more people are working from home, ISPs have been experiencing increased demand which can affect local speeds. I have been working from home since last March and regularly see my speeds vary along with the occasional service outage.  

If you use a Windows PC you can run our Connection Wizard to ensure you are using the best possible connection to our servers, and you can always check our Service Status page to see if we are experiencing any issues.