How to Use Solstice Conference

Follow the steps below to download and install the Mersive Solstice app, with optional functionality to connect Solstice to video conferences.

1. Open a web browser and enter the IP address that appears on the Solstice display. The Solstice Quick Connect page will open:

   

2. Click Get the App.

   In Solstice 5.5.2 and above, this link directs users to download the version of the Mersive Solstice app from mersive.com/download/, which may require administrator privileges to install. If you are unable to download or install this version, click Download this app directly to download a version directly from the Solstice display that installs in the user's local directory.

3. On a Windows laptop:
   1. The Solstice app installer (e.g., SolsticeClientWin-5.5.2.exe) will download.
   2. When the download is complete, open the file to install the Mersive Solstice app. Once installed, the Mersive Solstice app will open automatically.
   3. To add the ability to use Solstice resources in a video conference, navigate to the Room Camera + Mic panel and click Install drivers.

      Administrator privileges are always needed to install the Mersive Solstice Conference drivers.

   4. Walk through the InstallShield wizard to install Mersive Solstice Conference drivers.

4. On a Mac laptop:

   1. The Solstice app installer (e.g., SolsticeClient-5.5.2.dmg) will download.
   2. When the download is complete, open the file to install the Mersive Solstice app. Once installed, the Mersive Solstice app will open automatically.
   3. To add the ability to use Solstice resources in a video conference, navigate to the Room Camera + Mic panel and click Install drivers.
   4. Walk through the steps to install Mersive Solstice Conference drivers.
5. On Android and iOS mobile devices, the appropriate app marketplace will open and display the Mersive Solstice app available for download.

   Mobile devices cannot host Solstice-enhanced video conferences. Solstice wireless content sharing and Solstice Ink annotation are available on Android and iOS versions of the Mersive Solstice app.

Depending on your macOS security settings, you may need to give the Mersive Solstice app permission to record your desktop to be able to share it to the Solstice display. Follow the directions below to ensure the necessary permissions have been set before using Solstice with a video conference.

1. Open your Mersive Solstice app and connect to a Solstice display.
2. On the Share panel, click Desktop. If desktop sharing permission is needed, a message will appear with brief directions for enabling it.
3. Open System Preferences from your dock or the Apple menu, then select Security & Privacy.
4. Go to the Privacy tab and select Screen Recording from the list on the left.

   

5. If needed, lick the lock icon in the lower left and enter the password to change permissions on your Mac.
6. If the Mersive Solstice app appears on the right, check the box next to it to give it permission to share your desktop to a Solstice display. Then skip to step 8.
7. If Mersive Solstice does not appear in the allowed apps list on the right, do the following:
   1. Click the + button below the apps list.
   2. Navigate to the location of the Mersive Solstice app.
   3. Select Mersive Solstice and click Open to add it to the apps list. It should be automatically given screen recording permission.
8. When Mersive Solstice has been checked, you will be prompted to Quit & Reopen to restart the Mersive Solstice app so the change will take effect.

Depending on your macOS security settings, you may need to enable desktop audio access for the Mersive Solstice app in order to access the full Solstice content sharing functionality.

1. Open your Mersive Solstice app and connect to a Solstice display.
2. On the Share panel, click Desktop. The Mersive Solstice app will minimize. Click Sharing Desktop at the top of your screen to show the app window.
3. If Auto share audio is enabled in Settings > Control, audio sharing should be turned on automatically. If the speaker icon after the name of the connected Solstice display appears gray with a red slash, click the icon to turn on audio sharing.
4. In the prompt that appears, click Yes.

   
   

5. If needed, enter your admin password and click OK. A System Extension Blocked pop-up should then appear.
6. Click Open Security Preferences to open the Security & Privacy settings.
7. Next to 'System software from developer "Mersive Technologies" was blocked from loading', click Allow.

   
   

8. Open System Preferences > Sound.
9. From the Play sound effects through drop-down, select Desktop Streaming Audio Device.
10. Check the Show volume in menu bar option.

    
    

11. Go back to the Mersive Solstice app, stop sharing, and click Disconnect.
12. Reconnect to the Solstice display, then share your desktop. Audio will automatically be streamed to the in-room display.

If your desktop audio isn't streaming to the display, make sure the speaker icon after the connected display name in your Solstice app isn't turned off (gray with a red slash), and that Desktop Streaming Audio Device is selected from your Mac's Volume control.

When you integrate your Microsoft 365 calendar with your Mersive Solstice app, Solstice can quickly launch video conferences scheduled on your personal calendar after you connect to a Solstice display. Calendar integration and Solstice Conference drivers are available on Windows and macOS only. Solstice Conference drivers must be installed with the Mersive Solstice app to use this capability.

When integrating your calendar, you will be prompted to sign into your Microsoft 365 account using the secure Microsoft Graph API OAuth2 authorization flow. This grants the Mersive Solstice app read-only access to your calendar so it can recognize video conference information (URL, meeting ID, passcode, etc.) in the body of upcoming meetings and facilitate faster starts for scheduled video conferences.

1. In the Mersive Solstice app, navigate to Settings > Conference.
2. In the Calendar integration section, click Sign in with Microsoft. Your web browser will open, and you will be prompted to log in to your Microsoft 365 account.
3. Complete your Microsoft 365 login process. If successful, the browser will display a "Success" message.
4. Close the browser and return to your Mersive Solstice app.

   If you are unable to save your Microsoft 365 credentials and are prompted to re-enter them each time you launch the Solstice app, the Credential Manager service in Windows may have been disabled by your IT team.

5. If you wish to disconnect your Microsoft 365 calendar at any time, go back to Settings > Conference > Calendar integration and click Sign out.

If your Microsoft 365 calendar is authenticated with Azure AD, your IT administrator may need to grant admin consent for the Mersive Solstice app in the Azure Active Directory app registrations.

For more information on how to set up an integrated room calendar for a Solstice-enabled workspace, which enables the Solstice display to show and interact with meetings scheduled for the space, see Solstice Cloud: Calendar Template.

The Mersive Solstice app was redesigned in version 5.5.1 to make it easier to connect Solstice with a video conference along with Solstice content sharing. The following directions primarily document 5.5.1+ functionality but include notes about where to find similar functionality in previous versions of the app.

1. Launch the Mersive Solstice app on your laptop.
2. Start the connection to Solstice by selecting the Solstice display in your meeting space. Displays that can be used for a Solstice-enhanced video conference are marked with a camera icon.
3. If the Solstice display has a screen key enabled, a screen key entry box will appear:

   

   1. Enter the 4-digit screen key to connect to Solstice for wireless in-room content sharing and collaboration.
   2. If you are hosting a hybrid meeting with remote participants joining via video conference, also toggle on Connect to room camera and mic. This will make room devices connected to Solstice available to the video conferencing app and allow the Solstice collaboration space to be shared in the video conference.

      If you do not see this feature, or it appears disabled, contact your organization's Solstice administrator for assistance.

   3. Click Connect to start Solstice content sharing and, if selected, Solstice video conferencing resources.
4. If the Solstice display does not require a screen key, you will be immediately connected to Solstice for wireless content sharing only. (In older app versions, selecting a Solstice display only connected to Solstice in-room content sharing.)
5. Select Room Camera + Mic in the left navigation bar. From here you can connect to Solstice video conferencing resources after connecting to the Solstice display, see upcoming meetings on your integrated Microsoft 365 calendar, and view resources available to a video conference. (This panel was previously the Conference panel in older app versions and has been updated for clarity and simplicity.)
   1. If there is an upcoming video conference meeting scheduled in your integrated Microsoft 365 calendar, it will appear on the left side of this panel. Click the Launch meeting button to start Solstice video conferencing resources (if needed) and start the video conference from the link in the body of the meeting invite. (Older versions of the app had many different, sometimes confusing, options for starting scheduled video conferences. See the Mersive Solstice app update note for more details.)
   2. If no upcoming video conference is shown, make sure Room Camera and Mic is toggled on (blue) to connect to Solstice video conferencing resources. Then start your video call in your video conferencing application.
6. Once you are connected to the Solstice display and the Room Camera and Mic toggle is on, Video Conference App Resources appear on the right side of the Room Camera + Mic panel.

   

   1. See the Select these devices list for available room devices, such as cameras and microphones, plugged into the Solstice Pod. Devices listed here are wirelessly connected to your laptop and can be selected as video and audio sources in your video conferencing application.
   2. Look under Share the following to see the name of the window, usually Screen 2 or Monitor 2, to share to your video conference so remote attendees can see content shared in-room to the Solstice display.

      Mersive does not recommend having additional monitors connected to your laptop while hosting a Solstice-enhanced video conference.

   If the Room Camera + Mic option in the left navbar shows green, Solstice video conference resources are currently available in your video conferencing app.

7. Once your video conference has been started, select available camera, microphone, and speaker devices as audio and video resources and share the Solstice display (Screen 2 or Monitor 2) in the video conferencing app.
8. After you have ended your video call and exited the video conferencing app, use one of the options in the End Your Meeting section below to disconnect from the Solstice video conference resources and/or from in-room Solstice content sharing.

Mersive recommends the version of the Mersive Solstice app always match the software version of the Solstice Pod. Some versions of the Mersive Solstice app may require the versions to match exactly to connect Solstice resources to a video conference. Starting in version 5.5.1, users will be warned about mismatching versions but will still be able to share the Solstice display and access room cameras and mics connected to the Solstice Pod.

As the host, when your meeting is finished you will need to end your video conference and disconnect from Solstice. Below are some ways you can disconnect from Solstice.

To disconnect Solstice from a video conference but continue in-room Solstice wireless content sharing and collaboration (Windows and macOS):

• From Room Camera + Mic in the left navbar, click to turn the Room Camera and Mic toggle off (gray).

To disconnect from Solstice completely, including from in-room wireless content sharing and Solstice video conferencing resources, you can do one of the following:

• Click Disconnect in the top right of the Mersive Solstice app window. You will be prompted to confirm that you want to disconnect from the display.
• Close the Mersive Solstice app window:
  • On a laptop, click the X in the upper right corner to close the main Mersive Solstice app window. You will be asked if you wish to disconnect from the display and stop sharing all content. Click Disconnect.
  • On a mobile device, close the app window and Solstice will automatically disconnect the device from the display.
• Starting in Solstice version 5.4, when Solstice Location Service is enabled (Settings > Control), auto-disconnect is also available. After learning the location of a Solstice Pod, the Mersive Solstice app can detect your device leaving the meeting area while still connected to the Pod and may prompt you to disconnect (currently supported on Windows, macOS, and Android). When the auto-disconnect prompt appears, you may do one of the following:
  • Click Disconnect to immediately disconnect from the Solstice Pod.
  • Click Cancel to dismiss the auto-disconnect prompt. You will not be prompted to disconnect again for that connection.
  • Allow the 10-second countdown to complete to let Solstice automatically disconnect you.

  Use the menu under the Solstice Location Service setting to turn on auto-disconnect and adjust the sensitivity that location services will use to automatically disconnect the device from the Solstice Pod. Location Services must also be enabled on the Pod to use this functionality.

  Auto-disconnect sensitivity is dependent on the WiFi signal strength in the meeting space. Mersive recommends starting with a value of Low or Normal. If needed, ask your IT department for more information about WiFi strength in your Solstice-enabled meeting space and how it might affect auto-disconnect functionality.

When using Solstice with a video conference, remember to also end your video conference in your conferencing app.

Older versions of the Mersive Solstice app for Windows and macOS provided many, sometimes confusing, options for connecting to Solstice Conference and starting scheduled video conferences. Which video conference was started could depend on opaque logic based on details of scheduled meetings in a calendar integrated with the app and/or on a room calendar integrated with the Pod.

App versions 5.5.1+ eliminate this confusion by only auto-launching video conference meetings that appear from the calendar integrated with the app. Mersive is looking into whether and how to best to add back the ability to auto-launch video conferences from room calendars integrated with a Solstice Pod. If this functionality is heavily used in your organization, please contact your Mersive representative – we would be interested to hear how it proved most useful to you to inform development going forward.

Your Mersive Solstice app might be docked to your system tray. To remove this setting and regain controls for the app window, right click the Solstice icon in your system tray and deselect Dock to system tray.

To limit Solstice notifications, open your Solstice desktop app, then go to Settings. Under General > Notifications, select either None or Critical, depending on your notification preferences.

Notification settings also control notifications for Solstice Conference drivers. Selecting None will turn off performance and compatibility notifications related to using Solstice resources for a video conference.

This may be the case if your laptop is configured to have additional virtual desktops. Mersive strongly advises against using additional virtual desktops alongside Solstice Conference.

On macOS, a "hall of mirrors" visual effect may appear when using Solstice Conference if the Conference drivers are not loading correctly. Open Security & Privacy settings and check the make sure you have allowed drivers from Mersive.

When the Solstice virtual monitor for sharing with a video conference (usually appears as Monitor 2) is set as the primary display, a known issue causes a video effect that resembles a hall of mirrors. Once the issue has been triggered, the Solstice Conference drivers often must be uninstalled and reinstalled to resolve it. Mersive strongly recommends not accessing the display settings while using Solstice with a video conference to avoid this issue. For help uninstalling and reinstalling Solstice Conference drivers, contact Mersive Support.

In the Mersive Solstice app on Windows laptops with dual graphics cards, an issue has been reported that manually setting the dedicated graphics card as primary can prevent the app from successfully sharing the user's Desktop and App Windows. In this case, a sharing error may appear in the Mersive Solstice app; Media File sharing may still be successful. This issue can usually be resolved by changing the Windows and/or graphics card settings to allow the graphics processor to be automatically selected.

For Solstice Pods running digital signage feeds that are also used regularly for Solstice-enabled video conferences, a known issue exists that occasionally causes Solstice to become unstable and the Pod to spontaneously reboot. Mersive recommends that Pods experiencing this issue be configured to perform a daily reboot, which should avoid spontaneous restarts. A Solstice admin can enable Daily Reboots in the Solstice Cloud > Advanced settings.