Atlona and NETGEAR have joined forces to simplify and accelerate AV-over-IP deployments for their common customers. Available through Atlona partners in the United States, the two companies will offer pre-validated, interoperable solutions that bring Atlona OmniStream AV-over-IP products together seamlessly with preconfigured NETGEAR M4250 managed network switches. The result is an out-of-the-box integration experience that eliminates cumbersome and time-consuming setup and configuration processes for AV installers and technicians.
Setup and configuration times are reduced in large part because NETGEAR M4250 switches from Atlona are ready to go with OmniStream encoders and decoders. Users simply power up the switch and follow simple instructions to confirm settings and connect to OmniStream endpoints. This removes the need to configure DHCP address assignments, VLANs, and IGMP for multicast streaming—technically complex procedures that often stall AV-over-IP deployments.
Customers who have acquired NETGEAR M4250 products outside Atlona can benefit from a similar, out-of-the-box installation experience by simply uploading an OmniStream configuration file to the network switch.
“Working with NETGEAR, our customers can now come to Atlona for a complete AV-over-IP system without having to source the switch separately,” said Paul Krizan, product manager at Atlona for Networked AV. “Once in the field, our customers can deploy AV-over-IP systems quickly and without barriers, while the IT technicians responsible for system operation can easily monitor and manage their networked AV systems moving forward.”
[Just Add Power, NETGEAR Partner to Provide Certified Pro AV Switches]
The Atlona and NETGEAR partnership will address the increasingly diverse spectrum of AV-over-IP deployments. Atlona customers can order NETGEAR M4250 switches with 8, 24 or 40 ports to cover systems of nearly any size. Atlona will also offer NETGEAR SFP+ fiber-optic transceiver modules that fit into the switches for enterprise-level AV-over-IP networks, allowing 10 Gb/s connections between switches for system expansion. Large-scale deployments with multiple network switches are further streamlined by NETGEAR IGMP Plus and other technologies, which ensures the switches work together for multicast streaming across the entire network without complex setup requirements.
“AV-over-IP is hitting every AV vertical today, and we offer an array of switch counts that will bring the flexibility of networked AV to any customer that wants it,” said Laurent Masia, director of product line management, managed network switches at NETGEAR. “The customer that only needs a solution for one or two meeting spaces deserves the same benefits as the enterprise customer that needs aggregate switches to network content across multiple buildings on a corporate or university campus. Atlona shares the same spirit of scalability in their OmniStream platform, which are engineered for flexibility within networked AV deployments of any size.”
[33 AV/IT Products That Make a Difference in the Hybrid Workplace in 2022]
Masia noted that PoE (Power-over-Ethernet) capability will enable AV-over-IP installations where they weren’t before possible, particularly in buildings and retrofit projects where new power outlets would be required to support the system. The NETGEAR M4250 switches offered by Atlona can supply ample power to OmniStream endpoints from all their PoE-equipped network ports. Additionally, IT technicians that manage the system can easily program schedules to power off individual ports, effectively shutting down displays and video walls powered by OmniStream products at the close of business.
