Campus network rules come first
Schools and universities run their own networks with their own security rules. Many don't allow outside access points near their buildings, because unmanaged WiFi can interfere with theirs or open a path into student systems. So the first conversation is with campus IT: what is allowed, which channels and network names to avoid, and whether the event should use their network, ours or a mix.
Often the answer is a mix. Students and staff stay on the campus network they already log into; visitors, families, sponsors and stallholders get a separate event network with its own internet connection. That keeps guest traffic off campus systems and stops a busy open day slowing the network for everyone else. Our event guest WiFi service covers that visitor side.
Campus events and what each needs
Graduation ceremonies
A live stream for families who can't attend, staff devices for the procession and seating, and photographers sending images. Guest WiFi for hundreds of families is optional.
Open days
Registration tablets, information stands, demo screens, food stall EFTPOS and visitors moving between buildings. Outdoor areas between buildings are usually the gaps.
Orientation and welcome weeks
Clubs signing up members on tablets, terminals for memberships and merchandise, and a crowd of new students on phones in a courtyard or marquee.
Exams in temporary halls
Every candidate's laptop online in the same second when an online exam opens. Capacity and stability matter far more than raw speed.
School fetes and concerts
Stall payments, a ticket desk and a stream of the concert for grandparents, often in a hall or on an oval with weak mobile signal.
Sizing example: an online exam in a temporary hall
A worked example for 240 candidates in a 1,200 m² hall, confirmed with campus IT and on site. Run your own figures through the event network planner.
| Item | Planning figure | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Candidates' laptops | 240 candidates, 1 device each | 240 devices |
| Invigilators and exam staff | 12 people, about 2 devices each | 24 devices |
| Access points by capacity | About 50 devices per access point | 6 |
| Access points by coverage | About 900 m² each in an open hall | 2 |
| Busiest moment | Every laptop logs in as the exam opens | Plan for all 264 at once |
If phones are collected at the door they don't count; if they stay in bags they still connect, so ask. Capacity decides here.
Send a floor plan or the venue name. We reply with what the network needs and one written quote.
Graduation and open day WiFi for families
Graduations draw families with phones out for the whole ceremony, though most are recording rather than browsing. The priorities are the live stream, with 10 to 20 Mbps of steady upload and the encoder on a wired port, the staff running the procession and seating, and the photographers. Guest WiFi for families is a choice, and a big one: 800 visitors at about one device each is 16 access points of capacity on its own.
Open days are spread out instead. The question is less how many devices and more where: the registration marquee, faculty displays, food stalls on the lawn and the walkway between them. Weather-rated outdoor WiFi access points can bridge gaps that building networks don't reach.
What to sort out with school or university IT
Most of these overlap with our questions to ask your venue about WiFi.
- Whether outside access points and a separate internet connection are permitted
- Network names and WiFi channels to avoid near campus buildings
- Whether students and staff should stay on the campus network
- Wired ports available at the stage, stream position and registration
- Access times for bump-in, including weekends and early mornings
- Services the campus network blocks that the event needs
- Who on the IT team can be reached on the event day
Questions people ask
Can you set up WiFi for a school event?
Yes, where the school allows outside equipment. School event WiFi usually means a separate network for visitors, stall payments and any live stream, with its own internet connection so it stays off the school's own systems. The school's IT rules are checked first, and equipment positions and access times are agreed with them.
How do you live stream a graduation ceremony?
Streaming a graduation ceremony needs 10 to 20 Mbps of steady upload per stream, the encoder on a wired port and a network separate from any guest WiFi. Test the stream from the ceremony hall during rehearsal. If families overseas are watching, share the link well before the day so they can check it opens.
What WiFi do we need for exams in a temporary hall?
Exams in a temporary hall need WiFi for every candidate's device logging in at the same moment, plus invigilators' devices, at about 50 devices per access point as a starting point. A 240-candidate exam needs around six access points. Test the exam platform from the hall, on the event network, before exam day.
Can open day visitors use the university WiFi?
Whether open day visitors can use university WiFi depends on the university. Many campus networks need a student or staff login, so visitors get a separate event network with its own connection. That keeps visitor traffic away from campus systems and gives the open day stands a network of their own.
Do university events need their own internet connection?
Not always. If campus IT can provide a dedicated, separate network with enough upload for streams and payments, that may be enough. A new fixed line for the event can take from a couple of business days to several weeks to activate, so a 4G/5G router may suit a short, smaller event, within mobile upload limits.
