When a guest tries to join a recording, they move through the green room before entering the recording room to connect with the host. Occasionally, the host may see the guest as "In Green Room" for an extended period, even if the guest is in the recording room.
This article explains what causes this issue and how to troubleshoot it.
What this issue looks like
Host’s end
On the host's view of the recording room, the guest’s track appears in a lighter shade of grey, and next to their name, it says “In Green Room” for an extended period.
Guest’s end
The guest’s experience depends on where they are in the process of connecting to the recording room:
In the green room
While still in the green room, the guest may see error messages like “Error accessing microphone or webcam” or “There was a problem accessing your mic or camera” alongside the option to join the recording.
In the recording room
When the guest clicks Join, they enter the recording room. The experience from here may vary:
They may see an error message saying “Error encountered while joining the call.”
If the error message is dismissed or closed, the guest may see “Waiting for microphone access” displayed next to their name.
What causes this issue
The transition from the green room to the recording room involves connecting the guest to the VoIP call with the host. When the connection fails, the host continues to see the guest as “In Green Room” even if they are technically on the recording room.
This usually happens when:
The browser hasn't been granted access permissions to the microphone and/or camera (See Step 1).
The browser hasn't been granted microphone and/or camera access in the computer’s system settings (See Step 2).
Less frequently, this might happen when:
The guest is using an unsupported browser (See Step 3).
The guest is using a supported browser that has pending updates (See Step 4).
Browser extensions, ad blockers, or a VPN are blocking access to Zencastr (See Step 5).
The guest is recording on a network with strict security settings (e.g. work, school, hotel) or a company-issued device that blocks access to Zencastr (See Step 6).
Troubleshooting steps
Before starting: The guest should click Join in the green room to enter the recording room. There, even if the connection to see and hear them hasn’t been established, the host may still be able to chat with the guest.
Follow the troubleshooting steps below in order.
Step one: enable microphone and camera(*) access in the browser
Zencastr needs permission to use the guest's microphone and camera in the browser to complete the connection to the call.
Note: If the recording is in the Record Audio, No Video mode, camera access is not required. Any step that involves the camera is marked with an asterisk (*) and can be skipped if you are using this mode.
If the guest is in the green room
Click the site settings icon to the left of the Zencastr URL in the browser’s address bar.
Set Microphone and Camera* to Allow or toggle on.
If you don’t see these options in the dropdown, click Site Settings to open the full settings list in a new tab.
Refresh the page to apply the changes.
If the guest is on the recording page
Click the site settings icon to the left of the Zencastr URL in the browser’s address bar.
Set Microphone and Camera* to Allow or toggle on.
If you don’t see these options in the dropdown, click Site Settings to open the full settings list in a new tab.
Refresh the page to apply the changes.
You’ll be taken back to the green room. Click Join to re-enter the recording room.
Step two: allow microphone and camera(*) access in system settings
Note: If the recording is in the Record Audio, No Video mode, camera access is not required. Any step that involves the camera is marked with an asterisk (*) and can be skipped if you are using this mode.
For Mac users, follow Apple’s instructions to give browsers microphone and camera access:
For Windows users, follow Microsoft's instructions to give browsers microphone and camera access.
You may need to restart your browser for the changes to take effect.
Step three: use a supported browser
The guest must use a browser Zencastr supports: Chrome, Edge or Brave.
For guests using an iPhone or iPad, they need to download and use the Zencastr iOS app instead.
Step four: confirm the browser is up-to-date
If the guest’s browser version is outdated, it can prevent connection to the recording. To update to the latest version:
In your browser, look for a "New version available" or "Finish update" message in the top-right corner, next to your profile.
If it's visible, click the message.
Click Relaunch to Update to update and restart the browser.
Step five: temporarily disable extensions and VPN
Some browser extensions, ad blockers, and VPNS can block Zencastr. The guest should:
Temporarily disable extensions, especially content blockers or ad blockers.
Temporarily any browser built-in ad blockers.
If connected to a VPN, try turning it off.
To disable extensions in Chrome:
At the top right, next to your profile, click the 3-dot menu icon.
Hover over Extensions.
Click Manage Extensions.
Toggle the extension off.
Step six: check if network has strict security settings
If the guest is connecting from a company or educational space, they should reach out to their IT team to have them verify that Zencastr is not blocked by a firewall or other security settings.
Still having trouble?
If the error persists after trying the steps above:
Try using another supported browser such as Chrome, Edge, or Brave.
Contact Zencastr Support via chat or email.