Overview
When opening & signing into the Member App, a meeting must be active (started) by the Meeting Manager AND various credential and technical settings must be correct, in order for a Member (on the Member App) to gain access to a meeting. Generally, these settings are established ONCE and remain constant, thus you will sign-in to meetings on the Member App every time without issues.
However, IF a Member is seeing problems (getting error messages) when trying to connect to a meeting, they are usually one of the following four key issues.
- A Meeting is not Loaded or Active by the Meeting Manager
- The Member Username OR Password is NOT correct
- Network Settings are NOT correct
- The Member App abruptly closes / falls offline during a meeting in-progress
We will describe each of the above issues, further below.
If you need more information on downloading or setting-up the Member App for the first time, please select the following document link.
Details / Sequence of Events
A Meeting is not Loaded or Active by the Meeting Manager
A meeting needs to be selected and LOADED by the Meeting Manager (using the OMT Meeting Manager Windows App) in order for the Members using the Member App to connect to the meeting. An analogy would be if you are meeting in person, but the meeting room doors are locked, waiting for the Clerk to open them.
If you are early to the meeting and trying to sign-in (remotely or physically in the meeting room) using the Member App, but the meeting has NOT yet been LOADED by the Clerk, you will see a message on the Member App screen as follows:
Select the CLOSE button on the Top Right corner of the screen to exit the error message. You will be taken back to the Sign-In screen shown below. You can try to Sign-In again after you are informed that the Clerk has LOADED the meeting.
The Member Username OR Password is not correct
The Clerks Meeting Manager securely stores all the Member Usernames and Passwords, which are used to verify only authorized members may enter a meeting. The Username and Password on the Member App must match those on the Clerks Meeting Manager.
IF one of the following two error messages appear on the screen, you need to review your Username and Password to be sure they are correct and perhaps consult with the Clerk to be sure these are what are coded in the Meeting Manager.
Select Sign-In Information on the left of either screen above, to review and/or change your Username and Password. The screen below will Appear.
IF the Username or Password look incorrect to you, you can input the correct values, and then select SAVE. Then try to Sign-In to the Meeting again. NOTE: These fields are case-sensitive so your Username & Password must be keyed exactly as they were originally set-up if upper & lower case characters were used. ALSO: iOS (Apple) devices will always capitalize your first letter, so you may need to force this to lower case on the keyboard. IF you are still having issues with signing in and are unsure what these values should be, consult with the Clerk who can easily and quickly tell you what the values are in the Meeting Manager. What is keyed here (in the Member App) must be exactly what is stored in the Clerks Meeting Manager.
- NOTE that many special characters are not usable in the Username and Password field. To understand the use of special characters, please see the following document link:
Network Settings are not correct
If you are signing into a meeting with the Member App and get the following message, this means there is most likely an issue with the Network Host Address settings in the Member App, OR you are not connected properly to a strong location WiFi signal, OR perhaps something has changed (i.e., IT infrastructure changes) to the location security or network configuration.
FIRST – Select the “Sign-In Information” option on the left and the following screen will display. The issue will likely be one of the four settings below that may not be correct. The Local or Remote Connection setting BUTTONS OR the Local or Remote Host ADDRESSES may need to be adjusted. Check with your Clerk who may be able to proof if these are correct OR you may need to contact your IT Department for consultation. The Address values below are “examples only” as every network is different. These local or remote address settings must comply with your organization’s specific network configuration.
SECOND – IF it is confirmed that all four Host/Address settings are correct, Select the “Advanced Settings”option on the left and the following screen will display. Here are more advanced Network Settings that may be the issue. Typically the defaults (buttons on the left) work for most client environments. However, IF your IT Security or infrastructure is customized differently, you may need to change these. Your Clerk and/or IT Support Team will need to inform you how to set these.
- Port Setting – This establishes the Network Port that is used for the Member App connection. If different than the default (8000) then key in the port that your IT Department informs you is the one to use.
- Connection Timeout – This is simply the time the Member App will try to connect before it displays an error. IF your WiFi / Internet connection is slower than normal, you can correct the issue by setting this higher (15, 20, 30). Again, consult with your IT Department before making changes.
- Internet Requirement – This has to do with connecting to the external InterNet or an internal IntraNet. Again, consult with your IT Department on this as they will know how this should be set-up.
IF any changes are made, always Select “Save” to update & save the new entries.
The Member App abruptly closes / falls offline during a meeting
If you’re successfully operating the Member App in a live meeting, it is possible to experience the Member App simply closing abruptly. This is most often due to a dropped WiFi signal or some type of Network interruption or timeout in your environment. This should not happen often or at all, but if it does, please contact Open Meeting Support to let us review this with you. It may also happen IF you accidently press the X on the top right of the Member App Screen, closing the App.
IF the App should close while you are operating within a live Meeting (either intentionally or accidentally), simply find the Member App Icon again on your device. Select / press the Member App icon and Sign-In again by pressing the blue Sign In button (below). You will automatically re-join the meeting in progress at the very place in the agenda discussion is taking place.
Notes / Special Situations
The issues discussed above, outside of perhaps Username or Password issues (which you can likely solve), may have to do with your IT Infrastructure and specific technical settings. You should consult your I.T. Department support team first, and then can certainly call OpenMeeting Support with your I.T. Team to discuss issues they are unable to solve.
For more information about the Member App, please see the following document links:
- Member App – Introduction
- Member App – Download, Settings, Sign-In
- Member App – Operations During a Meeting
- Use of Special Characters in Usernames and Passwords
If you are having issues that are not successfully addressed above, or you are not successful signing into Meeting Manager or the Member App, please call OpenMeeting Customer Support at 320.249.0555.
