When I was a child, I never thought much about the school clocks I saw up on the wall of my classrooms. All I ever wanted to know was the time. Is it time for recess yet? I’m hungry, how long until lunch? Then I got older and less interested in school but more interested in being a teenager (it happens to all of us, right?). Then I turned to those classroom clocks with only one thought. Is this class over yet? Is there really still two hours until the end of the day? It’s funny now that I look back, how all the clocks in my school were always placed right over the very doorway you longed to make your exit from. Now that I’m older, however, I know that those school clocks could have done a lot more than I ever thought. They seemed useless but really school clocks can be state of the art if made from the right manufacturer. Here’s why.

After some experience working for a clock company, I’ve learned a lot about school clocks and all kinds of clocks. It may not seem that interesting but there’s a lot more to clocks than you think. For instance, school clocks can be independent, wired, wireless or even IP meaning they all connect and interact with other clocks and devices differently. Classroom clocks that are independent or standalone do not connect to any other devices at all, while wired, wireless and IP clocks are considered clocks systems and synchronize with other clocks and devices attached to their respective systems. Furthermore, such clock systems are often interactive and can be interfaced with other systems in a building. Understanding each type of school clock helps you better understand just how important those classroom clocks can be in a school. Here’s a brief snippet about each.

Independent School Clocks

These are the clocks I suspect my high school had. While they weren’t terribly inaccurate, they tended to be off by up to a few minutes or so from bell times and from classroom to classroom. Independent clocks are usually just that. Their displayed times drift, do not correct automatically, or match any bell schedules.

Wired School Clocks

Wired clock systems are installed and powered over new or existing wired infrastructure within a building. These school clocks correct frequently with a master clock that receives accurate time from a GPS receiver or NTP server. Typically wired school clock systems will synchronize with other interfaced systems and never drift when made by a reliable manufacturer.

Wireless School Clocks

When a wireless school clock system is installed in a facility, all the same benefits of a master clock are at your disposal. This system, however, requires no wiring. The analog school clocks are battery powered and receive a wireless signal for correction from a transmitter within the master clock.

IP School Clocks

A difference to the IP clock system is that these school clocks do not require the installation of a master clock. Because each clock is assigned its own IP address, they can be programmed individually, generally through a web interface of some kind. IP school clocks still receive precise time, from an NTP server, and correct frequently through their connection to the network. These school clocks can also be powered through their Ethernet connection, otherwise known as powered-over-Ethernet (PoE).

When it comes down to it, classroom clocks can do a whole lot more in a school than you think. Next time you, or your kid (if you’re wise beyond your years), complain about how long the school day is or how boring chemistry is, remember that there could be more to those school clocks that you hopelessly stare at than you think.