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Network Setup

Classroom Network Setup

This guide explains how to set up the local classroom network. The goal is to create a stable, offline network where one computer acts as a server to provide Wi-Fi and manage the network for the other client machines.

CRITICAL CONFIGURATION RULES

  1. ONE SERVER ONLY: You can only have one computer configured as a server on the network at any time. Multiple servers will cause the entire network to fail.
  2. SERVER MUST USE ETHERNET: The server machine must not be connected to Wi-Fi. It must use a wired Ethernet connection to the router.

Phase 1: Physical Setup

This phase involves physically connecting the server and routers.

1. Choose and Connect the Server

Select one computer to be the server. This should ideally be a relatively fast machine with an Ethernet port. Connect this server directly to your primary router using an Ethernet cable.

2. Place and Connect Router(s)

  • Single Router: Place the router in a central location to provide the best coverage for the classroom.
  • Two Routers: If using a second router, connect it to the first one with an Ethernet cable and place them as far apart as possible to maximize Wi-Fi coverage.

3. Connect Clients via Ethernet (Recommended)

Whenever possible, connect client computers to a router using an Ethernet cable. This reduces Wi-Fi congestion and provides a more stable connection for those machines.

Phase 2: Software Configuration

This phase involves configuring the server and client machines using the tl-sys-configure tool.

1. Configure the Server

On your chosen server machine, run tl-sys-configure and set its Role to server.

Caution

Double-check that no other computer on the network is set to the server role.

2. Configure the Client Computers

On each client machine, run tl-sys-configure and configure the following:

  1. Set the Role: Set the role to client.
  2. Set the Wi-Fi Name: Set the Wi-Fi name (SSID) to match the network you want it to connect to.
Tip: Balancing Network Load

To prevent network congestion with multiple routers, distribute clients evenly across your access points.

  • Single Router: All clients should be configured with the same Wi-Fi SSID.
  • Two Routers: Configure roughly half of your wireless clients to connect to the first router’s Wi-Fi SSID, and the other half to the second router’s SSID.

3. Disable Wi-Fi on Wired Machines

On all computers that are connected via an Ethernet cable (including the server), disable the Wi-Fi. You can do this using the network applet in the system tray or a physical hardware switch on the device.

Important

It is critical that the server is not connected to Wi-Fi.