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Cynthia Wisehart on Ethernet Switches

One of the most interesting things I saw at NAB was an Ethernet switch.

Yamaha built the SWP1 series for use in Dante networks as an additional alternative to Cisco switches. The switches are not cheap— north of $1000 (I remember hearing $1300). Yamaha’s marketing lead for commercial audio Marc Lopez says the company didn’t actually know what to expect in terms of reception, and has been a little surprised to see the strong response.

The switches don’t do anything technically mysterious— they’re Ethernet switches. The important thing is how Yamaha put them together to make sense to audio professionals. Setting up a network switch is a potentially painful, task. The SWP1 series was designed to make it pain free for anyone, regardless of IT experience.

For a start, the switches look like audio gear, with Neutrik locking connectors. The series includes two with eight etherCON ports and one with twelve. Depending on the switch, it will include an opticalCON port and RJ45 ports. All have optional optical module slots.

Beyond the rugged audio look, the features are designed and laid out for an audio professional’s definition of easy. Preset VLANs (virtual LAN domains) are easily selected by a DIP switch. Likewise, Dante optimization and the required management of QoS, IGMP snooping, and other switch parameters are DIP switch-recalled. There is nothing to learn. (But if you want to do custom VLANs you can).

The other piece of the SWP1 series that makes it so interesting is something Yamaha calls “network visibility”. This is a software layer—a Windows application—that gives you graphical overview of the network, with LAN mapping, port status and bandwidth utilization, switch status and device information in a single-screen view. Plus you can set up to issue alarms when parameters change, making troubleshooting easier. The Yamaha Audio Network Monitor application (as it’s called) can also live on the same computer as Dante Controller (which can be launched with one click).

I’m reminded that Yamaha has been a legit player in the enterprise router/switcher business for 20 years. This is one of those products that blends technical expertise with market understanding. Network switches may not always be a pain point for audio pros, but at the moment, they are. Yamaha responded to that market condition with a product that could only have been dreamed up by engineers who understood both worlds.

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