• How can you be sure it’s a company firewall that blocks your participant’s access?
• Troubleshooting steps
• Workaround solutions for firewalls:
• Other possible causes for not being able to access Sessions:
• 1. Your antivirus
• 2. Network proxy configuration:

If you or some of your participants have trouble accessing Sessions, one cause could be that they’re being blocked by their company’s firewall or an antivirus on their computer.

While a lot of organizations allow Sessions web traffic, some organizations with strict security measures in place can prevent the platform from working within your company.

Firewalls are safety measures companies take to safeguard the network and devices from potential threats. However, sometimes they also restrict access to safe websites or applications like Sessions. In these situations, you’ll receive an error saying the website/app is blocked or access is denied.

How can you be sure it’s a company firewall that blocks your participant’s access?

Ask the following questions to understand if this might be the cause:

• Are you joining Sessions from a company-owned device?
• Are you joining Sessions through a company-owned network?
• Are you joining Sessions from a new network using a company-owned device?

Troubleshooting steps

If a firewall is blocking your access to Sessions, the best thing you can do is to contact your IT department. Explain the situation, and ask for Sessions (https://app.sessions.us/ and https://sessions.us) to be whitelisted. Give them details such as the error messages you've encountered and any troubleshooting steps you've already taken.

The IT department will have to do the following:

1. Open the firewall settings through the computer's Control Panel or Settings Menu.
2. Look for options related to website or application blocking, sometimes labeled as "Allowlist," "Whitelist," or "Exceptions."
3. Add Sessions to the list of allowed websites or applications. You may need to enter specific URLs or IP addresses associated with Sessions.
4. Save the changes and try accessing Sessions again.

Workaround solutions for firewalls:

Until the company’s IT department whitelists Sessions, please consider the following solutions:

1. Try accessing Sessions from a personal device (phone, laptop) or a network outside your company's firewall
2. Try accessing Sessions with a personal email address instead of the one provided by the company.

Other possible causes for not being able to access Sessions:

1. Your antivirus

Some antiviruses can also block new platforms and apps that require access to your camera and device.

If your antivirus is blocking your access to Sessions, follow these steps:

1. Open your antivirus and navigate to its settings or preferences.
2. Search for an option related to website blocking, application control, or real-time protection.
3. Add Sessions (https://app.sessions.us/) to the list of trusted applications or exclude it from scans and blocking.
4. Save the changes and access Sessions again.

2. Network proxy configuration:

Sometimes, network proxies can interfere with accessing Sessions. Here's what you can do:

1. Go to your computer's network settings.
2. Look for proxy settings and ensure they are configured correctly.
3. If necessary, add exceptions for Sessions or configure the proxy to allow its traffic.
4. Save the changes and try accessing Sessions again.