[Freedombox-discuss] Element (matrix-synapse client) problems.

[A. F. Cano]

Hello,

I've been using the FreedomBox matrix-synapse server for months.  It was
not easy to get the client going (riot.im, now element) but I finally
got it to work and have been using it for video conferences between 3
people (me and 2 others).  When I first set it up I tested it between 2
local machines, the one I'm writing this on and a laptop, both running
Debian stable.  Now, starting element on the laptop fails when I want to
start a video call, the video screen never appears and the progress
wheel never stops turning or goes away.  There is essentially no
documentation out there on element that I could find.

The matrix server on the FreedomBox passes all tests, so the problem is
not there, most likely.  Does anyone have any insights to debug this?
When I first tried to configure the client to use the local FreedomBox
server it was quite painful and not at all obvious, but, like I said,
the user on the laptop could once connect successfully and is a member
of the "chat room".  Still I have gotten (not consistently) messages to
the effect that the invite was not successful.  I also now get
"Connectivity to the server has been lost." prominently displayed in
red, but the video calls work between existing users just fine.  This
has reappeared after the last FreedomBox reboot.  Previously it was gone
for weeks.  The icon on the task bar has an X in a small red circle that
goes away when the message goes away.

Is anyone using element with the FreedomBox matrix server successfully?
Any ideas I could try? Where does element put any log file? I don't see
anything in /var/log.  Is anyoene aware of any element documentation
beyond the superficial one that deals with basic features?

Thanks.

Augustine