Best way to Video Conference?

[Yooper39]

Hello,

I am a new member and just got a black Macbook. Love this thing! Much better than the Windows Vista Sony Vaio it replaced. Using a computer is fun again!

Anyway, the Air Force has me here in Monterey CA for a year and my wife and kids in Louisina for a year and I would like to be able to have video chats with them on the computer. I signed up for AIM and used the Apple IChat but can't make it work right. Plus my wife and kids are using my Windows XP machines at home.

I've googled this and just got lost in the sea of information...

Just would like to know the easiest way to do this. I am not a computer geek so someone with some smart ideas on this would help me talk to my wife and kids with video! Would be so cool!

 

[Phrasikleia]

My husband and I are often separated by 6,000 miles. We use Skype and are really happy with it. It's free and works beautifully.

 

[jodelli]

This site recommends Skype between Windows and Macs as other solutions might not work well.
http://robrohan.com/2007/11/30/trying-to-video-chat-between-mac-and-windows/

edit: Didn't see the previous before posting this, so it does looks like a good solution.

 

[Phrasikleia]

Oh, and I should probably add that I use a Mac, and my husband uses either a Linux or Windows machine, depending on where he is. All combinations work great. No cross-platform problems.

 

[iToaster]

The problem might be the internet setup. I know that a certain router I once owned was prone to revoking video conferences, as could be the case on the other side of the conference too. This article might help you.