Technology and troubleshooting

Start with the system test

Before you go looking, let MEDITyme check for you. The system test takes about a minute and checks your browser, camera and microphone, the connection to the server and the connection quality. For audio it also reports bitrate and packet loss — which makes it possible to say afterwards where exactly it went wrong.

If it says access to your camera or microphone is blocked, the problem is not MEDITyme but the permission in your browser. You grant it via the padlock icon on the left of the address bar.

Allowing camera and microphone

By far the most common fault: the browser never received permission, or it was denied once. Here is how to grant it afterwards.

• Chrome and Edge — click the padlock or slider icon at the left of the address bar, open "Site settings" (in Edge "Permissions for this site") and set camera and microphone to "Allow".
• Firefox — permission is requested on first use; confirm with "Allow". If it was denied permanently, you will find it under Settings → Privacy & Security → Permissions.
• Safari — in the menu bar, Safari → Settings → Websites, then set camera and microphone to "Allow".

After granting permission it is worth reloading the page: the icon in the address bar will then show camera and microphone as allowed. Browsers often do not pick up external cameras and microphones on their own — select those in the same settings.

Browser and device

MEDITyme is a web application and runs entirely in the browser. Apart from an internet connection, a browser, a microphone, a camera and speakers or headphones, there is nothing to install.

• Windows, Linux, macOS — current Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge or Mozilla Firefox. Internet Explorer is not supported.
• Android — current Chrome or Firefox.
• iPhone and iPad — Safari. On iOS always use Safari, even if another browser is installed.

Keeping the browser current genuinely matters: only newer versions carry the required functions. The best video quality today comes from Chrome and Edge. For smartphones we advise against devices older than roughly five years — their processing power is often not enough to handle the encrypted video signal cleanly.

A headset is the simplest improvement you can make. It takes background noise and echo out of the conversation.

Internet connection

Count on at least 1 Mbit/s in each direction. DSL, fibre or mobile from LTE upwards will do. For conferences the demand grows with the number of participants: the more people, the more bandwidth. As a rule — the higher the bandwidth, the steadier the picture.

Firewalls in practices and clinics

In larger practices, clinics and companies the WebRTC protocol is sometimes blocked by the firewall. The page then loads, but no picture and no sound come through. This cannot be fixed from the outside: ask your IT department to allow WebRTC. We will gladly provide the details your IT needs.

Sharing your screen

During a call you will find Share screen in the toolbar; the same button ends the sharing. You then choose whether to show your whole screen, a single window or a browser tab.

On smartphones and tablets the function is not available. MEDITyme says so too — “Screen sharing is not yet supported on your device”. If you want to show something, hold the consultation on a computer.

How your patients join

Patients need no account and install nothing. They receive a link — by e-mail, or as a TAN from you — and open it in their browser. Shortly before the appointment they enter the waiting room, where camera and microphone are checked before the call begins. As soon as you start the call, both sides are connected.

It helps to put this sentence in the appointment confirmation: Please open the link a few minutes early and allow camera and microphone. Most calls to a practice about technical trouble start with a denied permission.

When it still does not work

This order solves most cases:

• Reload the page — it sounds trivial, but it reliably fixes dropped connections.
• Check the browser permission for camera and microphone (padlock icon in the address bar).
• Close other programmes that use the camera — they occupy the device.
• Switch to a cable, or move closer to the wifi.
• Run the system test and note the result.

If the connection drops

A call can become unstable. Almost always one participant's data rate is not sufficient — visible from the signal strength indicator. Typical causes: several people on the same line, video streaming elsewhere in the household, or too great a distance from the Wi-Fi router.

First reload the page using the circular arrow at the top left of the call window. The call keeps running.

If that does not help, switch browsers — you can do this mid-call: copy the call link from the address bar, close the window without hanging up, paste the link into another browser and sign in. You return to the call in progress automatically.

When nothing works at all: clear cookies

If sign-in hangs or the call window will not load, stale cookies are usually the cause. Click the padlock icon at the left of the address bar and delete this site's cookies — in Chrome and Edge under "Cookies", in Firefox via "Clear cookies and site data", in Safari via Settings → Privacy → Manage website data. Make sure you catch both medityme.com and www.medityme.com. Then sign in again.

Who to ask

If none of that helps, write to support@medityme.com. Useful details: which browser and device, what the system test says, and when the problem last occurred. Questions about tariff, invoices or cancellation go to info@medityme.com.

If you would like support on site — for setup, equipment or training your team — we work with the Zentrum für Telemedizin Bad Kissingen: ztm.de, vertrieb@ztm.de, +49 971 785529-260.