SkieWhat happens if a student switches the device off or takes out the SIM?
The rules keep working, because they are cached on the device and do not need the network. Location pauses until the device reconnects, the dashboard shows the last time it was seen, and an alert is raised after your set threshold. A missing check-in counts as a breach.
Students sometimes think that going quiet means going free. The design assumes the opposite: the rules live on the device, so they apply with no signal, no SIM and no Wi-Fi. Pulling the SIM does not remove the filter, the app list, the schedule or the blocks on settings.
What does change is visibility. A device that is off or offline cannot report. The dashboard shows a last seen timestamp, and thresholds called Due, Overdue, Offline unusual and Breach are editable, so you decide how long silence is acceptable before it becomes an alert. A repeating alarm about every four minutes reports presence while the device is on.
When the device comes back, it syncs quickly: instant sync when the internet returns, and again when the screen turns on stale. Retries cover patchy connections. If the device has not synced within the Due limit, an overlay on unlock syncs first, and only gates the screen if the sync does not finish.
Location pauses while the device cannot report, and it is not invented. Airplane mode can be locked as a policy switch. Mobile network settings can be locked too. A Wi-Fi-only tablet without a SIM still works for most features.
Practical tip: set the thresholds to match the setting. A hostel may want a short window overnight, while a take-home tablet may tolerate a weekend of silence.