Working From Home Resources/Requirements
On this page, we'll summarise everything you need to start making radio from home.
Computer
You'll want a fairly fast one, just to make sure there are no issues, but anything bought in the last 5 years (and even a lot of older ones) will do just fine. Any MacBook that still works will probably do, as should most Windows laptops made after 2013. Chromebooks may work, but you might start having issues with external microphones and such, so we wouldn't recommend them unless you have no other option.
You'll need Google Chrome installed. WebStudio MAY work in other browsers, but Computing won't support it - if you ask us for help using anything except Chrome our response might just be "try again in Chrome". (We're using a lot of bleeding-edge technology, and don't always have the time to test it in all browsers. Support for other browsers is planned, but for now, Chrome is the only one we will support.) While you're at it, make sure it's got the latest updates installed (usually it'll do this automatically).
Try to avoid any unnecessary programs running in the background, even programs like Spotify and Microsoft Office can negatively impact the performance of the computer, and interfere with the stability of your connection to URY's servers. If possible you should also disable your VPN while connecting to webstudio in order to improve connection latency and stability. You do not need the university VPN running in order to access webstudio.
Try to have all your equipment set up and tested before you do your show, and not disturbed from a working configuration until needed. Even doing something as innocent as plugging a new set of headphones in can break everything (speaking from experience here...), which you may not have time to fix before you need to begin.
Using a phone
If you are not the presenter on a show and do not need access to webstudio and other virtual studio features, consider using your phone with a set of headphones, most modern phones have respectable microphones built in, and are easily capable of accessing URY's recommended remote high quality audio line for studio guests Cleanfeed.net, be sure to follow best practices on microphone usage and keep your battery well charged when doing this though!
Internet connection
You'll want a fairly fast connection. If you're on campus, the network is more than sufficient (although we still recommend connecting to Ethernet if possible instead of using eduroam). If you're at home, most home broadband should do, but go to Speedtest.net to check your speed - you'll want at least 10mbps down and 3mbps up (slower download will slow downloading of songs but still be fine, slower upload may cause connection issues). If you're having issues, 4G may work better than home broadband, but that causes reliability issues, so broadband is preferable unless yours is hopelessly slow.
Hard-wire Ethernet is always preferable over WiFi, not for speed but for stability. The line is only as good as its stability - WiFi may be fine when you first test it, but can you guarantee that will be the case when you are doing your show? Sharing a WiFi connection between multiple people will perform much worse than you might expect, so if possible get a wired connection. If that's not an option, consider timing your show when as few people as possible will be using WiFi, or ask the people you share the internet with if they could curtail their usage for the period of your show.
Headphones
Please, please, PLEASE do not try to do a radio show using laptop speakers. It will sound God-awful whenever you turn on your mic. You don't need high quality studio headphones like we have at York, even a pair of EarPods will do you just fine, but make sure you have some. Be aware that if you are using an external USB microphone, the direct monitoring port on the microphone may not also pass you audio from webstudio.
Also, do not use Bluetooth headphones, unless you have no other option. Not only does Bluetooth introduce a delay which can throw all your timings off (fun fact: it takes longer for sound to go from your laptop to your AirPods than for data to go from London to York - no, really!), the quality of Bluetooth microphones on computers is, for lack of a better word, total crap. A pair of Bluetooths is better than nothing at all, but anything hard-wired will almost always be better.
Microphone
The tricky one. Take a look at our microphone recommendations page and choose one that fits your budget. You don't need to splash out on a mic if you're only doing one show a week, as even an EarPod mic will sound okay, but do think about it if you want to get more serious about making radio from home.