Network readiness for AV over IP and Dante: what IT and AV need to agree
Networked audio and video fail on switch configuration more often than on AV gear. Quality of service, multicast, clocking and who owns the network, in plain language.
Published November 5, 2026. 2 minute read.
Modern AV runs on the network: Dante and AES67 audio, Q-SYS, AV-over-IP video like Crestron DM NVX or SDVoE systems, cloud-managed room systems. That shifts the biggest project risk from the AV rack to the network closet. Most "the audio drops every few minutes" calls trace back to a switch setting.
Decide who owns what, in writing
Before design is final, get IT and the integrator to agree:
- Whether AV gets dedicated switches, a separate VLAN on shared switches, or a converged network
- Who configures the switches, who can change them later, and how changes are tested
- IP addressing, DHCP or static, and DNS
- Remote access for the integrator's support team and how it's secured
Quality of service (QoS)
Real-time audio and clock traffic must jump the queue. Audinate documents the DSCP values Dante uses:
| Dante traffic | Priority | DSCP |
|---|---|---|
| Time-critical clock (PTP) events | High | CS7 (56) |
| Audio and other PTP traffic | Medium | EF (46) |
Switches need to trust and prioritize these markings, usually with strict priority queuing. Other systems (Q-SYS, AV-over-IP video) publish their own QoS tables. Get them from the manufacturer and configure them before commissioning.
Multicast
Many AV systems send multicast: one stream, many receivers. Without control, multicast floods every port. The usual tools are IGMP snooping with a querier, so streams only go where they're requested. The details depend on the system: some manufacturers and integrators recommend different settings for small Dante-only networks, and filtering unknown multicast can block clock messages. Follow the manufacturer's network guide for each platform on the network.
Clocking
Networked audio relies on a precise shared clock (PTP). Mixing systems that use different PTP versions or domains on the same network needs planning. Manufacturer support sites have notes on combinations like Q-SYS and Dante together.
Switch features that cause trouble
- Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) can add delay and dropouts on audio ports. Turn it off where the manufacturer says to.
- Gigabit is the floor for audio networks; video over IP may need 10 Gb uplinks or more.
- Spanning tree, port security and 802.1X settings can block devices during boot. Test reboots.
Test it like it's production
During commissioning, test under realistic load: all rooms in use, video streams running, a firmware update in progress. Then test failure: unplug an uplink, reboot a core switch, and confirm the system recovers. Our commissioning checklist covers the rest.
Who should be on the job
Ask for someone with Dante certification (Level 2 or 3 for larger networks) and general networking credentials such as CompTIA Network+ or Cisco CCNA, plus manufacturer training for the AV-over-IP platform. See which certifications to require.