School administrators say the guidelines for managing back to school in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic are evolving continuously as they continue to monitor data and stay abreast of new information. As one school superintendent put it, “There’s not a book I can reference.” Many Nebraska districts are rolling out a hybrid of in-person and online learning, with Omaha Public Schools recently announcing they will start the year with 100% remote learning only. While district learning models may vary, one fact is constant: high-speed internet with reliable connectivity is going to play a larger role in education than ever before.
Great Plains Communications has some residential back to school offers that will ensure the speed and connectivity needed for a successful remote learning experience. Whether you are a new customer or upgrading your current speed, we have great offers on the solutions needed to keep your students and your entire household connected. See our video below for more details.
How do you determine the best solutions for your household? Take a look at some of the frequently asked questions and answers below.
Q: How much bandwidth do I need?
A: This will vary from home to home. When there are multiple students working online with various devices running simultaneously, more bandwidth will be needed. Also, if adults working remotely, having the added traffic of online learning can require an increase in bandwidth. Another thing to consider is the type of online activity your household typically utilizes. Video conference calls, Zoom meetings, and video streaming being conducted simultaneously on multiple devices will require higher levels of bandwidth to avoid lag or buffering.
Click here to view speed recommendations based on your home activity, or contact our Customer Response Center at 888.343.8014 and one of our technology experts will be happy to help you find the speed and the offer that works best for your home.
Q: Currently our router is in our family room on the main level. How can we get a Wi-Fi signal to our basement living area and the upstairs bedrooms?
A: It can be difficult to achieve a consistent wireless signal throughout an entire home for several reasons. Some best practices include placing your router in the center of your home if possible. Also, avoid running microwaves, baby monitors and other devices that may degrade your signal, and choose a router channel that has the least amount of traffic. While all of these suggestions can help, it can still be difficult to achieve consistent performance on a wireless platform.
A more successful solution is a managed Wi-Fi platform like GPC Whole Home Managed Wi-Fi, powered by Plume®. The square footage of the home determines the number of Super Pods™ needed to extend a consistent, fast and secure signal through every corner of the home. The service is intuitive to maximize performance based on the specific wireless household use patterns, and there are parental controls and device usage reports that allow true wireless network management. Here’s what some of our customers are saying.
“GPC Whole Home Managed Wi-Fi helped alleviate the dead spots in our basement. We have never had such consistent performance. It’s amazing.”
“The service is extremely easy to install. Just plug it in, answer a few questions and you’re up and running.”
There is a lot to consider when heading back to school, but this year, staying connected to education is more important than ever. The Great Plains Communications “Education Without Limits” promotion is designed to help customers gain access to quality internet service and speeds that will provide a positive remote learning experience, and keep families connected to education resources, teachers, friends and each other. Click here to learn more about these great offers or contact our Customer Response Center at 888.343.8014.