Conferences

This page provides your options for joining OceanBrowser audio conferences. You have two options for participating. You may join a conference via either (A) an ordinary phone, or (B) using a computer with headset and broadband internet.

Option A: Accessing audioconferences using an ordinary phone

You may join an audioconference using an ordinary phone, by dialing a phone number from the listing below, which is best suited to your location.

Dial in numbers for New Zealand

National Free Calling number - 0508 CONFER

From anywhere in Zealand you may call the conference room for free by dialing: 0508 CONFER. (0508 266337) then follow instructions in bold above.

If you live in Dunedin or Wellington New Zealand you may use either the free call number above, or dial in direct on Dunedin:  4742102 extension 1, or Wellington 4602519 extension 1. If either of these numbers ring busy when you call, please use the free call number.

Dial in numbers for Australia

If you are in Sydney Australia you may phone into the conference on Sydney* (02) 82315746, then follow bold instructions above. If you live elsewhere in Australia, please use the following numbers:

Melbourne*  92210800

Brisbane* 32952000

Perth* 92821000

Adelaide* 74212300

Gold Coast* 5630 2585

You will hear a voice say "Welcome to Australian Technology Partnerships". Dial extension 3215.  Then follow bold instructions above.

Note: We have 10 lines from Australia to the conference room. In the unlikely event of all these lines being in use, the conference administrator can call out to you - please see Remember to RSVP below.

International numbers

Please see our free call numbers for many cities and countries elsewhere in the world. If you are participating from an international location and you are unable to find a local free-call number, and you are unable to use VoIP (see below) then please see below, Audio conference via dial out call.

International users will not incur any cost calling the access numbers if they are in your local area (e.g. the Sydney number is a local Sydney call, etc). If you intend to participate in an audioconference via phone please bear in mind that some of these international numbers have limited capacity and cannot be guaranteed to work.

Audioconference via dial out call (i.e. we call you)

For students who do not have access to the internet, and who are unable to dial one of the access numbers above, you may request us to call you at the time of the audioconference. Please see the RSVP instructions below, and in your email, include a note explaining your situation.

Remember to RSVP!

If you are participating in a conference from Australia, or from another international location, where possible you should RSVP (no less than 24 hours before your conference please!) via email to support@oceanbrowser.com, with a copy to your lecturer, advising: your phone number (landline) and mobile (backup), your city/country, and the paper name and date of the conference. OceanBrowser support will send you a confirmation message, and in the event that you do not make the roll call for the conference, we can call you on the phone number(s) you have supplied to assist.

And finally...

If you need special assistance, please let us know. We will endeavour to support your requirements.

Option B - Joining a conference via VoIP (using computer + headset and VoIP)

You have two options to participate via your broadband internet connection. You may either just use your web browser (the recommended option), or you can install the IDEFisk softphone application included on the course DVD-ROM.

If you are having problems accessing the conference room via the internet, or if you do not have sufficient time to organise/practice with this, you are most welcome to participate via ordinary phone, see Option A instructions above.

If after reading the instructions below you experiencing problems and would like help, please contact support: http://oceanbrowser.com/support/conferences Note that we may not be able to assist you in time if you leave it until the day of the conference before contacting us.

- If you are using VoIP to join the conference via your computer, we strongly recommend that you obtain a USB headset with microphone. These should be available starting at around NZ$50. These give much better results than analogue headsets when audioconferencing.

If you are purchasing a USB headset we can recommend the following models:

- Logitech ClearChat Comfort Headset, USB (around NZ$50 - go to http://ascent.co.nz; enter '360441' in the search box and choose search option for 'Ascent part number')

- Plantronics DSP400 (NZ$150 - may be ordered online in New Zealand through http://www.magnummaconline.co.nz). This is a foldable headset and is particularly useful if you travel or use a laptop a lot.

- Microsoft Lifechat LX3000 USB headset. (Available from The Warehouse for $80NZD).

There are many suitable USB headsets avaialble on the market. Do feel free to visit a local electronics store and ask a staff member to show you a "good quality USB headset with microphone from a reputable brand". If you are in doubt about a particular model, note down the details including model number, and contact OceanBrowser technical support (see below) and we will advise you. /p>

VoIP - Join a conference using the OceanBrowser web phone To join an audioconference via the OceanBrowser web browser (i.e. phone in through the web) follow these instructions:

PC users please note: it is likely that you will need to install Java as this is not included by default in most Windows installations, you can install it from this link.

Setting things up and configuring sound

- Plug in your headset with microphone (preferably a USB headset) and if you need to, adjust your sound settings to use this device (on a PC: Start menu -> Control panels -> Sound).

- Open Internet Explorer (PC) or Safari (Mac) and go to http://oceanbrowser.com/phone/help. Note: while some users report that the web phone works fine in Firefox, for now we recommend that you use internet explorer (on a PC) or Safari (on OSX).

- Follow the on-screen instructions from the help wizard. You may need to install Java, you will be prompted and instructed on how to do this if it is required.

- When the help wizard completes you will be redirected to the phone...

Using the phone

- When the help wizard completes you will be redirected to this page: http://oceanbrowser.com/phone The web browser needs to download the phone, this will take a few moments. A dialog box will appear prompting you to accept a certificate. Click OK.

- On the web page, the on-screen phone display will change to read: 'please dial'.

Testing your connection

- Enter 600 (with your mouse or keyboard) and press the green dial button on the on-screen phone.

- You should hear a voice welcoming you to the echo test and giving you instructions for checking your connection.

- If you don't hear anything, check your volume, and look for any volume adjustment option on your headset cable to check it is turned up. If you cannot hear yourself speaking during the echo test, check your headset cable to see if it has a mute option, make sure this is switched off.

- Click the red button to hang-up the test call.

Joining the conference

- To join the conference, dial 1 for the conference room. A voice will welcome you to the conference system and provide further instructions. After a few moments you will be placed in the conference room.

- If you need help, hang-up (click the red button) and dial 0 for a directory of available numbers, or 3 for technical support.

And finally...

- If you are browsing to any other pages, or opening the chat or forum pages you must do this in a separate browser window. If you prefer you may want to use a separate browser for these tasks (e.g. use Internet Explorer or Safari for the phone, and use Firefox for browsing)

- If you close your phone browser window you will be disconnected from the conference.

Web phone problems

The most likely cause of problems (for PC users) is not having Java installed. You can get Java by following the link on the phone page. There is a phone setup wizard that may help you. It is located at http://oceanbrowser.com/phone/help If you still experience problems using the internet phone after trying these steps, please contact OceanBrowser technical support (see below).

Internet cafés

If you are accessing the conference via VoIP from an internet café you should have no problems using the OceanBrowser web phone (see above). If you encounter problems the most likely explanation is either that the computer does not have Java installed, or the internet café firewall is blocking voip. Ask the café operator to assist you and show them these instructions, and in particular, see Web phone problems, below. Alternatively try another internet café if one is available. We recommend that if you try to access the system from an internet café you should not leave testing until the last minute. Try the web phone out a few days before your audioconference so there is time to have issues corrected, and/or make alternative arrangements for participating if necessary.

Users in corporate work environments, note that VoIP may be blocked by your firewall. You may need to ask your system administrator to unblock port 4569 UDP to voip.oceanbrowser.com. If you are unable to connect from a work setting, please read the Option A instructions above for joining via ordinary phone.

IDEFisk softphone

If you wish you may install a phone application on your computer, however the OceanBrowser web phone (above) is the recommended option for all users.

For instructions on setting up the IDEFisk softphone (phone application) see: http://oceanbrowser.com/support/voip

When you install IDEFisk, you may be prompted to upgrade the software. You can ignore this prompt, as the old version works fine. The updated release is called Zoiper. We do not officially recommend it at this time.

The correct settings for you to enter in IDEFisk will be supplied to you at the bottom of your OceanBrowser welcome email. If you have not received this (and please check it's not in your spam email folder) then email support@oceanbrowser.com requesting your user account details.