You can use the troubleshooting scenarios in this article to investigate why users’ devices go into Fallback Mode. Fallback Mode is triggered when a device has a poor internet connection and will block a device from accessing adult content. Fallback Mode is an upgraded and more sophisticated function that replaced a previous feature called “Safe Guard”.
There are three steps in setting up Fallback Mode:
- Confirm that domains have been added to your school’s firewall.
Allowing these domains provides connectivity to all Linewize services and ensures devices are not being incorrectly identified in Fallback Mode. Test a device connected to an off-campus network to rule out an issue with your school network. - Find any users with devices in Fallback Mode.
- Determine if the event was one-off or frequent.
For example, if users only occasionally switch to Fallback Mode, the most common cause is poor network connection, leading Fallback Mode to protect their devices. However, you may be more concerned when users are frequently in Fallback Mode.
You will need to investigate if their devices were on your physical network, hotspotting or connecting to an off-campus network (like public WiFi).
The student’s device was on campus
If the device was in Fallback Mode during school hours, Linewize Connect or the Authentication Agent may have been tampered with.
Follow the steps below based on the device type.
Windows
- Install Linewize Connect .
- Restart the user’s device after the installation.
- Connect the device to your school’s network.
- On a web browser, go to http://127.0.0.1:5770 (including http://) and verify the network safety status, device details, and user details.
macOS
- Install Linewize Connect and the Authentication Agent .
- Restart the user’s device after the installation.
- Connect the device to your school’s network.
- On a web browser go to http://127.0.0.1:5770 (including http://) and verify the network safety status, device details, and user details.
The student’s device was off campus
Investigate if it’s a regular occurrence. They may have unreliable internet access, slow connection or poor bandwidth that often trigger Fallback Mode.
Blocked connections occur before Fallback Mode
The user was connected to your school network and Fallback was activated shortly after blocked connections.
Review the categories and addresses of the blocked websites and check if the student may be attempting to hotspot with a mobile device. You may need to work with the teacher, school counselor or pastoral care staff to support the student with safe online behavior.
The student is using a Chromebook
A Chromebook may go into Fallback Mode when the user has not logged into the Google ID your school has provided. The Connect for Chrome extension will run as soon as the student successfully signs in with the Google ID you created for the student in your Google Admin Console.