How to check a school's Wi-Fi for classroom technology

Why does a school's Wi-Fi decide whether classroom technology works?

Classroom technology only works as well as the school's Wi-Fi and internet line. A class of pupils signing in to a learning platform at the same moment, a teacher's laptop showing a video through the classroom projector and a staff room full of devices all share the same network, so a network that copes with one device may struggle with a full class. This is one of the group's school technology guides.

The UK Department for Education's wireless network standard for schools and colleges starts from that point: “Your school or college will have a high number of users accessing the network at the same time.” The wireless network standard asks schools to make sure the network allows “concurrent logon and use of all devices”.

The Department's broadband internet standard says that “With increasing reliance on internet-based services, broadband internet is an essential service.” Each of the two is one of the Department's 6 core digital and technology standards, and schools in England should be working towards meeting each by 2030.

No Malaysian school network standard is cited here. The UK standards serve as a checklist, and their figures are England's targets, not Malaysian requirements.

How do you check a school's Wi-Fi step by step?

Check a school's Wi-Fi in the rooms where devices will be used, with a full class online at once, at a busy time of day. Start from the coverage survey, test in the busiest classroom, compare the line speed with the targets, see whether the backup line takes over, and confirm who can sign in. The seven steps below are the group's practical suggestions, built on the UK standards.

1. Ask for the coverage survey. Ask IT support or the network supplier for the wireless heat map, a plan of the building showing where the signal is strong and weak. The UK Department for Education's wireless network standard asks for “wireless heat mapping as part of initial planning”. Compare it with the list of rooms where devices will be used.
2. Walk the rooms. Carry a laptop or tablet through every room that will use devices, including the hall, and note where the signal drops.
3. Test with a full class. In the busiest classroom at a busy time, sign in a whole class's devices at once and run a real lesson task, such as signing in to the learning platform and playing a video.
4. Measure the line. Run an internet speed test from a pupil's device at a busy hour and compare the result with the targets in the table further down.
5. Test the backup. Ask whether there is a second internet line and when the switch-over to it was last tested. The Department's broadband internet standard asks for routers set up “to provide automatic failover to backup services as and when required”.
6. Check who can get on. Confirm that pupils and staff sign in individually, that guests use a separate network and that administrator accounts use multi-factor authentication, as the wireless network standard lists.
7. Write it down and repeat it. Send what failed to the IT support or network supplier, and repeat the test before each term. The group's school technology checklist for each term sets out the other termly checks.

How much Wi-Fi coverage does a school need?

A school needs a strong Wi-Fi signal in every room where devices are used, sized for the number of people who use each room at the same time. In practice that means wireless access points spread across the site, often one per classroom and more capable units in halls, planned from a survey of the building rather than guessed.

Signal in every room. The UK Department for Education's wireless network standard says: “It's important to make sure there is strong signal coverage in all areas of your school or college where mobile devices are to be used.” The wireless network standard suggests access points across the site, “up to one per classroom, with higher-specification units in high-capacity areas such as halls.”

Sized for a full room. The wireless network standard asks for enough access points to cover each space for the number of people planned to use it, so that everyone can work at once without the network slowing. It also asks for wireless heat mapping when the network is planned: a survey that maps where the signal is strong and weak across the building.

The network behind the access points. The wireless network standard notes: “The speed of your wireless connection may be affected by your internal network cabling and switches.” A strong signal in the room still depends on the cables and switches that feed the access points.

How fast should a school's internet connection be?

A school's internet connection should be fast enough for every class using online resources at the same time. The UK schools standard sets the targets by school type: at least 100Mbps download and 30Mbps upload for a primary school, and a connection with the capacity for 1Gbps download and upload for a secondary school, delivered over full fibre.

The UK Department for Education's broadband internet standard says “Full fibre services provide the capacity and speed needed for effective use of online learning tools”, and that getting the fastest speed a school can afford gives teachers the confidence to make full use of online resources in teaching and learning. The broadband internet standard adds: “copper connections do not meet this standard.”

A fast line does not fix a weak building network. The broadband internet standard notes that internet speed can vary with the school's internal cabling and switches, and with its routers and wireless access points.

What should a school ask a Wi-Fi supplier?

A school should ask a Wi-Fi supplier how the network will be designed for its rooms, how it will be managed and kept up to date, who is trained to run it, and whether it can grow. The UK Department for Education's wireless network standard points to these when choosing or upgrading a solution:

• The current standard when upgrading. When an upgrade is needed, the standard points to “the latest standard approved by the Wi-Fi Alliance, Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be).”
• Fast enough access points. The standard asks schools to review the network interface speeds of the access points, which “will typically be 1Gbps, 2.5Gbps and 5Gbps or 10Gbps”.
• Central management. Tools to “configure the wireless access points, monitor performance and provide alerts in the event of a failure”, and security updates delivered automatically.
• Warranty and support. “a manufacturer warranty and support arrangements including licences, software enhancements, and security and firmware updates”.
• Training for whoever runs it. “a system administrator training package” that covers the security elements.
• Room to grow. A network that can “accommodate future higher bandwidth requirements”, and a configuration file that lets it be reset to the school's own set-up.

The wireless network standard says to meet it “when you need to upgrade an underperforming or unsupported solution”. Our practical suggestion: check the network before a device roll-out, not after; the group's school device roll-out checklist covers the rest of the preparation.

How should school Wi-Fi be kept secure?

School Wi-Fi should let only authorised users on, sign each user and device in individually, keep guests on a separate network and protect the accounts that can change the settings. A network without that protection can expose sensitive school and pupil data and take school systems offline.

The UK Department for Education's wireless network standard warns that an inadequately secured network may let unauthorised users reach school information, which could lead to “theft or misuse of sensitive school or student data”, “loss of access to critical school systems” and “significant disruption and cost”. The standard says users “must not be able to access the network without appropriate authorisation and authentication methods”, and that administrative accounts must be “secure and fully documented”.

Among the measures the wireless network standard lists are “secure segregated guest access”, “the latest authentication protocols (WPA3)” and “multi-factor authentication (MFA) for privileged users and technical support staff”. Pupils' and teachers' devices then sign in as themselves.

What happens when the internet goes down?

When a school's only internet line goes down, every online lesson and every cloud service stops at once. The UK schools broadband standard asks for a backup connection of a different type, with routers set to switch over automatically, so a single fault does not take the whole school offline.

The UK Department for Education's broadband internet standard says schools “should ensure that appropriate measures are in place to mitigate against a single point of failure.” The broadband standard describes “multiple broadband connection services of different service types”, for example a leased line combined with fibre to the premises, and “multiple routers and appropriate associated router configuration to provide automatic failover to backup services as and when required”.

The broadband internet standard also expects a content filtering system and a firewall to be part of the school's internet set-up, to safeguard children “from potentially harmful and inappropriate online material”. A learning platform has its own resilience questions too, which Easy Edu covers in its guide to school platform backups and uptime.

Which group company covers which part of a connected classroom?

The network is the work of the school's IT support or network supplier. Within ES Producation Groups, the devices, projectors, learning platform and payment that run on it sit with different companies, so a school can ask the group about several parts or only the part it needs once the network is ready.

How to plan the money across hardware, software and support is in the group's guide to planning a school technology budget.

What should a school send when planning connected classrooms?

Send how many classrooms will use the technology, how many devices will be online at once, what the school already has (devices, displays and a learning platform) and whether a payment option is wanted. With that, the group can put the school in touch with the right company for each part a group company covers.

• The number of classrooms and the largest class that will be online at once.
• The devices and displays already in use, and what is planned.
• The learning platform, if any.
• Whether the Wi-Fi has been tested with a full class, and what the IT support or network supplier found.
• Whether a payment option is wanted.

Once the network passes these checks, the next step is the devices, projectors, learning platform and payment that run on it.

WhatsApp the group on +60 12-565 2091 or email info@neonplus.com.my, and we will put you in touch with the right company. Every school technology guide from the group is listed on the insights page.