Working from home? Get started with these tips from Daily

Update: As of June 2020 we have ended support for our Free Basic Calls product, read our announcement.

The coronavirus epidemic is affecting millions of people around the globe. Here at home in the US we are beginning to see schools and companies require students and employees to work from home. We extend our sincere wishes to those around the globe.

Throughout this event we've seen a large spike in traffic, especially in Europe. Our engineering team is working diligently to maintain support during this tough time. If you're having issues, please contact us.

All this said, our hope is to support as many new businesses as possible. If you're new to working from your home here are some tips to help you get set up for success!

Get started for free

There are two main ways to use Daily:

• Basic free calls: Sign up for a free Daily account by clicking here. Once you've signed up you can create your own meeting links (also for free) and share them with whomever. Your guests do not need an account — or to download software — to join your calls.
• API calls: If you're looking to integrate video calls into your product, try our API. We have a free tier to get started. Pricing starts at $9/month, after that. Our video chat API is for developers looking to add video calls to their products/websites.

What makes Daily different?

Here are a few key features we offer that make video calls with Daily easier.

1. No downloads required, our calls run in your browser (desktop/mobile).
2. Unlimited, custom meeting links on your own domain like you.daily.co/hello.
3. Just share a link to join, your guests do not need an account.
4. Works across Mac, Windows and Linux. Plus iOS Safari and Android Chrome devices.
5. Dual screen sharing and free local recording for Chrome users.

What do I need to use your basic (free) video calls?

To have a video call you'll need a device (like a computer or smartphone) to get started. We support many of the major browsers but recommend Chrome for the most features/stability.

Your hardware will also need a microphone and camera, which most likely it has. We recommend using headphones, like AirPod's, with a microphone for improved audio quality in noisy environments.

Finally you'll need a stable internet connection. If possible we recommend connecting via ethernet. WiFi has improved greatly over the years, but is still subject to many more issues like packet loss, which can create a bad experience. Read this post to learn how to improve the quality of your video calls.

Here's a shortlist of what you'll need:

• A free Daily account
• A computer that can run the latest version of Chrome or
• Safari on an iPhone/iPad running iOS 13 or
• Chrome on an Android device running Lollipop or later (5.0)
• A good internet connection (Ethernet is fantastic if you have it!)

Tips for working from home over video

Obviously, here at Daily, we're big fans of remote work. If you're just getting started in your home office it can be a stressful experience. Here are some tips to help you, and your team, get setup for success.

• Maintain a routine: Just as you would in an office, maintain a scheduled routine. Don't sleep in just because your now a WFH employee. Wake up early, have breakfast, take a shower and prepare for your day just as you would if you were headed to the office.
• Establish goals: Let your teammates know what you have planned for the day. We use Standuply to communicate our tasks and any blockers with the rest of the team, asynchronously, over Slack.
• Take "you" time: It's easy to get bogged down when working from home. Be sure to take some time for yourself throughout the day. Make lunch, you'll save some money; take the dog for a walk, you'll get some exercise, you get the gist :)
• Communicate heads down time: On the contrary, it's also easy to get distracted when you WFH. Be sure to communicate to your colleagues and family when you'll be heads down on work.
• Move throughout the day: Okay, so you don't have a home office, or even a desk. Regardless, we love moving around our homes throughout the day. Spend time at the kitchen table, a couch, outside at a picnic table. Point is, migrating around changes your frame of thought. At a table I feel more productive in a tool like Figma, but outside or on my couch I enjoy writing.

Sincerely, we hope that this post helps some of you who are just getting started with remote work during this pandemic. If you'd like more tips check out this blog post for more tips and tricks.

If you are looking to integrate video calls into your tools, take a look at our API. We're happy to answer any questions as well.

Main photo by Marcel Friedrich on Unsplash