wifi hotspots?

[Puget]

But how do I get to check the camera and the mic if no one is watching?

I do not need much, as there will be no slides, videos, etc., here, more or less just me talking and as much as possible others talking back.  The students are all seniors, and as the director of the foundation well noted in her mass email to all students and teachers, this is very much indeed a work in progress for all of us, as we all essentially have no experience at this.   We will see.   But even if this week does not work, I guess the foundation should be able to see what works and does not work, and fix things going forward?  Truth be told,  am not absolutely sure this computer I have will actually work, because of the hotspot issues.   I am not going to pay any money for cabled modem access, not for a volunteer effort I am not going to be paid for, and there seems no consensus on the fora that I will be able to do this with wifi...

You'll be able to see yourself on camera just like in a meeting with people. You can test your mic and connection by joining a test meeting (no other live humans are involved): https://zoom.us/test

[AvidReader]

But how do I get to check the camera and the mic if no one is watching?

I do not need much, as there will be no slides, videos, etc., here, more or less just me talking and as much as possible others talking back.  The students are all seniors, and as the director of the foundation well noted in her mass email to all students and teachers, this is very much indeed a work in progress for all of us, as we all essentially have no experience at this.   We will see.   But even if this week does not work, I guess the foundation should be able to see what works and does not work, and fix things going forward?  Truth be told,  am not absolutely sure this computer I have will actually work, because of the hotspot issues.   I am not going to pay any money for cabled modem access, not for a volunteer effort I am not going to be paid for, and there seems no consensus on the fora that I will be able to do this with wifi...

Option 1 (easier): Ask a friend to do a test Zoom meeting with you. The software is free to download and install.

Option 2 (solo): If you don't have friends with Zoom, do I remember on another thread that you said you had recently gotten a smart phone? You can do this test yourself if you have two devices with wifi and a door that you can close anywhere in your house. It will be easier if you also have a radio / TV. You'll also need to download Zoom on both devices.

Start the meeting on the device that you plan to use to host the meeting. Face the camera towards the TV / radio (or anything that makes noise). Keep the meeting unmuted with video running. Write down the Meeting ID and pass code.

Walk out of the room and close the door. Log into Zoom on the other device, and enter the meeting code and password. If you can see and hear the video in the other room, you are in good shape.

Don't walk back into the first room unless you leave the meeting or mute your second device and turn off its sound.

AR.

[kaysixteen]

Good news-- it worked.   I am not entirely sure how it worked, in the sense that I did not have the chance to test it (I appreciate the suggestions for doing so that were made here but lack the phone to do it, and probably lack the tech expertise to do some of the things as well-- I am certainly going to go ahead and sign up for a serious library tech class asap), and I was concerned that use of the wifi hotspot was not adequate, but both worked well.   Thanks again to all for all the help.

Now one more question wrt Zoom--- how exactly is Zoom different from Skype?   Can a job interview be conducted on Zoom, or would Skype be different (and better?) somehow?

[polly_mer]

Zoom is more commonly used for multiple sites (e.g., all twenty of us are in different places) than Skype (the free version of Skype is maybe capable of a three-way telecon).

For a job interview, any of the standard programs work well enough as long as everyone can call in and the host performs the expected duties regarding permissions.