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Lessonspace Troubleshooting Guide

This guide is designed to help tutors quickly troubleshoot common technical issues in Lessonspace. Below you’ll find step-by-step instructions for resolving problems with your microphone, speakers, camera, whiteboard, and other tools you may use during a lesson.

Troubleshooting menu

Connectivity or audio and video issues are indicated in the Space in the Troubleshooting menu.

  • Go to Setup > Troubleshooting to check if everything is working correctly. 

  • A little exclamation mark (!) on your video box usually indicates if something is not working properly.

Some of the most common troubleshooting issues are the following:

  • Poor connection detected
  • CPU overloaded
    • Close any unnecessary applications to free up system resources.
    • Try restarting your device.
  • Issues detected

Connection issues

Connection issues are typically caused by a poor internet connection or heavy internet usage. Please try the following steps:

  1. Move closer to the router
  2. Check your internet speed and ensure that it is at least 5Mb/s download, and at least 3Mb/s upload. You can run a speed test by Googling "Internet speed test"
  3. Close tabs and application on your computer that uses the internet
  4. Ask members of the household to reduce their internet usage (eg. stop downloading or streaming videos)

Audio and video issues

Audio and video issues mostly occur when not granting the necessary browser permissions or by not having the correct audio/video source selected. Please make sure that you:

  1. Allow permissions when your browser asks to access your microphone and camera. Here's how to do it.
  2. Ensure that your computer or mobile is not muted, you have a working speaker and microphone (built-in or external) connected to your computer or mobile. 
  3. Select the correct microphone and camera source from the Device Setup menu. 
  4. Check the Troubleshooting menu for any additional information.

Enable video and audio permissions in Lessonspace on Chrome

If you're prompted to allow access to your camera or microphone while using a Space, choose ‘Allow while visiting the site’ in the browser pop-up.

⚠️ Important Note: If the prompt doesn’t appear, or you've previously blocked access, follow the steps below to adjust your permissions manually.

How to always allow the camera and microphone in Chrome

  1. Open Google Chrome.
  2. At the top right, click the three dots (More) > Settings.
  3. Navigate to Privacy and security > Site settings.
  4. Click View permissions and data stored across sites.
  5. Search for Lessonspace (or room.sh).

  6. Set Allow for both Camera and Microphone.

Device setup

Set up devices before joining a Space

Before joining a Space, you can set up your microphone and camera and choose your preferred audio and video source.

  1. Click on Devices.
  2. Choose which source you wish to use.

Adjust devices during a session

After joining a Space, you can still set up your devices:

  1. Click on Setup > Device setup on the right-hand side.

  2. In the Device Setup menu, select a different Camera, Microphone, or Speaker source.
  3. Keep selecting until:
  • Your audio and video issues are resolved
  • You can see the microphone indicator line moving
  • You can hear the tune when clicking Test Speakers

I can't hear my student, or my student can't hear me

If you're having trouble with not hearing your student in the session, or they can't hear you, here are a couple of tips you can try to troubleshoot:

⚠️Please make sure that all participants reload the page and join the session again.

  1. First, ensure you have given permission to your browser to allow for audio and video. When you join, you will see a popup that asks you to allow access, press "Allow". Ask the same thing from other participants.

  2. Check the Troubleshooting menu for any prompts about issues in the meeting room. You can check if other participants are having any issues too.

  3. Make sure that the hardware you're using is not on mute. Look for this icon:
    • That indicates that the website is muted. Click the icon to unmute and turn the volume up on your hardware. 
    • If possible, use headphones for better audio quality. 
  4. Check the Device Setup menu and choose a different audio source.

I can't see my student, or my student can't see me

If you or your student is having trouble seeing each other in the session, please try the following troubleshooting tips:

⚠️Please make sure that all participants reload the page and join the session again.

  1. Make sure your webcam is connected and turned on. Check that you've granted permission to your browser to access your camera.
  2. Check the Troubleshooting menu for any prompts about issues in the meeting room. You can check if other participants are having any issues too.
  3. Make sure that the device you're using is not blocking the camera. Check the device settings to see if the camera is enabled or disabled. If possible, try using a different device to see if the issue persists.
  4. Check the Device Setup menu and choose a different video source.

Screen sharing

I cannot share my screen on Lessonspace

If you're having trouble sharing your screen during your class on Lessonspace, it's possible that you haven't given your browser the necessary permissions to take this action. 

Note: Though this article mainly focuses on Google Chrome, the same basic steps apply to most browsers.

  1. Ensure you've allowed camera and microphone permissions.
    • When you first join a session, Chrome will prompt you to allow access to your camera and microphone.
      • Click “Allow while visiting the site” to grant access and not be asked again.
      • Click "Allow this time" to grant access for this one time. You'll be asked to grant permissions again for your next classes.
  1. Fix if permissions were blocked
    • If you previously blocked access, you'll be notified about it when trying to join a class-- "We need permission to access your camera and microphone."
    • Click the icon at the top right-hand side of the address bar to access the site permissions.
    • Toggle ON both the camera and microphone and reload the page to re-join and apply the updated settings.

  1. Start screen sharing

    • Click the screen-share icon, found on the right side of the communications or toolbar area.

  1. Choose what to share

    • A dialog pops up asking whether you want to share your entire screen, a specific application window, or a browser tab.

    • Select the option you want.

      • It’s recommended to share a specific window or tab rather than your full screen — sharing the entire screen can sometimes lead to visual feedback issues (e.g., an “infinity mirror” effect).

    • The "Share" button will only activate (turn blue) once you make a selection.

  1. Click "Share"

    • Once selection is made, click the blue Share button to begin sharing your content. 

For more information, check out this article from the Lessonspace Knowledge Base.

I'm sharing my screen, but my student can't see anything but a blank screen

Note: This is a common issue Mac or MacBook users face; however, the same workaround might apply to different devices with different operating systems.

Are you using two monitors? If so, that could be the issue! Mac computers use the VP9 codec, which can fail to encode once screen sharing starts when using more than one monitor.

As a workaround, disconnecting the second monitor (on the presenter/sharer’s side) resolves the issue.

My Whiteboard is lagging or delayed

Connectivity issues

Lagging or delayed whiteboard can be likely due to connectivity issues. Make sure that you have a stable internet connection and that you're using the most recent version of your browser. You can follow these steps to check your connection.

Drawing Lag

If you notice a lag while drawing on the whiteboard while using a graphics tablet, it is likely due to a compatibility issue with the browser and the tablet. Lessonspace supports and has been tested with most major writing tablet brands. Check with the manufacturer of your graphics tablet whether your browser is supported. If you're using a tablet with wireless technology, please check if you have a stable internet connection and consider connecting your tablet via wire. 

My students are not seeing the same part of the whiteboard

Please be sure to enable Leading mode, so that your students see what you see. Note that if your students are using Lessonspace on a device with a different screen resolution, they might see the whiteboard slightly differently. 

My sidebar is not showing up in the Space

If you are experiencing a missing sidebar issue in your Lessonspace meeting (or if you notice any other features missing within the meeting room) below are a few troubleshooting steps to resolve the issue.

  • Please make sure that the features missing were previously available for you by default.
  • Make sure to disable any browser extensions (eg. Formswift PDF) and then reload the page.
    • Browser extensions may sometimes interfere with some features in the Space. If disabling the extension does not resolve the issue, please try clearing your browser cookies and cache, or try opening the meeting room from a different browser.

Still have questions?

Most known issues are covered in the Troubleshooting menu in Lessonspace. If you find that you're still having issues, please reach out to support@thelessonspace.com, or https://helpdesk.thelessonspace.com.

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