For students, faculty, staff or guests that are having problems connecting to Wi-Fi at school here are some things to try. Important Note: Only devices that can communicate at 5GHz and WPA3 will be able to connect to our network. In general, this should work with devices manufactured after 2018 and fully updated.
To correct most of the common Wi-Fi issues at school:
- Put your device in 'Airplane Mode' for 30 seconds. Then go back to normal mode and try again.
- Save your work and close all Apps that are running in the background.
- Whatever browser you are using make sure there are no more than 5 tabs open.
- Power off your device entirely (not sleep mode). Wait 10 seconds and then power back on.
- When working in groups be sure that your devices are not too close together as they may interfere with one another.
- If you have a mobile phone that also connects to the school Wi-Fi put it in 'Airplane Mode'.
If after you have done all of the above there are still issues contact Tech Help.
For students, faculty and staff that are having Wi-Fi issues with Wi-Fi at home here is some information.
Before contacting your internet provider to troubleshoot or upgrade to a faster plan we have a few things you can try especially during times where you are video conferencing for class and/or submitting work to Schoology.
iPad Changes
Turn off Background App Refresh (Settings > General > Background App Refresh > Off)
Clear Safari History (Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data > Close Tabs)
Turn off Notifications (Settings > Notifications. Go into each App on the list and turn OFF "Allow Notifications". If there is an App you want to have notifications it is okay to use it but we recommend turning OFF "Sounds" and "Show on Lock Screen".)
Connect to 5GHz home Wi-Fi network (if you have that option)
Non-iPad devices (Roku, Apple TV, Kindle, phone, Alexa, …)
The general rule of thumb is if you aren’t actively using a device it should be turned off or disconnected from the Wi-Fi. We know this is a bummer, but fewer devices that are active on the network “talking”, the better your connection will be. Even when devices are in ‘power save’ mode they can still be active on the network. Here are some recommended actions:
Phone – Put in Airplane Mode or turn off Wi-Fi connection.
Laptop or home computers – If you are not actively using it shut it down.
Roku, Apple TV, Alexa, Xbox, Playstation, … – Some of these devices don’t have power buttons or options to shut down. In which case you can unplug them from power.
Some of this may cause you or other family members grief during the time you need it. Once again this is only if you are experiencing problems and you need it during times that require you collaborate with others or upload assignments to Schoology. They can be turned back on when you are done for the day.
Home Network Settings
If your network is slower than normal or your device is having difficulty connecting to Wi-Fi try and reboot your home internet router. There are often updates 'behind the scenes' by internet providers that a simple reboot will resolve.
Wireless routers (either personal or provided by internet company) often have options that allow you to optimize home Wi-Fi. For instance, modern wireless routers can allow connections at 2.4GHz and 5GHz so if you have this option connect your iPad to 5GHz as it should be more reliable throughout your home. We have also seen greater success with home connections when the channel width is set to 20MHz with the following channels (44, 48, 136 & 149). Consult the documentation for your router or your internet provider to determine where to make these changes.
Note: Tech Help can answer some basic questions you or your parents may have about your home wireless settings, but we are not experts on specific company configurations/technology so the internet provider or manufacturer should be consulted in those cases.
The Reality
All home internet companies experience slowness from time to time with many people now working from home. When this happens you can submit work later, participate in video calls with audio only, or trying some of the suggestions above.
Home internet upload speeds are significantly less than download speeds so be patient when submitting homework especially if they are very large files like videos.
What if the above doesn’t work?
In households where there are multiple devices, siblings also doing school work, parents doing their work, etc. it may be time to contact your internet provider to discuss options for upgrading to faster speed, new modem, etc. A general guideline for home internet is for every 2 devices that would be active on your network at the same time you should have 25Mbps download and 3Mbps upload speeds. So, for instance, if you have six family members/devices using internet at the same time throughout the day you should have a plan that is at least 75Mbps download speed and 7.5Mbps upload speed.
To test your network visit the following website and choose the method which best reflects the device you are using: https://www.ookla.com/consumer
Important Note: The consumer tools do have advertising on their pages and Apps. You are only concerned about the Ping, Download and Upload speeds as noted above. Please email Tech Help if you would like assistance interpreting your network test results.