Information Technology Division
Academic Technology Center

Technical Requirements for Presenting or Participating in Interwise Events

Note

Before you participate or present in an Interwise event, make sure that the computer you will be using during the event meets the technical requirements described below.

Minimum Computer Requirements

Your computer should meet or exceed these minimum requirements. If your computer does not meet or exceed these requirements, you may not be able to participate in an Interwise event or you may notice poor performance of the software during the event.

Connectivity Requirements

The minimum bandwidth requirements are as follows, based on the type of event:

Falling short of these requirements may cause delays in the event, breaks in the audio, and in more severe cases, disconnection. It is also important to be aware that a computer's connection speed may be affected by infrastructure external to the computer. This means that if you are connected with a 56 Kbps modem, you may actually have a bandwidth speed of 28.8 Kbps (or less!) if the Internet Service Provider is suffering from slow downs, packet jams, or other network problems. Also, your Internet connection can change frequently and suddenly for a number of reasons.

For these reasons, cable, DSL, or an equivalent bandwidth is preferred. With a cable or DSL connection, you will experience maximum software performance.

If your computer is behind a firewall, the firewall must be open on port 80 and port 443.

Audio Equipment

To participate in the audio portion of an event, you must be able to hear sound from your computer and you will need a microphone.

It is recommended that you use a headset with earphones and a microphone. These are available in the Academic Technology Center (ATC) for a small fee or at most electronics stores.

You may also use the speakers and a microphone built into some laptop computers or external speakers and an external microphone, but the sound is often better when a headset is used. If multiple people are in a room viewing one computer, external speakers and an external microphone are required. Microphones can be borrowed from the ATC or they can be purchased in most electronics stores.

To purchase a headset or borrow a microphone from the ATC, contact the department at atc@wpi.edu or 508-831-5220, or stop by Fuller Labs 117.

Related Resources

Maintained by itweb@wpi.edu
Last modified: Sep 25, 2006, 16:33 EDT
[WPI] [ATC] [Back]

Academic Technology Center - Worcester Polytechnic Institute
100 Institute Road, Worcester, MA 01609-2280
Phone: +1-508-831-5220 - Fax: +1-508-831-5881 - atc@wpi.edu