Using the nbn® Sky Muster® Education Service
nbn Sky Muster satellite services have a service designed specifically for distance and home education students.
The nbn Sky Muster Education Service, also called the “education port” or “ed port”, is a dedicated plan specifically designed for distance education and home schooled students (preschool, primary & secondary) who are mapped to receive nbn over a Sky Muster or Sky Muster Plus satellite connection.
This page provides information on how the service is set up, and some tips for troubleshooting and getting help for your connection.
The information on this page was originally developed by BIRRR in consultation with the ICPA.
How is the Education Service provided?
The service is provided for eligible distance education students over a standard Sky Muster or Sky Muster Plus connection, using the usual nbn Network Termination Device (NTD), also called the modem.
It is not available with any other nbn or non-nbn internet connection.
The service can be provided in a number of different ways, as listed below. Contact your school to find out your options. You can also visit nbn Sky Muster Education Service for information on how to go about getting the service for your students. Your service provider may assist with the initial service installation, router provisioning and equipment configuration.
- As part of your existing Sky Muster or Sky Muster Plus service.
This assumes you already have, or are planning to get, an nbn Sky Muster or Sky Muster Plus satellite internet connection. This connection will provide you with a satellite dish, NTD/modem, and (if you want it) a router. Your service provider can offer you retail plans which could be configured to support either separate Sky Muster Educational Services per child (up to three students), a combined Sky Muster Educational Service, or a hybrid of these two approaches. Your service provider will provide information on how your Education Service will be provided.
2. As a separate service supplied via a second port on your existing NTD.
This assumes you already have, or are planning to get, an nbn Sky Muster satellite internet connection for either Sky Muster or Sky Muster Plus. This connection will provide you with a satellite dish, NTD/modem, and (if you want it) a router. The computer or router receiving the Education Service will plug directly into a second port on the nbn NTD that provides the main internet connection. If you’re using two routers, as per the image below, you will need to ensure they have very different names, so you connect to the right network at the right time.
Image credit: BIRRR
If your schooling area is a separate building, or a more distant room, you can use a Wi-Fi extender or Point-to-Point connection to provide the connection. Note: before a separate schoolroom is allowed, you will need a standalone connection. Contact the Regional Tech Hub team for assistance.
3. As a stand-alone separate service, additional to your existing internet connection, provided via a separate NTD and satellite dish.
Even if you have an existing nbn Sky Muster or Sky Muster Plus connection, you can request a second service to be installed on a second location (must be a permanent structure with power).
This second connection can be dedicated just to the Education Service, provided (for example) directly to a schoolroom.
The Regional Tech Hub can do a Connectivity Report to help get that second connection set up.
Printing
If you’re using two ports on your modem, you’ve got two separate internal networks. This can cause problems if you’re all trying to print to one single printer.
- Google Cloud Print allows you to print to a central printer from any network. Many printers now have Google Cloud Print built-in to them, making it a very easy solution.
- If you use a Wi-Fi printer, you can connect it via cable to one router, and wirelessly to the other.
If these options don’t work, you may need to consider getting an additional printer, manually switching the printer between networks when you need to print, or sending the content to be printed between computers on the different networks. For eg, via email, or saving to a cloud file system such as Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive.
Image credit: BIRRR
Troubleshooting
If your connection isn’t working, visit our troubleshooting page for help.
You can also download the nbn-sky-muster-troubleshooting-guide and save it to your computer for future reference offline. (Please note this document is currently under review and will be updated soon.)
You may also wish to contact your school to check for any known issues at their end.
Resources and more information
Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association
Distance education pages for each state Department of Education (where possible).