iLinc performance issues

We are trying to implement online curricula using synchronous communications, with the ultimate goal of creating a virtual networked community of faculty, staff, and students on our campus. iLinc has been extremely robust, performing far better than any other similar product on the market today, in facilitating virtual classrooms as well as training sessions and research experiments on scientific instruments. If connected users are all on PCs, the performance is excellent.

However, there have been two recurring issues. One concerns iLinc users who use Macs. Generally, the audio quality of VoIP has been less than optimal, and it has taken a couple of practice sessions to make the audio intelligible, because Macs transmit at a different bit rate. USB headsets work best. A second issue has arisen when Mac and PC users intermingle. There are problems with PC users at half duplex, having to reset the audio wizard in order to restore being able to hear the remote participant. Finally, the ilinc client has sometimes failed to launch on Macs, giving an error message about a missing resource file.

When the audio has crapped out, I have resorted to using my cell phone (a Blackberry Smartphone) in speaker phone mode, either directly broadcasting or holding the phone to the mic on my computer.

I would welcome commentary from people who have used iLinc successfully on the Mac OS, as well as those in general who have come up with creative solutions to VoIP problems. Users can view my tipsheets as they evolve at http://fdc.fullerton.edu/technology.