Office Communicator: Home Edition

Microsoft Office Communications Server enables organisations to host instant messaging, file and desktop sharing, voice and video conferencing, and presence services. To use Office Communicator at home, you'll need to install Communicator on your PC and configure it to log in to your company account. This involves downloading Communicator from your organisation's server, accepting the license agreement, selecting an installation folder, and entering your sign-in address. Additionally, if you're a Windows user, you may need to download the new Lync client, as the Office Communicator client for Windows no longer works with the UniCom service.

How to download Office Communicator

To download Microsoft Office Communicator, you must first determine which version of the software you require. Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2 is a unified communications client that works with the Office Communications Server 2007 R2. This version of the software is designed for Windows XP and Windows 7 operating systems and can be downloaded from Soft32.com or freedownloadmanager.org. However, it is no longer supported by the developer.

Alternatively, if you are using Windows 8, 8.1, or 10, Microsoft Office Communicator has been replaced by the Lync app. You can download the Lync app by following the relevant link provided on the Windows Report website.

If you are looking for a more recent alternative, you can install Microsoft Teams on your computer. This instant messaging app allows you to stay connected with your colleagues, team, and business partners.

How to sign in to Office Communicator

To sign in to Office Communicator, you will need to have the software installed on your device. If you are using it for work, your IT team should have installed it and enabled your domain account for it to work. You can then use your corporate email address and domain password to sign in.

If you are setting up Office Communicator at home, you will need to install Communicator on your PC and configure the client to log in to your company account. You can download a copy of Office Communicator from your organisation's server. Open the MSI file to extract the contents of the package.

Click "Next" on the Welcome to Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 Setup screen. Review the license terms, click "I Accept the Terms in the License Agreement", and then click "Next" again. You can then select a folder to install Microsoft Office Communicator to or use the default file path. Click "Next" to install the client and "Finish" to close the wizard.

Once this is complete, open Office Communicator and enter your sign-in address into the field provided. Click "Sign In" to establish a connection with the remote server.

If you receive an error message while trying to sign in, you can try the following troubleshooting steps:

• Verify your sign-in address, username, and password
• Check advanced account settings
• View the Windows event log for detailed information about the error and provide this to your administrator or technical support department

How to schedule a conference call

To schedule a conference call using Office Communicator, you will need to be activated for UniCom Enterprise Voice. You can then schedule a conference call in advance using Outlook, and both you and other participants can join using Office Communicator, a browser, or by dialling in.

• In Outlook, from the Conferencing menu, click 'Schedule a Conference Call'.
• You may be prompted to enter your UniCom or ADS username and passphrase. If you don't see the Conferencing menu, refer to Microsoft Help and Support article 940782.
• You will see an email message with clickable links to join the conference and phone numbers for dialling in.
• Enter the email addresses of the attendees, the subject, and the time, as with any Outlook appointment invitation, and send the message.
• When it's time for your conference call, join as described below. You can join with Office Communicator without additional authentication. However, if you plan to join by phone, you will need to configure a PIN first. You can do this in three ways:

• In a browser, go to Dial-in Conference Settings and sign in with your Network ID.
• In Office Communicator, in the upper left corner, click the downward arrow next to the blue square. Select Tools and then Dial-in Conferencing Settings.
• In Outlook, from the Conferencing menu, select Dial-in Conferencing Settings.

Note that if you schedule a conference call, you will be the leader by default, and the conference won't begin until you join. You can make someone else a leader, but to do so, you need to change the conference ID, accessed with the audio options.

Additionally, if you want to turn an existing two-party call into a conference call, you can do so by pressing 'Invite' and selecting the contact or by finding them in your contact list and dragging them into the conversation.

You can also schedule conference calls using other services, such as RingCentral, which integrates with Google Calendar and Outlook to create links to conference calls in your meeting invites.

How to access Office Communicator via the web

To access Office Communicator via the web, you will need to use Communicator Web Access (CWA). This can be done by opening a web browser and typing in the following URL: https://im.thebusinessplatform.co.uk/. You must allow pop-ups for this site within your browser before you will be able to log in.

Enter your sign-in details for Office Communicator as normal. This will open a separate browser window for Communicator Web Access, which functions in the same way as the full client version. You can close the first browser window if you wish, and Communicator will remain signed in.

If you are connecting to your company's Communications Server from home, you will need to install Communicator on your PC and configure the client to log in to your company account. You can download a copy of Office Communicator from your organisation's server. Open the MSI file to extract the contents of the package.

Click "Next" on the "Welcome to Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 Setup" screen. Review the license terms, click "I Accept the Terms in the License Agreement" and then click "Next" again. Select a folder to install Microsoft Office Communicator to or use the default file path, then click "Next" to install the client. Click "Finish" to close the wizard. Open Office Communicator and enter your sign-in address, then click "Sign In" to establish a connection with the remote server.

How to access Office Communicator via mobile

To access Office Communicator via mobile, you will need to download and install the mobile client on your device. The Office Communicator mobile client is available for free from the Microsoft website, but it is only compatible with certain mobile devices. Devices that are compatible include those running Windows Mobile 6.x and Java-enabled phones (certain Nokia and Motorola models only). To run Office Communicator on an iPhone, visit the iPhone App Store to find suitable apps.

• Open a web browser on your mobile device and enter the following URL: http://www.getcomo.com.
• This will open a Microsoft webpage. Click on the relevant link to select the type of mobile device you have.
• Follow the installation steps for your device.
• Once the client is installed, open it and enter the required configuration settings.
• In the Sign-in address box, type your Communicator sign-in address.
• In the Domain\Username box, type your domain name and username in the specified format (SSP\username). This can be found on the control panel in the Exchange mailbox screen for the user.
• In the Password box, type the password for your domain account.
• Select "Remember password" if you want the client to remember your password for future logins.
• Select "Automatically sign me in" if you want Communicator Mobile to start automatically every time you turn on your mobile device.
• Select "Sign in as" and then choose the presence status you want to display when you sign in.
• Click "Done" or "OK" to finish the setup.

Please note that these steps may vary slightly depending on your mobile device model and operating system.

Frequently asked questions