What infrastructure and connectivity do I need for Connect?


The most simple way to determine your ability to participate in a Connect Session is to run the Connect Meeting Test Link.  This will also give you the option of installing the Connect Meeting Add-in


Meeting Test Link (Click here to test your connection and your computer):
http://na3cps.adobeconnect.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

Once the test has completed you will see the suitability of your computer and your connection.  This test will also give you the option to install the Connect Meeting Add-in prior to attending your first session (a good idea for any attendee, irrespective of their role)

If you want to send the results to your IT folks or your Meeting Host, you can select the ‘Send Results’ option and then enter an e-mail address.  The results from an e-mail are in the example below:

     —snip—snip—

Player Version: MAC 11,5,502,146

App-Server returned: code:ok, servers=rtmp://na3fms2.adobeconnect.com:1935/_rtmp://localhost:8506/,rtmps://na3fms2.adobeconnect.com:443/_rtmp://localhost:8506/

FMS Server connected with protocol: rtmp

BW Test Results: = _ latency=43 msec, down=2584.1 kbit/s, up=1130.6 kbit/s _

Add-in Installed

Add-in version:11,2,251,0

     —snip—snip—

If you prefer, you can send the results from your own e-mail system by clicking the ‘Details…’ button and then copying and pasting these more detailed results into an e-mail on your own system


In Meeting Latency Monitoring
During a meeting, you can check your performance by clicking on the green ‘lozenge’ to the top-right of your Meeting Room.  This will display the latency you are seeing (it should be around 50-90 msec at the most), if you are seeing latency of 1-2 or more seconds then there is likely an issue to be addressed in your connectivity

There are many culprits that can compromise your performance in a Connect Meeting, but consider checking to see if you are using a VPN at the time of the meeting as this essentially constrains your connectivity to a far smaller (encrypted) pipe.  Also be conscious that wireless connections can be severely affected by other users so always have a wired connection if possible to protect yourself, particularly if you are acting as a ‘Host’ or ‘Presenter’ in the session

If you are actually in a Meeting Room, you can check to see which Port your session is using the in-meeting test

In Meeting Port Test 
To check your connectivity from a Connect Meeting, click on the ‘Help’ menu, then hold down the ‘Shift’ key and click on ‘About Adobe Connect’ form the ‘Help’ menu.  You will see a string of text and on the first line the first numbers will be either ‘1935’ or ‘443’.  This represents the port you are using for RTMP communications (video, audio, screen sharing etc.)

Ideally you want to be on Port 1935 so you can improve performance by asking your IT folks to open this port ‘for outbound communications only’.  Note that if you are using SSL to secure your Connect Meeting Rooms then you will be using Port 443, not Port 1935

There is a more sophisticated test to determine how well you can communicate with a Flash Media Server (FMS) as well, this will tell you a lot about the connectivity from your location

Excellent FMS Port Tester:

There are many tests online to determine the performance of your ISP, I find this one quite consistent and helpful

Useful Speed Test:

Technical Connectivity Information
By default, RTMP travels over port 1935 and is used for live interactions in an Acrobat Connect Professional meeting (video, voice, and screen sharing). HTTP traffic travels over port 80, and is used for client login and to transfer content (slides, documents, and so on). An RTMP connection uses port 443 if a connection through port 1935 is not successful, or if the server is configured to use SSL encryption. However, tunneling incurs additional overhead, and potentially negatively affects streaming performance.