Overview
Student Wi-Fi gives students fast and
CIPA-compliant internet access from their
school bus. This is a free service included with your Transportant service.
Setting up Student Wi-Fi
On the main page of the dashboard, find the Fleet Management section and click on "
Buses". There, select the bus of interest. A column will open on the right; there find and click on the "Show WiFi information" button. There you can view or change the network name (SSID) and password for that bus's student Wi-Fi. Save your work by pressing "save WiFi settings".
Repeat the above for each bus you wish to view or change.
You may use any network name or password, but consider the following best practices:
- Students find it easiest when the network name matches what the students know the bus as. For example, if students know the bus as "Brown Bear" or "Bus 42", use that as the network name. That helps students select their bus's Wi-Fi and not that of a nearby bus.
- Apropos the previous tip, you will probably want each bus to have a unique network name.
- Many schools use the same easily remembered Wi-Fi password on every bus. For example, if your district mascot is a bear, you might have the password "GoBears".
- Consider posting the network name and password aboard each bus.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does student In-Transit Wi-Fi cost?
Wi-Fi is included with the Transportant subscription service.
What bandwidth is available via student Wi-Fi?
Student Wi-Fi is backed by dual-uplink 180 megabit cellular modems with active rooftop-mounted antennas, using the metal roof of the bus as a backplane where possible to boost range. Actual speeds depend on signal strength and overall cellular network capacity.
How is bandwidth use prioritized?
Traffic is prioritized in this order:
- Location, route, and student ridership updates
- Live video viewing from onboard cameras
- Passenger internet access
What radio frequency does student Wi-Fi use?
The bus access point uses the 5 GHz range with channel auto selection.
How do student devices connect to the Wi-Fi network?
Student devices connect via the network SSID and WPA passphrase. Some schools choose to pre-configure school issued laptops with this information. The SSID and passphrase may be configured uniformly across all buses or per bus via the dashboard.
How is internet content filtered for CIPA compliance?
Transportant automatically filters all network connections using CIPA-compliant DNS. This approach is compatible with on-device filtering software.
Will students need to login before accessing network resources?
Beyond connecting to the WPA network, no additional login or special action is required by the student.
What is the reception range of In-Transit Wi-Fi?
Strong signal is available throughout the length of the bus.
How many devices are allowed to concurrently access the bus Wi-Fi network?
100+ devices may connect.
Does In-Transit Wi-Fi ever have speed restrictions?
Speed is subject to the natural irregularities and limitations of wireless and cellular networks, but otherwise no speed limitations are added by Transportant.
Related Articles
Bus Lot Wi-Fi Credentials
The Transportant system requires a wireless network in the bus parking lot. If the network names (SSIDs) or passwords of this network are changed, promptly communicate the new credentials to Transportant support at support@transportant.com so that ...
Assign a Student to a Stop
To assign a student to a stop, open the Routes page in the Route Management section of the dashboard. Click the desired route, which will open for editing: A route open for editing There, click on "click to edit stops". There, select the “stops” tab ...
How To Import Student Pictures with pictures.zip
Although you do not have to upload student pictures to use Transportant, doing so lets you and especially your drivers get the most out of the system. Here's how to do that. How to Upload Pictures On your computer, create a folder named "pictures". ...
Bus Lot Wireless Network Installation Guidelines
The Transportant system requires a wireless network in the bus parking lot. This guide collects Transportant's experience assisting customers with building and troubleshooting those networks. Environmental Concerns In rare cases, other activity in ...
Back to School Guide
? Back to School with Transportant Best Practices for Starting the School Year ? Prefer a guided walkthrough? View the Back to School e-Learning Module Welcome to a new school year! This guide walks you through Transportant’s recommended steps to ...