Hi everyone,
I’m looking to upgrade my network setup for my Allen & Heath digital mixer and was wondering if anyone has recommendations for the best Ethernet card or network devices to use. Are there specific brands or models that work best for stable connections and low latency?
I’m particularly interested in compatibility with Dante and gigaACE setups. Any advice on managed vs. unmanaged switches or preferred network configurations would also be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance!
I think you are making it harder than it needs to be.
The regular network connection is just that - standard. It should literally work with anything else that uses a standard network connection. If there are problems, it generally lies with the network design/implementation (ie it was set up wrong).
As far as Dante goes, it can certainly be more temperamental and harder to “get right.” That being said, A&H implementation of Dante is what is “normal” for Dante, so again, it should work with any Dante system. Furthermore, it there are problems, it generally lies with the Dante network design/implementation (ie it was set up wrong).
If you don’t know much about Dante, then I suggest you go through the Level 1 and Level 2 Dante training course. They are located on the Audinate site and are free. They will teach you a lot about setting up a Dante network.
Now Gigace is different. It is designed to be used in a “point to point” setup.
This means that there shouldn’t be any switches on the GigaAce lines. You should plug one end of the GigaAce into the A&H device and the other end of the cable should be plugged into the other A&H device with nothing in-between.
Now it is technically possible to use a switch with VLANs in-between the devices, but that setup is not recommended, nor supported by A&H. They do have an article on their website that explains what is possible however.