Education & campus
Radios for schools, districts and campuses
A campus is a small town: buildings, buses, grounds, a front office and a security desk that all need to reach each other, and one channel that has to reach everyone at once when it matters. We put each team on its own channel and give the office a screen that sees the whole site.
Short answer
Can one system cover every building and the buses?
Yes. Because the radios work over the cell network and campus Wi-Fi rather than a single repeater, the same fleet covers the main building, the annex across the road, the athletic fields and the buses on their routes. Every radio also hears the emergency all-call, wherever it is.
The problem
What gets in the way
Most campuses run a patchwork: consumer walkie-talkies in the front office, a different set with facilities, phones for transport, and nothing that reaches the far field or the bus loop. Coverage stops at the edge of the main building, the batteries are always flat, and when something serious happens there is no single button that reaches everyone. Districts with several campuses have the same problem multiplied, with no way for the district office to reach a site without a phone call.
How we set it up
How the channels are set up
A typical campus gets an administration channel for the front office and principals, a facilities channel for custodial and maintenance, a security channel, a transport channel for buses and the loop, and an events channel for athletics and after-school activities. An emergency all-call reaches every radio at once and is normally reserved for the office and security. Districts add a district-wide channel so the central office can reach any campus. The front office or security desk runs the dispatch screen, which also shows where staff and buses are.
Typical use cases
Where it gets used day to day
Arrival and dismissal coordination between the office, the bus loop and the crossing points. Custodial and maintenance calls dispatched to whoever is closest. Security walking the perimeter and the parking lots. Athletic events and graduation with volunteers on a temporary channel. A nurse reaching a coach on the far field. A district transport office tracking buses on their routes and reaching a driver without a phone call.
Recommended solution
What we would recommend
Light display radios for administrators and security, screen-free handhelds for custodial and volunteer staff, and vehicle units in the buses covers most districts. The IR-350 is light enough to carry all day and pairs with an earpiece; the IR-65Y has nothing to learn, which matters when radios are handed to substitutes and event volunteers. Buses take the IR-50 on vehicle power. Campuses that already issue phones to staff can run the Zello app instead. Every plan includes the dispatch screen and location map, and we confirm coverage across all buildings and routes before quoting.
Questions
Questions school and campus teams ask us
What administrators, facilities directors and security leads want to know.
Is there a way to reach everyone at once in an emergency?
Yes. The emergency all-call reaches every radio on the system in one press, across every building and every bus, and the dispatch screen shows the caller's location. We normally restrict who can use it so it stays meaningful.
Can the district office reach individual campuses?
Yes. Each campus keeps its own channels and the district gets a district-wide channel plus the dispatch screen, so the central office can reach a site, a bus or a single person without going through the switchboard.
Are the radios simple enough for volunteers and substitutes?
The IR-65Y has no screen and no menu: pick it up, press, talk. It is the radio we recommend for anyone who will only hold it for a day. Staff who work across channels get the IR-60Y or IR-350 with a display.
What about the buses on their routes?
Buses take a vehicle-mounted IR-50 running on bus power with a hand microphone, so there is nothing for the driver to charge. Location is reported to the transport office's map along the whole route, not just at the loop.
Do we need an FCC license or a rooftop antenna?
No. Traditional school radio systems often need a licensed frequency and a repeater on the roof. Ours run over the carrier networks and campus Wi-Fi, so there is nothing to file and nothing to install.
Related
A typical campus setup
Administrators and security usually carry the IR-350 with an earpiece, custodial staff the IR-60Y, volunteers and substitutes the screen-free IR-65Y, and buses take the IR-50. The front office runs the dispatch screen with GPS and workforce location for staff and buses.
Graduation, homecoming and tournaments can be covered with event radio rentals on top of the everyday fleet. Common questions from campus teams are answered on the FAQs.
Get started
Tell us how your team works today
Send us your building list, bus routes and how staff keep in touch today. We will come back with coverage, hardware and pricing in one document.