Application Notes: Dante in Corporate AV Installations
Boardrooms, conference rooms, campuses, lobbies — real-world deployment scenarios Corporate AV is among the most practical deployment target for…
Overview
KanexPro Huddle Room and Presentation switchers include dual 1G Ethernet ports with 802.1x port authentication and, on the SW-xPS series, a dedicated Dante audio network port. This article covers network configuration for corporate deployment.
Dual LAN Architecture
All COL-HUD and SW-xPS products have two Ethernet ports serving different functions:
- LAN Port 1 (Device Port): The switcher connects to the corporate network on this port. 802.1x authentication occurs here. This port carries device management traffic, IP control, and Dante audio (on applicable models).
- LAN Port 2 (Passthrough Port): A network pass-through for a connected laptop that cannot perform 802.1x authentication independently. The laptop connects here and gains network access through the switcher’s authenticated connection.
802.1x Authentication
802.1x is a port-based network access control standard. When the switcher is connected to an 802.1x-capable managed switch port, it authenticates itself to the network via a RADIUS server before being granted access. This allows the device to be placed in secure corporate environments without requiring each connected laptop to authenticate individually.
Requirements
- Managed network switch with 802.1x port authentication enabled on the connected port.
- RADIUS server (Microsoft NPS, FreeRADIUS, Cisco ISE, etc.) on the corporate network.
- Credentials (username/password or certificate) configured in the switcher’s web interface.
Configuration Steps
- Access the switcher’s web GUI via its IP address.
- Navigate to Network → 802.1x settings.
- Select the EAP method (EAP-TLS, PEAP, or EAP-MD5 depending on your network policy).
- Enter credentials or upload the client certificate.
- Save and reconnect the Ethernet cable to trigger authentication.
- Verify authentication status in the web GUI or on the network switch port log.
Dante Audio Network (SW-xPS Series Only)
The SW-4X2PS-70M and SW-5X1PS-70M include a dedicated Dante AV network port separate from the main LAN ports.
Dante Network Requirements
- Managed 1G Ethernet switch with IGMP snooping enabled on the Dante VLAN.
- A dedicated VLAN for Dante is strongly recommended to isolate audio traffic from corporate data.
- All Dante devices must be on the same subnet.
- Dante latency is configurable (0.25ms to 1000ms) — for reliable operation use 1ms or higher on shared networks.
Dante Setup
- Connect the Dante port to the managed switch (on the Dante VLAN).
- Download and install Dante Controller (free from Audinate) on a computer on the same network.
- Open Dante Controller — the switcher appears as a Dante device automatically.
- Route audio channels from the switcher to any Dante receiver (speaker, amplifier, DSP, recorder) by clicking the routing matrix in Dante Controller.
IP Address Configuration
All products default to DHCP. For production installs, assign static IPs via the web GUI to ensure consistent access for RS-232 over IP, Dante routing, and 802.1x configuration.
