Registration, Installation and Login
Requirements: To use Zoom over the university you must have a university account.
Login via webbrowser: https://uni-koeln.zoom.us/signin
Using the Zoom-App:
- First install the Zoom-App via the App-Stores or use the following Link (https://zoom.us/download).
- In the login-window klick on the key on the bottom (SSO) of the window. In the following window enter the company domain "uni-koeln". Then your browser will open and you have to enter your credentials of your university account.
Zoom-FAQ
Registration & Installation
Who is entitled to a Zoom license from the University’s pool?
All members of the University with a university account. This is the employee account that matches the email address "@uni-koeln.de" and is automatically assigned to all employees when they start work and is also used to register with KLIPS, ILIAS, VPN or Wi-Fi. It is not to be confused with administration accounts, accounts at the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences or other accounts.
How can I register with Zoom as a member of the University of Cologne and obtain a full license?
Please register under https://uni-koeln.zoom.us/signin using your university account. This is the employee account that matches the email address "@uni-koeln.de" and is automatically assigned to all employees when they start work and is also used to register with KLIPS, ILIAS, VPN or Wi-Fi. It is not to be confused with administration accounts, accounts at the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences or other accounts. Once you have registered, you are automatically registered for a full Zoom license and can use it without any further activation.
Where can I obtain the desktop client? Where can I obtain the mobile app?
You can obtain the mobile app in the usual way from Google (Play Store) or Apple (App Store).
You can download the desktop client for Windows, Mac and Linux from the following link: https://zoom.us/download
How does the login work for the desktop client and the mobile app?
After installing the client, click on the option "Sign in with SSO". Enter "uni-koeln" as the company domain, then register with your university account, whereby your username is only the account name and not the email address (e.g. "mmuster2" and not "mmuster2@uni-koeln.de" or maria.mustermann@uni-koeln.de).
Where can I find the extended preferences for my meetings?
Extended preferences are only available in the web browser after logging in at: https://uni-koeln.zoom.us/
On the left side please find "Preferences", and under "Meeting" you can choose the required options. Please be aware of the terms of us for the UoC.
Where can I find instructions on how to use Zoom?
I have some questions about data privacy or the usability and/or security of Zoom
Whom can I contact if I need assistance or have any questions?
For questions regarding your university account and login problems, please contact the (rrzk-helpdesk@uni-koeln.de).
For an introduction to working with Zoom, please consult the provider’s website.
The provider has made available a series of video tutorials on how to use Zoom’s special functions and runs weekly training sessions in German. Teaching staff can obtain additional information in the "Digital Education" portal.
If you require a Zoom webinar license, please contact the person responsible in your Faculty. Please consult the "Digital Education" portal.
The Faculty of Human Sciences respectively the "Netzwerk Medien" offers additional information about using Zoom, have a look at: https://www.hf.uni-koeln.de/41017
Webinar
Do I need a Webinar license?
Who do I contact if I need a Webinar license?
Webinar licenses are required especially for events with more than 300 participants. Licenses are issued decentrally. The following contact persons have already been named, others will follow shortly:
- Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences: wiso-digitale-lehre@uni-koeln.de
- Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences: Dr. Babette Dauborn (babette.dauborn@uni-koeln.de)
- Faculty of Medicine: Dr. Yassin Karay (yassin.karay@uk-koeln.de)
- Faculty of Arts and Humanities: philfak-itmgmt@uni-koeln.de
- Faculty of Human Sciences: Dr. Udo Kullik (udo.kullik@uni-koeln.de)
- Administration and central facilities: softwaremgr@uni-koeln.de
I have been allocated a webinar license. How can I now create webinars?
If you look to the top right in your profile in your browser (not in the desktop client and not in the mobile app), your webinar license should appear there. You can create a webinar via your profile in the browser on the left-hand side; a separate tab will appear there for creating a webinar.
Can I/should I test a webinar session beforehand?
Former accounts & licenses
I already have a basic account. When I access the University’s portal, I always end up directly in the account profile.
Please log out of your basic account (which you no longer need) on all devices (browsers, desktop clients and mobile apps). Then proceed according to the instructions above in order to log into the Zoom portal of the University of Cologne with your university account.
I registered some time ago on "zoom.us" with my email address. Can I simply continue using the account?
This is, on the one hand, only a basic account with several restrictions (among others, meetings may only last a maximum of 40 minutes) and, on the other hand, it is not an account that fulfils the University’s rules regarding terms of use and data privacy. These accounts may not be used for official purposes (e.g. lectures, courses, seminars). Please set up a new account as described above.
I already had a license from the test phase. Do I have to register again now?
If you kept to the guidelines and set up the account with the username from your university account, you do not need to register again. The accounts will be merged automatically.
I have an activation link for a license, but it no longer works.
The activation links were only needed for accounts during the test phase, which is now over. Please set up your account as described under https://rrzk.uni-koeln.de/support-information/informationen-zu-tools-fuer-kollaboratives-arbeiten#c20883.
Miscellaneous
I have set up a meeting. What information do the participants need from me?
The participants need either the combination of meeting ID and meeting password or alternatively the invitation link via URL. You can supply these data by email, via your ILIAS course or in another way. Zoom’s internal mail function cannot and must not be used for this purpose.
Where can I enable End-to-end encryption?
To enable End-to-end (E2E) encrypted meetings for your own use:
- Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
- In the navigation panel, click Settings.
- Click the Meeting tab.
- Under Security, verify that Allow use of end-to-end encryption is enabled.
- If the setting is disabled, click the toggle to enable it. If a verification dialog displays, click Turn Onto verify the change.
Note: If the option is grayed out, it has been locked at either the group or account level. You need to contact your Zoom admin. - Under Security, choose the default encryption type.
- Click Save.
Note: Because of the limitations of E2E, we recommend using Enhanced encryption as the default encryption type and using end-to-end encryption for meetings where additional protection is required.
(source: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360048660871-End-to-end-E2E-encryption-for-meetings )
Zoom fails to start after logging into the Android app.
This can happen if you use a browser with pop-up blockers on Android, e.g. Firefox. In this case, once you have successfully installed the app, please log first of all into the Chrome browser. You can then start your meeting or join one by clicking on a meeting URL and the Zoom app will start correctly.
How can I enable my secretary's office to schedule meetings for me? Is there any kind of group account?
In your settings (after login via web browser) you can assign scheduling privilege to others. Enter the user name of the person's account there. Important: The person already must be logged in at least once at Zoom and thus acquired a university license.
There are no group accounts via our Zoom online portal. All accounts are individual. "Account sharing" by passing on the university account password is strictly prohibited!
How can I organize a meeting for someone else, e.g. my supervisor, director etc.?
When scheduling a new meeting via our Zoom online portal (https://uni-koeln.zoom.us/meeting/schedule), you have to specify the person for whom you are organizing the meeting in the "Schedule a Meeting" section. This person previously must have given you permission for this (see question above: "How can I enable my secretary's office to schedule meetings for me?").
How much storage space is available to me in the Zoom Cloud?
Each user has 500 MB for temporary data storage during Zoom. However, for reasons of data protection, event recordings should always be published as soon as possible via ILIAS/Opencast and deleted from the Zoom cloud. Please note: The maximum size for video recordings at ILIAS is 600 MB per file!
After signing in with SSO on Linux, only a white page with cryptic symbols appears.
This occurs due to embedded browsers failing to work now and again. Use a text editor to set value like this:
~/.config/zoomus.conf
embeddedBrowserForSSOLogin=false
Where can I find virtual backgrounds with motives of the university?
I would like to have my Zoom account deleted again that I set up via the University of Cologne’s portal.
My internet connection becomes much slower while using video conferencing. What can I do?
Please check if you have an active VPN connection to the university in "Full-Tunnel" mode. Disable the VPN connection or switch it to "Split-Tunnel" mode, so that the data traffic will not unnecessarily be transfered through the UoC network.
Can I join a video conference without a camera/microphone/internet connection? E.g. via Phone?
The usage of a camera is optional. In case you you do not have the ability to use audio on your device or you have a bad or no internet connection, there is the possibility to dial in via phone, as long as this was permitted by the host of the meeting. Login with a licensed Zoom-Account as mentioned above and go to the following website:
https://zoom.us/zoomconference
Here you can find the phone number for Germany (as long as you logged in correctly), which you can use with your rate for calling a landline number. Please notice the following instructions for joining via Phone:
https://support.zoom.us/hc/de/articles/201362663-Beitritt-per-Telefon?mobile_site=true#telephoneonly
Contact
If you have any questions or problems, please contact the RRZK-Helpdesk
uni-koeln.de