It's not rocket science; it's just networking.
In recent years, AV and broadcast systems have changed drastically. More and more devices are living on the network, to the point where entire systems will be managed by a network switch. Traditional baseband like SDI and HDMI still have their uses and will likely never go away completely, but how could you pass up the convenience of using a single cable for a device? This is leading to system installers, who may have never touched a network switch in their life, having to become at least slightly proficient in IT/IP network infrastructure. Now, I don’t think this is a bad thing at all, but some of these systems can become very complicated very quickly. More devices means more complexity on the network, more protocols, and more failure points, which can lead to things being set up incorrectly. If you pick the wrong network switch for the job, it can lead to failure and nothing working at all, or worse, intermittent and unreliable stability.
NETGEAR knows how important it is to pick the right switch, so they have made it very simple with their Broadcast AV line. These network switches were developed to make life easier for installers and technicians with a simple UI that is loaded with certified network profiles that enable all the necessary settings for each device being set up. NETGEAR has also partnered with hundreds of manufacturers to certify their products with the AV line to ensure compatibility and optimization. So NETGEAR has made choosing the right switch easy, end of the article, right? Well, yes, but there are some specifics you need to be aware of to make sure you pick the correct model. Since NETGEAR has your back with their catalog of switches, I am going to fill in the rest and cover some common things you should keep in mind when considering specifications.
1: Number of ports
The most obvious question is: how many devices will you be plugging into the switch, or how many ports do you need? This may seem like a simple question, but it is likely one of the most important ones. Modern systems can require a multitude of devices. Early in the design process, you may think 8 ports will be enough, but you quickly realize you now have over 12 devices. What if the customer wants to upgrade their system in the future? I always recommend going over your port count, if possible, to ensure you won’t need to buy a new switch anytime soon. In my small home office, after only a year, I filled up my 8-port NETGEAR AV M4250 switch and will have to get a new one if I want to do any expansion.
2: PoE requirements
Now we need to get more technical. These days, most devices that live on a network switch can also be powered by that switch. That’s why the “one cable convenience” is possible. There is no need for separate power, video, and control cables anymore; it can all live on a single CAT cable. This convenience is provided by Power Over Ethernet (PoE), and all of the NETGEAR AV copper (RJ45) switches have PoE. But there are different types of PoE, and different models will have different power budgets. The different types of PoE are: PoE, PoE+, PoE++, and Ultra90-PoE++. Each specification is usually identified by the device you are using, and each corresponds to the amount of power the device will need.
PoE = 15.4W
PoE+ = 30w
POE++ = 60W
Ultra90 PoE++ = 90W
Network switches that are PoE enabled will also list the power budget available (example: 960W). This budget is the total combined power the switch can provide to the devices plugged into it. It is always good practice to find the power draw of each device you will be using and calculate the total power budget you need. This will ensure that devices have the appropriate power to operate and that no failures occur. NETGEAR also offers the ability for 2nd and 3rd power modules and power supplies to expand the power budget beyond what comes standard on each switch.
3: Bandwidth
Another very important specification to pay attention to is the network switch bandwidth. Luckily, manufacturers make this practically foolproof by listing how many ports are rated for 1G, 2.5G, 10G, 25G, 100G, and so on, then always having the total switching capacity exceed the sum of the ports.
For example, the NETGEAR AV Line M4250 GSM4212PX has ten 1g copper ports and two 10g SFP+ ports.
Ten 1G ports (10) + two 10g SFP+ ports (20) = 30G
This bandwidth would come out to 30 gigabytes per second, but this switch has a 60 Gb/s switching capacity, double what is needed. This is standard for network switches, so you will likely only need to worry about individual devices and the bandwidth you will need for each of them. The average broadcast and A/V setup will have most of its devices only needing 1G or multi-gig ports. I would still recommend at least having a few 10G ports for your production system because even a handful of active 4K NDI streams will fill up a 1G port. If we’re talking about uncompressed SMPTE ST2110 video or only slight compression with IPMX or High Bandwidth NDI, of course, a larger bandwidth would be required.
4: Special features and other things to consider
There are other features and things to keep in mind when picking your switch. The first is whether it is managed or not and what GUI or software it has. The NETGEAR AV line has you covered for those, so that’s easy. Another thing to keep in mind is the form factor and where you will be placing the switch. If it is going on a desk, it can be small and compact, but if you are rack mounting it, you will need to check the length, width, and height to make sure it will fit in your rack. The last main thing I can think of, which could be grouped with the port section, is if you need SFP slots or not. If you are unfamiliar with SFP, they are slots where you can use adapters to allow fiber cables to be used with a switch. Using fiber allows for longer cable runs and higher bandwidth than copper CAT cables, so, in certain use cases, they are a necessity.
Picking a network switch isn’t as hard as it seems. Especially with the NETGEAR AV line, you only need to understand a few key concepts, and you’ll be able to set up a full AV or broadcast system. Hopefully I was able to help break down the necessary knowledge you need to make an informed decision, but if you need more assistance, we are here to help. Email [email protected] or your JB&A sales representative. NETGEAR also has a team dedicated to the AV line, so feel free to reach out to them at [email protected]. We are eager to work together on your AV and broadcasting needs. Happy networking!
