The AV and IT convergence has opened up options for how audio, video and control systems get deployed: directly on the enterprise network or on independent infrastructure built specifically for AV.
For integrators, the job is cutting through the marketing noise, whether it’s a push toward convergence or manufacturers positioning dedicated AV switches as the better alternative to standard enterprise infrastructure.
But the right answer depends on the client’s needs and the system you’re designing for them, not on picking a side.
How Much to Converge
At one end of the spectrum is the fully converged network, where AV traffic runs on the same switches and infrastructure as everything else, separated only logically through VLANs.
At the other end is the fully dedicated AV network, where AV and control traffic run on switches and infrastructure entirely separate from the data network.
In between is a hybrid model that dedicates AV switches for some systems but could share infrastructure elsewhere, typically the longer links between buildings, and keeps a defined tie-in back to the core network to cover internet access, remote monitoring and other essential needs.
Has Your Protocol Already Made the Decision for You?
Many modern AV protocols are designed to run on standard enterprise switches, but that’s not true across the board. Some require specific switch capabilities like stream reservation and gPTP — capabilities that not every switch has.
For particularly large or congested networks, integrators might consider using time-aware switches that support transparent or boundary clock modes, rather than relying on device clocking alone.
This can help preserve timing accuracy as the network scales for audio protocols using PTP sync. Support for PTP is increasingly common on enterprise switches, but it’s worth checking whether your hardware supports it if you plan to use this feature.
AV protocols also lean heavily on multicast for efficient transmission of media and control messages, and not every networking team is equally comfortable managing it.
Segmentation is often the sticking point: many networks haven’t been architected with AV multicast domains in mind. This is another area where protocol choice pays off. One that supports routing across subnets or VLANs gives your design the flexibility to coexist with whatever segmentation strategy is already in place.
Bandwidth is worth the same level of scrutiny. IP video in particular can be bandwidth intensive, so confirm the network backbone has the capacity to support it alongside everything else already running on it.
Don’t Fall into a False Sense of Security
Then there’s the security issue.
Many modern AV devices are essentially computers now, running Linux or Windows, which makes them just as vulnerable to exploitation when unpatched as any computer.
They also need the same outside connectivity: UC platform integration, remote management, room scheduling systems, etc. That’s itself an argument for the converged network, already built to handle that kind of device, with patching, monitoring and access controls in place.
A dedicated network doesn’t reduce that risk for devices that need outside access.
Who’s Running the Network After You Leave?
It’s also worth identifying who has ongoing operational responsibility for the network once you leave.
Common setups include IT or networking owning everything, including AV; a dedicated AV staff that exists separately from networking, common in higher ed; or a managed service provider handling some or all of it under contract, common in hospitality.
The real question underneath all of this is autonomy: does whoever supports AV day to day need independent authority to make changes and troubleshoot the network without opening a ticket or can they work effectively within an IT-managed environment?
Weighing the Costs
A fully converged network has the lowest hardware cost, since no additional switches or rack space are needed. That doesn’t make it free: AV traffic still consumes ports and capacity, and still needs to be managed, no matter which infrastructure it’s running on.
Design choices can bring that cost down further, though. Networked loudspeakers and adapters that support daisy-chain connectivity, for example, let multiple low-channel-count devices share a single port instead of each needing its own.
Video encoders and decoders that carry audio and video over a single port can meaningfully reduce costs the same way.
A fully dedicated network carries the highest hardware cost: duplicate switches, rack space, power and often, a separate support contract. If that expense is unavoidable, a hybrid approach lets you claw some of it back: sharing the links between buildings instead of duplicating the backbone end to end and using the tie-in to share core services rather than standing up separate versions of them.
Why the Timeline Matters
Timeline is a cost too. A dedicated network means ordering, racking and provisioning additional switches, plus running new cable before installation can even begin, adding lead time a converged network doesn’t carry.
A converged network trades that lead time for coordination instead: port provisioning, change approval and troubleshooting responsibilities all need to be agreed on with the networking team before installation begins, and a lack of communication can become a source of delays.
Growth is worth factoring in as well: integrators should consider not just what the client needs today, but also what expanding the system will cost and require down the line.
Selecting AV protocols that work on both existing IT infrastructure and dedicated AV switches, and are widely interoperable across vendors, gives you the most flexibility for how a networked AV system may grow and change over time.
A Practical Framework for the Decision
This works best as a decision made together with AV teams, networking and IT. A few questions can help ground that conversation on any job:
- From a technical perspective, can the AV system run on the converged network?
- What is the security plan for this system?
- Who owns support and will get the call when something breaks?
- What’s the cost comparison, once hardware, port and maintenance load, project timeline and future growth are all accounted for?
The real work is weighing all these factors against the client and system in front of you, rather than treating any single one as the deciding vote.
Kathryn Taub is senior product marketing manager at Audinate.
