Will WebEx Work on Panorama using Premium Internet Option?

[Dizzy49]

REALLY long story short, my wife was subpoenaed in a case where this guy is stalking her good friend.  He purposely had his lawyer select a time when my wife would be on vacation and refused to allow her to be deposed ahead of time.

 

The court says that she can appear virtually using WebEx.  The premium internet option says that it can be used for Teams and Zoom, but can't be used for streaming video or IP calls.  Technically speaking Zoom and Teams are streaming video with IP calling for the audio, and so is WebEx.  While I know they can't realistically list every technology that can connect, I find it odd that they call out Teams and Zoom without something like, "works with productivity apps LIKE Zoom and Teams".

 

Really my question is two fold.  First off, is WebEx allowed/supported without having to do anything fancy like set up a VPN to ensure access?

Secondly, she needs to attend on a sea day, so we will be at sea the entire time she needs to be on.  How is the connection?  We will buy the premium option for that day, and I certainly don't expect cable speeds, but she can't do it if she is disconnected every few minutes, or the audio/video is just useless and freezes up nonstop.

 

Thanks!

[blueskadoo]

I wish I knew the answer...I hope someone will come along because my work uses the same (but also requires a fancy vpn) so I'll be monitoring this thread. As someone who has used WebEx daily since the pandemic started, what I can tell you is that WebEx does seem to be a little less taxing on computers compared to some of the other meeting platforms, and its important to make sure the computer/phone she's using has the WebEx app installed if it's a Mac/chromebook or an iphone (full disclosure I know nothing about Samsung phones). Also, you can "phone in" to a meeting through WebEx (by using wifi calling) or connect with audio only on the meeting...but I'm not sure opposing counsel would be okay without seeing the person being deposed. Another little trick is to make sure there's no virtual background on.  I've not been brave enough to try it on a ship. I've done it a fair amount from hotels and never had a problem...but learned working on vacation for me is not a vacation!

Hopefully someone else will come along who has ventured out on this quest and can answer for us both!

[klfrodo]

You're looking for a 100% certainty type of answer, and I've got bad news.

 

It "might" work, but I'd give it a less than 25% chance. In my experience speeds are at the less than 3Mbps speed and the real problem is ping or latency which can be a lag time of 800mS to over 1000mS.

If a VPN is involved (and why wouldn't a VPN be involved for a legal proceeding), I would put it down to less than 10% chance of working.

 

[weezal]

"VPN connections are not supported. Discuss your VPN limitations with your company’s IT department if you are planning to work while sailing. We are not able to change your settings on board"

Edited January 25, 2022 by weezal

[cruizergal70]

OP, certain types of Webex meetings can be conducted over the web without a VPN. Please ask the law firm if they require a VPN. 

[Dizzy49]

1 hour ago, blueskadoo said:

but I'm not sure opposing counsel would be okay without seeing the person being deposed.

Considering the length they have gone through to make it as difficult for us as possible, I have zero doubt that she would throw a fit.

 

 

1 hour ago, klfrodo said:

You're looking for a 100% certainty type of answer, and I've got bad news.

 

It "might" work, but I'd give it a less than 25% chance. In my experience speeds are at the less than 3Mbps speed and the real problem is ping or latency which can be a lag time of 800mS to over 1000mS.

If a VPN is involved (and why wouldn't a VPN be involved for a legal proceeding), I would put it down to less than 10% chance of working.

 

I know there can't be a 100% guarantee, I'm trying to figure out what's reasonably possible, and on the other side of things, I'm trying to find out what happens (legally) if she gets disconnected, or can't connect at all.

 

 

58 minutes ago, weezal said:

"VPN connections are not supported. Discuss your VPN limitations with your company’s IT department if you are planning to work while sailing. We are not able to change your settings on board"

Yeah, I saw that too, and it makes sense that it's "not supported" since there are 1000s of variations and they can't possibly support them all.

 

 

22 minutes ago, cruizergal70 said:

OP, certain types of Webex meetings can be conducted over the web without a VPN. Please ask the law firm if they require a VPN. 

I do not believe that a VPN is required from the court.  I checked their info page and it's meant for the common person, and there is no mention of a VPN.  If it wasn't during COVID and things, then security might be more of an issue and some kind of VPN may be required.  I heard from someone who sailed before COVID that they used a VPN to ensure that the WebEx URL wasn't blocked.

[rockwall_cruiser]

I was able to use Teamviewer on the Panorama to access my home computer.  Then use VPN from my home computer to get to my office.  You may be able to use the same method with WebEx.  Hope this helps.

 

Edited January 25, 2022 by rockwall_cruiser

[groundloop]

All I can add, unfortunately, is that I've never been on a Carnival ship with what I consider a "good" internet connection (and I've always paid for the "premium" plan).  I've kinda' sorta' been able to stream video a few times early in the morning before most people were up, but other than that any video was virtually useless.  I have serious doubts about your wife having a good enough connection to make this work.

 

I know you didn't bring this up, but have you considered looking into rescheduling your cruise.  Carnival has a pretty good cancellation policy at the moment so you might be able to reschedule and not lose anything.

[Dizzy49]

22 minutes ago, groundloop said:

I know you didn't bring this up, but have you considered looking into rescheduling your cruise.  Carnival has a pretty good cancellation policy at the moment so you might be able to reschedule and not lose anything.

We have rescheduled 6 times already.  This was supposed to be my parents 50th anniversary gift (two years ago).  It took us MONTHS to find a date that works for everyone (we have about 25 people on the cruise) and the grandkids are graduating and will be off to college soon and my parents health is not that good.  Cancelling for 24 other people b/c the daughter-in-law can't come... I'm not seeing that.  The real question becomes, do my kids and I get to go on the cruise...

[sanger727]

A few questions because I am rather familiar with the courts. I assume this is a criminal case? Is it the first trial setting? Has your wife actually spoken to the prosecutor about the fact that she will be out of town that day? Unless this has postponed several times and the state is running up against time constraints it's hard to imagine a situation where the defense attorney would have 100% control over when the case is scheduled.

[cruizergal70]

20 minutes ago, Dizzy49 said:

We have rescheduled 6 times already.  This was supposed to be my parents 50th anniversary gift (two years ago).  It took us MONTHS to find a date that works for everyone (we have about 25 people on the cruise) and the grandkids are graduating and will be off to college soon and my parents health is not that good.  Cancelling for 24 other people b/c the daughter-in-law can't come... I'm not seeing that.  The real question becomes, do my kids and I get to go on the cruise...

Did YOU reschedule six times or did other parties reschedule? If you've put this off for so long, how important is this?

[Cruiser_1977]

@Dizzy49 If this is a deposition and not the trial your wife should have the ability to reschedule. Proving that the trip was scheduled before the subpoena was served. She should have an attorney handle this. I STRONLGLY recommend she get her own attorney since she was subpoenaed. I find it strange the defendant is wanting your wife to testify. That makes it seem her testimony would strengthen his defense.

[mikebisch]

WebEx barley works on land....

[Dizzy49]

8 hours ago, JennyB1977 said:

@Dizzy49 If this is a deposition and not the trial your wife should have the ability to reschedule. Proving that the trip was scheduled before the subpoena was served. She should have an attorney handle this. I STRONLGLY recommend she get her own attorney since she was subpoenaed. I find it strange the defendant is wanting your wife to testify. That makes it seem her testimony would strengthen his defense.

To put it simply/bluntly, the guy is vindictive, destructive and delusional. He has a "if I can't have it, then I will nuke the town so no one can" mentality.  I've thought people like this only existed in TV shows, like Criminal Minds and SVU.

His attorney is know to be a bad ass lawyer, I actually know her.  She is also a judge. She usually does high profile criminal cases, so I have no idea why she is representing this guy.  He knew when we were going on the cruise, so she prob said she needed until Feb 4th to be ready knowing that there were lots of slots the following week and some day (any day) next week would be selected and would cause our side issues.

My wife thought about trying to do something to see if she could have it postponed, but her friend is not doing well with all of this mentally, and is afraid she might have a breakdown if it's postponed again.

[matymil]

For what its worth, we got the premium internet on the Vista and streamed video for over 3 hours nonstop without any interruptions. I talked to the IT on board and he said the newer ships (Vista and after) have much better internet. We also video called with no issues. You'll probably be OK

[matymil]

37 minutes ago, Dizzy49 said:

To put it simply/bluntly, the guy is vindictive, destructive and delusional. He has a "if I can't have it, then I will nuke the town so no one can" mentality.  I've thought people like this only existed in TV shows, like Criminal Minds and SVU.

His attorney is know to be a bad ass lawyer, I actually know her.  She is also a judge. She usually does high profile criminal cases, so I have no idea why she is representing this guy.  He knew when we were going on the cruise, so she prob said she needed until Feb 4th to be ready knowing that there were lots of slots the following week and some day (any day) next week would be selected and would cause our side issues.

My wife thought about trying to do something to see if she could have it postponed, but her friend is not doing well with all of this mentally, and is afraid she might have a breakdown if it's postponed again.

Thats terrible. Im sorry you guys are going through that.

[matymil]

9 hours ago, cruizergal70 said:

Did YOU reschedule six times or did other parties reschedule? If you've put this off for so long, how important is this?

Seems pretty important but i wouldnt know because its not my business and also has nothing to do with the question asked 🤷‍♂️

[travelplus]

19 hours ago, Dizzy49 said:

REALLY long story short, my wife was subpoenaed in a case where this guy is stalking her good friend.  He purposely had his lawyer select a time when my wife would be on vacation and refused to allow her to be deposed ahead of time.

 

The court says that she can appear virtually using WebEx.  The premium internet option says that it can be used for Teams and Zoom, but can't be used for streaming video or IP calls.  Technically speaking Zoom and Teams are streaming video with IP calling for the audio, and so is WebEx.  While I know they can't realistically list every technology that can connect, I find it odd that they call out Teams and Zoom without something like, "works with productivity apps LIKE Zoom and Teams".

 

Really my question is two fold.  First off, is WebEx allowed/supported without having to do anything fancy like set up a VPN to ensure access?

Secondly, she needs to attend on a sea day, so we will be at sea the entire time she needs to be on.  How is the connection?  We will buy the premium option for that day, and I certainly don't expect cable speeds, but she can't do it if she is disconnected every few minutes, or the audio/video is just useless and freezes up nonstop.

 

Thanks!

Have your wife e-mail the lawyer that this is her personal time and that Carnival has very spotty service. If they are still forcing her to be deposed they can pay her for a new cruise for the entire family in a Suite with First Class  airfare,luxury Hotel for any day after the cruise and for all damages . Or she could say that she is not feeling well on day of deposal.

Edited January 26, 2022 by travelplus

[travelplus]

8 hours ago, Dizzy49 said:

To put it simply/bluntly, the guy is vindictive, destructive and delusional. He has a "if I can't have it, then I will nuke the town so no one can" mentality.  I've thought people like this only existed in TV shows, like Criminal Minds and SVU.

His attorney is know to be a bad ass lawyer, I actually know her.  She is also a judge. She usually does high profile criminal cases, so I have no idea why she is representing this guy.  He knew when we were going on the cruise, so she prob said she needed until Feb 4th to be ready knowing that there were lots of slots the following week and some day (any day) next week would be selected and would cause our side issues.

My wife thought about trying to do something to see if she could have it postponed, but her friend is not doing well with all of this mentally, and is afraid she might have a breakdown if it's postponed again.

I would ask them to compensate her. She is not obligated to be deposed on vacation . She requestec time off from work . See about countersuing for having her postpone tne cruise, compensating her work for extra vacation time in addition to this one 

[travelplus]

19 hours ago, klfrodo said:

You're looking for a 100% certainty type of answer, and I've got bad news.

 

It "might" work, but I'd give it a less than 25% chance. In my experience speeds are at the less than 3Mbps speed and the real problem is ping or latency which can be a lag time of 800mS to over 1000mS.

If a VPN is involved (and why wouldn't a VPN be involved for a legal proceeding), I would put it down to less than 10% chance of working.

 

The court can pay for a WiFi package and lose out the $$_ if it fails. Not your wife's problem that the cruise was booked long ago.

 

I wont be buying the internet as speeds are slow 

[blueskadoo]

17 hours ago, sanger727 said:

A few questions because I am rather familiar with the courts. I assume this is a criminal case? Is it the first trial setting? Has your wife actually spoken to the prosecutor about the fact that she will be out of town that day? Unless this has postponed several times and the state is running up against time constraints it's hard to imagine a situation where the defense attorney would have 100% control over when the case is scheduled.

 

16 hours ago, JennyB1977 said:

@Dizzy49 If this is a deposition and not the trial your wife should have the ability to reschedule. Proving that the trip was scheduled before the subpoena was served.

 

Since it sounds like WebEx is a no-go, I think the two above posters have the best idea. Depositions get rescheduled all the time. Inferring from what you said, it sounds as though your wife has information that will be helpful for her friend (not the defendant) and hopefully she has her own attorney. If that's correct, ask your friend that you're doing the favor for to reach out to her attorney ASAP and tell her you have a conflict with the set date. I would expect the attorney to call, get the scoop from you and you can tell her you've explored all avenues and see if they can reschedule. Have a list of several dates ready that will work for you to offer.  I would certainly try that before I cancelled my long planned, fully paid for milestone family cruise.

[Essiesmom]

It sounds to me as if the defendant is hoping the difficulties will cause the person to not be able to make the deposition at all.  EM

[sanger727]

9 hours ago, Dizzy49 said:

My wife thought about trying to do something to see if she could have it postponed, but her friend is not doing well with all of this mentally, and is afraid she might have a breakdown if it's postponed again.

 

It's not fair for the friend to expect your wife to miss your cruise over this. If it's not postponed and then the webex doesn't work, the court may push the case forward without your wife's testimony. While postponing it may be hard for the victim, it will be better for the case. 

[rincewind]

Keep in mind that you can call into a phone number for Zoom/WebEx and not have to rely on the IP audio stream associated with the video stream.  It would mean a very expensive phone call but it might help.  I've used this approach in low bandwidth settings.  The video may freeze and be a little spotty, but the audio stream is usually pretty good.

[Cruiser_1977]

@Dizzy49 Whatever you both decide, I wish you the best of luck.