Live Session Client FAQ

Video Guide (Initial Introduction)

Important Information

A majority of issues experienced with the Live Sessions client are related to the browser being used. Please make sure your browser and operating system are fully up to date for maximum compatibility.

• Desktop and laptop (Windows 10, 11, and macOS): We recommend Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. Other browsers will still work, but some features like screen sharing audio only work on Chromium-based browsers.
• Android phones: Only Google Chrome is supported.
• iPhone: Only Safari is supported.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Here is a list of commonly asked support questions and answers about Supervision Assist Live Sessions.

Video Recording Issues; (Video cut off, device going to sleep, etc)

When you record an in-person session and leave the computer untouched, your display may go to sleep after a period of inactivity (typically 5 to 12 minutes, depending on your device settings). When the display sleeps, the audio of your live session continues to record, but the camera stops sending video. In the playback you will see a frozen frame from the moment the screen went dark, with the audio continuing underneath it.

The same thing happens if you open another browser tab on top of the Live Session tab or minimize the window. The browser pauses the camera feed for a tab that is not in the foreground, even if your display stays on.

Both problems are controlled by your device and browser, not by Supervision Assist.  Follow all three steps below before every recorded session if you are having issues.

Step 1: Set your display to stay on

Set the device so the display does not turn off during a session.

• Windows: Settings > System > Power & sleep. Set "Screen" and "Sleep" to Never while plugged in.
• Mac: System Settings > Displays > Advanced. Turn on "Prevent automatic sleeping when the display is off." Then in System Settings > Lock Screen, set "Turn display off" to Never.
• iPhone: Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock. Set to Never. This option is greyed out and capped at 5 minutes when Low Power Mode is on, so also turn off Low Power Mode before a session (Settings > Battery).
• Android: Settings > Display > Screen timeout. Set to the longest available value (30 minutes on most phones; some Samsung and Pixel models offer Never, and Samsung has a "Keep screen on while viewing" toggle). Turn off Battery Saver before a session.

If your university manages these settings centrally, your IT department can create a power plan for shared or lab computers that disables display sleep.

Step 2: Keep the Live Session tab in the foreground

Do not open another tab on top of the Live Session, minimize the window, or switch to another app on your phone for the duration of the recording. On a phone, locking the screen or switching apps will also pause the recording.

You may additionally make the live session Fullscreen. Fullscreen keeps the session in the foreground and reduces the chance of the display sleeping, but it does not replace Step 1.

1. Click the three vertical dots (Options) in the top right corner of the screen. 

   

2. Select Make Fullscreen.

Step 3: Plug your device in

Battery power plans are usually more aggressive about sleeping the display and throttling background activity. Keep laptops and phones plugged in during recorded sessions.

Confirm your recording afterward

After your first session with these settings, open the recording and scrub through to the end to confirm the video stays live the whole way through. If the video still freezes on a device where display sleep is confirmed off and the tab stayed in the foreground, contact support with the session date and device details.

Supervision Assist Connection Issues (Camera, Audio)

Some University networks have very restrictive firewalls which can block the use of Supervision Assist Live Sessions.

When a network has a restrictive firewall you need to configure the firewall to forward the following incoming connections to use Supervision Assist Live Session.

• TCP/IP port 22 (for SSH)
• TCP/IP ports 80/443 (for HTTP/HTTPS)

• UDP ports in the range 16384 - 32768 (for FreeSWITCH/HTML5 RTP streams)

  
  

• https://session-1.supervisionassist.com
• https://session-2.supervisionassist.com

If an IT department or individual would like to Live Sessions we would recommend using the BigBlueButton demo server. Supervision Assist uses a custom BigBlueButton service for Live Sessions. This may be useful for an IT department to test settings or to determine if they have fixed any network settings or if the issue is specific to our Supervision Assist instance.

• Big Blue Button Demo Server

Audio issues: I can't hear other participants

1. If someone is speaking and you can't hear them, it is likely because you need to change your speaker output. You can change this by selecting the phone icon and choosing a different output. 

Audio issues: Others can't hear me, or my recording has no audio

If you do not hear audio in your recording, it is likely because your audio was not connected properly during the meeting. With a few steps you can make sure that you have your audio connected properly. After completing your echo test, we recommend doing the following. 

1. After speaking, check that your name shows up on the top left corner of the screen each time that you speak. If your video is on, you will also have a blue outline each time you speak.  

   

2. If your name doesn't show after speaking you may quickly switch between different microphones . Select the phone icon at the bottom of the screen and choose a different microphone until it works properly. .

   

3. If someone is speaking and you can't hear them, it is likely because you need to change your speaker output. You can change this by selecting the phone icon and choosing a different output. 

Audio/Video Disconnects During a Meeting

There have been some reports that certain home providers like Spectrum internet have had disconnecting issues. If this happens, please follow this guide to disable IPV6 on your computer or router. 

• How to disable IPV6

Trouble Connecting Microphone, Camera, or Screen Sharing. (Error 1136)

When connecting to audio for the first time you may receive a message that you do not have permissions to share your audio, video, or your screen. You may also receive an Error 1136. Follow this guide to turn on the correct permissions. 

• Unable to share microphone, camera, or screen.

Video Shows a Blank Screen (Timer is correct)

“When I try to playback my live session, there is just a black screen, and the video does not play.” 

When starting a live session with auto record on, you may see a blank screen for the first 20 seconds. This is due to the recording starting before you are connected to Audio/Video. Please try fast forwarding a minute or two to see if this works.