Technical Requirements

In order to be successful in the online programs, you need to have the correct technology. Optimally, you will use a computer that meets the following specifications and is five years old or newer when possible. Your live session (class) experience will also be strengthened by using headphones in lieu of the microphone and speaker on your machine because the headphones will help block out background noise (for you and for your classmates). The following specifications were created by aggregating the requirements listed from the tech tools you’ll be using most in class: Zoom, Canvas, TurnItIn, and RPNow.

System Requirements

An internet connection – broadband wired or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE)
Speakers and a microphone or headphones with speaker – built-in, plug-in or wireless Bluetooth
A webcam or HD webcam – built-in or USB plug-in
Or, a HD cam or HD camcorder with video capture card

Supported Operating Systems

Mac OS X with MacOS 10.7 or later
Windows 10
Windows 8 or 8.1
Windows 7
Windows Vista with SP1 or later
Windows XP with SP3 or later
Ubuntu 12.04 or higher
Mint 17.1 or higher
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.4 or higher
Oracle Linux 6.4 or higher
CentOS 6.4 or higher
Fedora 21 or higher
OpenSUSE 13.2 or higher
ArchLinux (64-bit only)

Supported Tablet and Mobile Devices

Surface PRO 2 running Win 8.1
Surface PRO 3 running Win 10
iOS and Android devices
Blackberry devices

Supported Browsers

Windows: Edge, Firefox, Chrome, or Safari
Mac: Safari, Firefox, Chrome
Linux: Firefox, Chrome

Processor Requirements

Minimum: Single Core 2Ghz or Higher
Recommended: Dual Core 2 Ghz or Higher (i3/i5/i7 or AMD equivalent)
RAM Requirements
Recommended: 4Gb
Note: Linux requires a processor or graphics card that can support OpenGL 2.0 or higher

High DPI Support

High DPI displays are supported in Zoom version 3.5 or higher

Bandwidth Requirements

The bandwidth used by Zoom will be optimized for the best experience based on the participant’s network. It will automatically adjust for 3G, WiFi or Wired environments.
Recommended bandwidth for Meetings and Webinar Panelists:
- For 1:1 video calling: 600kbps (up/down) for HQ video and 1.2 Mbps (up/down) for HD video
- For group video calling/courses: 600kbps/1.2Mbps (up/down) for HQ video. For gallery view: 1.5Mbps/1.5Mbps (up/down).
- For screen sharing only (no video thumbnail): 50-75kbps
- For screen sharing with video thumbnail: 50-150kbps
- For audio VoiP: 60-80kbps

HD Camera Suggestions (note: cameras built into computer are fine)

Logitech PTZ Pro
Aver VC520
Logitech ConferenceCam CC3300e
Logitech HD Webcams
Vaddio Clearview USB
Microsoft HD WebcamsHovercam Solo 5 Document and Webcam

USB Speakerphone and Microphone (note: headphones that come with your phone will work just fine)

Revolabs UC500
Jabra Speak 510
Clearone Chat 150
Logitech P710e
Plantronics Calisto 600
Phoenix Quattro3
Voice Tracker Array Microphones
Yamaha PSP-20UR
Yamaha YVC-100
Jabra USB Headphones
Plantronics Headsets
Shure Wireless Conferencing System
MXL Microphones for Conferencing

Screen Readers

Macintosh: VoiceOver (latest version for Safari)
PC: JAWS (latest version for Internet Explorer)
PC: NVDA (latest version for Firefox)
There is no screen reader support for Canvas in Chrome

If you have any questions about any of these requirements, contact the Support Desk for help.