Does your school’s current timekeeping system inadvertently waste your time? In this article, learn the signs of an outdated synchronized clock system and how to bring your school back into perfect sync.
When you think about your school’s clock system, how much confidence do you have that all clocks operate on precision time? Are all scheduled classes starting on time? Are standardized testing blocks being tracked accurately and efficiently? Does your maintenance staff get repeated requests to bring clocks back in sync? The answers to these questions can reveal the reliability of your timekeeping system and the overall efficiency of your school’s operations.
Managing an unreliable synchronized clock system can become a drain on resources, and often, one can even fail to fully realize the burden. Beyond being time-consuming for staff, inconsistencies between facility clocks can become a source of liability. If students follow unsynchronized clocks, it creates confusion regarding precise class start time and amount of passing period time. Unsynchronized clocks can disrupt standardized testing protocols, delay scheduled extracurricular events, and cause student tardiness.
A reliable time synchronization solution and easy-to-manage bell scheduler are paramount for promoting schoolwide timeliness and consistently followed schedules. Ensuring your school has a trustworthy clock system goes beyond simply telling time.
How Do I Evaluate My Clock System's Functionality?
To effectively evaluate your clock system’s performance, conduct an audit of the existing technology and equipment. Perform visual inspections to identify any missing or damaged devices, and talk with staff to understand how much time is spent on routine clock maintenance and other related tasks. Update your system overview to reflect the types of devices in use, including wireless, hardwired, analog, and digital, and ensure comprehensive documentation of the entire system.
Current or future construction can factor into this audit and become part of your strategy for any possible upgrade to a new and improved synchronized clock option. Consider the following:
- Is your current school (or school buildings) easy to retrofit for wired systems, or is it best suited for wireless systems?
- Are there plans to expand the building or campus, and what demand for clocks will that create?
What are Common Clock System Maintenance Assessment Items?
A large part of clock system overviews are usually issues related to annual maintenance. Assessing time-consuming maintenance issues, like battery replacements and manual setting during daylight saving time shifts, provides a more accurate overview of the system’s efficiency. Actively resynchronizing any clocks that have drifted from the master time setting is a significant time commitment from school staff, which takes away time from other pressing matters.
When secondary clocks are unsynchronized from the master clock, various issues arise. Depending on your system design, the process of checking synchronization requires exploring the main clock power supply, battery voltage, settings, ethernet cable connections, GPS antenna placement, and several other variables, depending on your system design. Through this process, you may learn that your facility has grown beyond its current clock system capacity.
Once you have a solid, documented understanding of your current clock system, you can determine its performance, current maintenance needs, and future demands. You can then compare your current system to leading upgrade options featuring new technology and replacement devices.
What are Different Types of Synchronized Clock Systems?
Power over Ethernet
PoE (Power over Ethernet) is a time synchronization technology that provides versatile solutions. Clocks connect to the facility network through an Ethernet cable that supplies power and NTP (Network Time Protocol) server updates. As one option from Primex Sync™, PoE technology is energy efficient and makes maintenance easy without the need of dedicated AC outlets or batteries. It is a great option to keep Wi-Fi-challenged areas in sync with the overall time system.
Radio Frequency via Transmitter
A radio frequency time signal is a smart solution for unified timekeeping at large schools or sprawling campuses. Through the use of GPS data broadcast at a 72 MHz frequency, this option allows direct device coverage throughout one school building or many throughout a campus. The longer wavelength of the 72 MHz frequency better penetrates solid building materials for guaranteed synchronized time.
Bluetooth® Low Energy
If you’re looking for a unique solution with reliable time delivery, look no further than a Bluetooth® Low Energy offering. Bluetooth® Low Energy combines the accuracy and flexibility of a radio frequency system with the ability to view clock status anywhere via a web-based software platform. Designed for small- to medium-sized schools, Bluetooth® Low Energy uses strategically placed Bluetooth® bridges to connect to your IP network and communicate to Bluetooth® Low Energy clocks through a mesh network. The bridges and clocks wake up once a day to receive time, report status, and get feature changes. Otherwise, the system is generally asleep and off your network, ensuring solid security.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi synchronized clock technology provides schools with a reliable and efficient timekeeping solution by ensuring all clocks remain perfectly synchronized through the school’s wireless network. These clocks receive time updates from a central server, eliminating drift and discrepancies across classrooms, hallways, and common areas. Additionally, they integrate seamlessly with existing school networks, reducing installation costs and infrastructure requirements. By ensuring consistent and accurate time throughout the campus, Wi-Fi synchronized clocks enhance scheduling efficiency, minimize disruptions, and support a well-organized learning environment.
Primex Sync Synchronized Timekeeping
Whether your facility’s needs are best suited to PoE, 72 MHz Radio Frequency, Bluetooth® Low Energy, or Wi-Fi, all these Primex Sync solutions provide trustworthy synchronized time that boosts efficiency and minimizes clock maintenance. Enjoy automatic daylight saving time adjustments and guaranteed synchronized timekeeping through an engineered solution. Choose between various finishes of analog clocks and sizes of digital clocks to match the décor of your school.
If you decide to upgrade your school’s synchronized clock system, a Primex Sync solution will improve student timeliness, lessen maintenance burden, and solidify schoolwide schedules. When combined with a Primex Sync Bell Controller, which seamlessly integrates into most PA systems, your school can experience the full benefits from Primex Sync, delivered by a long-standing, proven company.
