The Classroom Noise Meter monitors ambient classroom volume and requires microphone permission to function. If the sound level meter remains inactive, browser permissions are almost always the cause.

Granting Microphone Permission

1. Add the Noise Meter widget to your whiteboard from the toolbar, as described in Using Classroom Tools.
2. Click Turn on microphone on the noise meter card.
3. Your browser displays a security prompt. Select Allow for this site.
4. The visual volume bar begins responding as soon as students speak. If the card displays Microphone blocked, permission was previously denied.

Student privacy: The microphone only measures ambient volume levels locally inside your browser. Audio is never recorded, transmitted, or saved to any server.

Resetting Denied Permissions in Your Browser

If someone previously clicked “Block”, modern browsers will not prompt again automatically. You must reset the site permission manually:

1. Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge: Click the tune/lock icon on the left side of the address bar. Set Microphone to Allow, then reload the page.
2. Mozilla Firefox: Click the crossed-out microphone icon in the address bar, clear the block permission, and reload the tab.
3. Apple Safari on macOS: In the menu bar, open Safari > Settings for This Website, set Microphone to Allow, and reload.
4. iPadOS: Open iPad Settings > Safari > Microphone and select Allow. Also check Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone to ensure Safari has system-level microphone permission.

After updating permissions, reload the whiteboard page and click Request Access on the noise meter widget.

Further Microphone Troubleshooting

1. Secure HTTPS Connection: Web browsers strictly block microphone access over unencrypted connections. Ensure the URL starts with https://.
2. Selecting the Correct Microphone: In the noise meter settings (gear icon), select the correct input device. Classroom desktop computers often default to projector microphones that point away from students.
3. Conflicting Applications: Close video conferencing apps or recording tools that may lock the microphone hardware exclusively.
4. Adjusting Sensitivity: If the meter responds but triggers alarms too easily, adjust the sensitivity slider in the widget settings.

If hardware issues prevent microphone access, use the visual Traffic Light to signal noise levels manually with red, yellow, and green indicators.

Summary

The Noise Meter requires browser microphone permission, granted once per browser. If previously blocked, update site permissions via the browser address bar. Microphone data stays local and is never recorded or streamed.