How Are Participants Counted?

[DebW]

We plan to deliver training via Zoom to 300+ offices wherein the participants can't use computer audio. This means they will dial in for the audio, and use the meeting link for the video. Does Zoom count this as two participants? I'm aware of the feature that allows me to merge a dial-in and a computer participant, but if I have dozens of people on the webinar, this would be impractical.  Thanks.

[Dan_ZoomSE]

Hello @DebW,

When looking at Meeting Capacity, I prefer to say "connections" instead of people...  If a user joins video from computer, but then dials in on telephone and does NOT enter a participant ID, then they are using 2 connections.  

We always recommend you advise your users to click the join link first and not dial in first.  The reason for this is if they choose to use telephone instead of VoIP for audio, the client will clearly display their Participant ID when showing how to dial in.  This will result in more people linking their audio/video together to only consume a single connection.

If a user fails to enter a participant ID and shows up in the meeting twice (video and separate telephone) the host can link them together.

When it comes to a larger capacity webinar, you are right, this can be very challenging.  That is why we always encourage user to join the link from their computer first and select computer audio (if they have a speaker or headset).  Beyond that, it is best to consider your user's habits when planning the proper capacity license for a large event.  Buying a larger Webinar add-on license to account for this is often encouraged.

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Thanks!