Important: Any recording of a court proceeding held by video or teleconference, including screen shots, or other visual copying of a hearing, is absolutely prohibited. Violation of these prohibitions may result in sanctions deemed necessary by the Court.

The Court will not provide technical support for Cisco Webex Meetings for attendees. Please go to Cisco’s website using one of the links below for how-to instructions joining Cisco Webex Meetings or contact your local IT support team. 

How to join a Webex meeting

How to join a Webex meeting (video)

Cisco Webex Account and Software

• A paid Cisco Webex account is not necessary for any remote hearing interaction with the Court. Participants and attendees are not required to have a Cisco Webex profile or pay for a premium Cisco Webex account.
• If you do elect to open an account with Cisco Webex, save your full and proper name, phone, and email address.
• When you join the meeting from a computer or tablet Cisco Webex will automatically download the latest version of the app to your device.  Please ensure you have the correct permissions on your computer to allow the download and installation.
  
  • Once your computer has been set up you may utilize the test meeting the Court has set up.  Please scroll down to the Court Test Login Meeting section for login information.
  • Click the link below for a ‘How to’ on joining a Webex meeting for the first time.
    https://help.webex.com/en-us/article/n665eiq/Join-a-Webex-Meeting-for-the-first-time-as-a-guest
• If you are joining a Webex teleconference meeting, or joining by phone only, you can dial in and enter the Meeting ID/Access Code to join. No other steps are needed.

Equipment Needed for Webex session

• A computer, tablet, or smartphone can be used to connect to the meeting. 
  
  • Computer:  please ensure you have a camera and microphone, and a separate phone for audio, if necessary.
  • Tablet or smartphone:  You must download the Cisco Webex Meetings app in order to join.

Settings

• If you experience any feedback or echo when joining a meeting please use a phone for audio, and not your computer. 
  
  • Please see the Manage Audio and Video page and reference Step 2, the Call me or Call in feature. 

Learning

The Court is presently using the audio and video functionality of Cisco Webex. Other functions like text chat, screen sharing, etc., may not be used, and will likely be disabled for your session, so you only need to learn the basics of using Cisco WebEx for audio and video.

Learn how to select the correct source, how to mute/unmute your audio, and start/stop your video by clicking on the links below. 

How to join a Webex meeting (video)

Manage Audio and Video

Creating a virtual background

Court Test Login Meeting

Once you have completed the installation you can test logging in by joining a test Webex meeting the Court has set up for this purpose.

This test Webex meeting will be open and available to the public to test their connection each Tuesday and Friday, from 10:00am – 12:30pm, for the entire month of May, 2024.

Join from the meeting link
https://us-courts.webex.com/us-courts/j.php?MTID=meec42d4742d586dbc02cd3d44ef9bd18
Meeting number (access code): 2301 555 5382
Meeting password: 0630

Join by phone
1-650-479-3207 (US/Canada)
Meeting number (access code): 2301 555 5382
Meeting password: 0630

You may click the hyperlink provided for your meeting or begin from one of the URLs below and follow the steps to join a meeting using the Meeting Number/Access Code.

Cisco Webex Meetings website for the US Courts https://us-courts.webex.com

Cisco Webex Meetings website https://www.webex.com

Recommendations/Best Practice while Appearing Remotely

1. Avoid using battery power only (laptops, tablets, etc.). Plug into a good power source while in a Cisco Webex meeting.
2. Unless you’ve confirmed the quality is acceptable, avoid using an open microphone and speakers (such as are built-into laptops, or a webcam mic). Using a good quality headset (headphones with mic) will often help ensure you can hear and be heard with maximum quality.
3. Avoid noisy and echoing locations. Use of a headset will improve audio quality when this is unavoidable.
4. Avoid placing anything near your microphone.  They are sensitive and pick up the slightest movements.
5. Always keep yourself muted.  If you’re expected to be heard by the Judge be prepared to take yourself off mute quickly.   
6. Avoid distracting real or virtual backgrounds.
7. Check the lighting. Light from a window behind you might blind the camera, making you look dark. Light above you in the center of a room might also cast shadows. Ideally, position a lamp or sit facing a window, where light is directly on your face
8. Avoid bad camera positioning (if possible) and remember to look directly at the webcam, not at the screen.
9. Avoid using Wi-Fi if possible. Connection via a hard-wire Ethernet cable will always be faster and more reliable than Wi-Fi.

Before Every Court Session Using Cisco Webex

• Connect your device(s) to power.
• Make sure your internet connection is good:  https://www.pcworld.com/article/2048594/how-to-test-your-home-internet-speed.html
• Run Cisco’s CScan test ( https://cscan.webex.com/ ) which is an additional diagnostic test to determine whether your network can support a call using Cisco Webex Meetings. 
  
  • Select location as US.
  • Click Pick a server.
  • Select Advanced Diagnostic Test, click Start Test.

You are prompted that Cisco will be accessing your camera and microphone.  Click Continue to advanced test.