Smyth County Public Schools are offering an after-hours help desk to assist parents/guardians and students with hardware and Internet connectivity issues related to the devices issued by the schools to students (iPads and Chromebooks). The help desk is staffed from 4:30-8:00 pm each evening Monday through Thursday when school is in session. To reach the help desk, call 276-646-2140. If you can't get through to the help desk, you can also submit a help request online by completing this form.
Please note that we cannot help you with devices that you own, only with school-issued Chromebooks and iPads. We also cannot increase your Internet speed; only your Internet Service provider can do that. We can offer some advice on how to best connect to WiFi. See WiFi tips below.
WiFi Tips
The Chromebooks and iPads that we issued to students can connect to your WiFi network using the 2.4GHz or 5GHz bands. The 5GHz band is preferable. The reason is that the 2.4GHz band only has 3 channels that do not overlap. If you live in an apartment complext or have nearby neighbors with WiFi, it is likely that their 2.4GHz signal is coming into your home through the walls. This could result in interference with your own 2.4GHz band. The 5GHz band has more available channels, so if you connect your child's device to your 5GHz band, you are less likely to experience WiFi interference. The 2.4GHz band is also subject to interference from other wireless devices, such as baby monitors and cordless phones, so 5GHz is usually your best bet.